Alcaraz, in Shanghai after the KO: “One of the defeats that hurt me the most”

Carlos Alcaraz He confessed to feeling affected by his defeat against the Belgian Zizou Bergs, 7-5 and 7-6 (4) in the round of 32 of the Shanghai Masters 1000: “It is one of the defeats that has hurt me the most among the last ones,” he said in his analysis.

“I felt very good. Seeing that I have not been able to adapt as best as possible to today’s conditions has hurt me. I came to this tournament fresh, with a great desire to compete, and seeing the poor level that I have given today, the truth is that it disappoints me,” said the Murcian in statements to the media after the duel.

Alcaraz fought with the conditions, he was surprised by the response of the ball. “I don’t want to make excuses either. They are sensations: I try to see the ball as it comes, I think it’s going to bounce one way and I prepare for that shot. And when it comes to me in a different way, it’s too late. Maybe I have to play in a different way, see the ball and think in a different way.”

Alcaraz was “a little disconcerted” due to “much slower sensations” with respect to the first game and training. “The first day, when we played indoors, everything was fast, but today, outdoors, I noticed the ball was bigger and heavier,” he stressed. “The sensations were very different,” he said.

The Spaniard considered that Bergs “he had luck in some situations, and he took advantage of it,” and at the same time he lacked that fortune. In any case, the Spaniard spoke of his “very bad level” and of Bergs’ “very good” level, whom he congratulated for his good serve.

The second seed in the tournament, who had his worst participation among the three he has had – the best, the quarterfinals in 2024 -, tried to look to the future: “The only thing I can think about is returning home, to the training courts, and giving my best in the next tournament. I still think that I am fresh, and I am looking forward to the tournaments to come. We are going to try to give everything.”