Carlos Alcaraz fell to a surprise third round defeat to Zizou Bergs at the Shanghai Masters.
The Spaniard struggled with the conditions in Shanghai against Bergs and the Belgian ultimately made him pay to race to a 7-5, 7-6 victory at the Masters tournament.
Alcaraz complained about the quality of the balls in Shanghai during a passion rant to his coach, Samuel Lopez, during the first set of the match.
That wasn’t the only aspect of the match he was unhappy with either, as he was asked about the quickness of the court at the tournament after his match.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Alcaraz said there was a major different in the court speed from his first match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
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“To be honest, I just felt the first round it was really, well, it was fast. Today I didn’t feel same way. So, it’s weird that in just in two days it can feel that I can feel the court, feel the conditions way different,” said Alcaraz.
“Obviously the first round I played with the roof closed. Today I played outdoor. Yeah, I felt different. I felt the first round it was really quick. Today the ball was bigger and it was a little bit slower. I don’t know why. It’s something weird, and something that they have to look after.”
Alcaraz is not the first person to complain about the speed of courts at the Shanghai Masters this year.
The Masters tournament has increased the speed dramatically this year compared to 2025 and it’s thrown plenty of the top seeds at the tournament.
Novak Djokovic describe the court as a ‘super quick surface’ following his straight sets defeat to Hubert Hurkacz in the second round of the tournament.
As a result, many of the top players in the event have suffered an early exit.
23 seeds have been beaten in the third round or earlier at the tournament, including Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Arthur Fils, Alcaraz, Ben Shelton, and Frances Tiafoe.
The Shanghai Masters listened to complaints about the slow courts in 2025, so there’s a real chance they will attempt to find a middle for next year’s event.
The tournament will not want so many top seeds to exit the event so early, as it will surely affect the ticket sales.
As a result, they will very likely be looking to accomodate the ATP Tour’s very best for next year’s event. This is now the second year in a row where several top seeds have tumbled early at the Shanghai Masters.
Last year’s event was won by Valentin Vacherot, who lifted the trophy as a qualifier after beating the likes of Arthur Rinderknech, Djokovic, and Holger Rune.
