Carlos Alcaraz says it is “really difficult” to take any positives from his straight-set loss to Zizou Bergs at the Shanghai Masters.

After winning his first title since returning from a wrist injury at the Japan Open last week, Alcaraz was much more sluggish against an inspired Bergs on Monday.

The Belgian was not overawed by the occasion and closed out a 7-5, 7-6 (4) third-round victory. The 27-year-old served for the match at 6-5 but was broken back immediately to set up a tiebreak.

However, Bergs did not need a second invitation as he claimed the biggest win of his career in just over two hours inside Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena.

After winning the ATP 500 event in Tokyo less than a week ago, in what was his first title for half a year after being out for more than four months with a wrist issue, this was a reality check for the Spaniard.

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Although Alcaraz is feeling optimistic about his chances over the coming weeks, he did lift the lid on his immediate “negative thoughts”.

When asked if he is still feeling positive about the rest of the season, Alcaraz told reporters, “Yeah, of course. I mean, I played great tournaments. Obviously, taking the positive things from today is really difficult. Right now, I didn’t take it yet.

“So, I will try the next few days to think clearly. Right now, you know, all the negative thoughts come to my mind and none of the positives. But I think I will take it, you know, the good things about, you know, having the matches.

“I can re-watch the matches with my coach, with my team. It’s going to be really helpful for the next tournament. But just happy with the way that I’m playing lately, and obviously positive tournaments, the latest ones.”

Bergs won eight points more than Alcaraz in the match; the former world No 1 hit 16 winners to 27 unforced errors, and he won just 21 per cent of first serve return points, as the Belgian’s delivery kept him at arm’s length.

And Alcaraz’s lack of accuracy and consistency was a big bugbear for him.

Asked if he was less satisfied with his tennis than usual, he replied, “Well, I would say everything. To be honest, I didn’t play the way that I wanted to play, a lot of mistakes. I didn’t find a good position on the return. For example, I was returning pretty well. Today I didn’t find a good one. Obviously, credit to him. I would say he serves really, really well.

“But when I got into the rhythm, when I got into the point, I made a lot of mistakes. I wasn’t feeling comfortable with the shots. So, I’m really disappointed with today’s match, because I didn’t find the solution. I would say I just made a lot of unforced errors.”

Alcaraz only returned from his wrist problem at the US Open, where he made the quarter-finals. Encouraging displays at the Laver Cup were backed up by his title success in Tokyo.

He has only played a handful of tournaments since his injury comeback, so this isn’t a huge setback for world No 3 Alcaraz.

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