Zizou Bergs has dismissed Carlos Alcaraz's complaints about the balls and court conditions at the Shanghai Masters, after the Belgian defeated the Spaniard 7-5 7-6(4) in the third round on Monday.
Alcaraz became visibly frustrated during the match as he struggled to adapt to the conditions, which have been sped up in Shanghai this year. The Spanish star missed the tournament in 2025 and was left exasperated by the perceived inconsistency in the balls and court speed.
Alcaraz's frustration
Late in the opening set, Alcaraz ranted towards his team, saying it felt like one ball would bounce and another would slip away. "I can't play like this," he exclaimed.
After crashing out, Alcaraz reiterated that there was a marked difference in conditions between his opening match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo, played under the roof, and Monday's clash with Bergs. "To be honest, I just felt the first round it was really, well, it was fast," he explained.
"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. 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."
Bergs' response
Bergs, who reached the quarter-finals here last year when the courts were much slower, disagrees. The world No. 39 said there were no issues with either the balls or the courts, though he has seen the occasional odd bounce in Shanghai.
"Balls are completely the same obviously as the last tournament. It's not an issue with the balls," he declared. "I do think sometimes there is a little wrong bounce on the court that happens time to time. It's definitely there."
"I noticed in the warm up that this can happen sometimes. Maybe one of the 10 or 20 shots you have it can be a bad bounce. But I think the court and the balls are in general very good."
Bergs' fondness for Shanghai
Despite the faster court speed this year, Bergs is enjoying another deep run at the Shanghai Masters. Twelve months ago, he reached the quarter-finals before losing to Novak Djokovic.
"Results [wise], it's definitely my favorite Masters 1000. Also how I play here is pretty nice," Bergs added. "The courts last year were way slower than this year, so it's not the same. The weather is much more nice. But, yeah, results are quite good here."
