Carlos Alcaraz's Shanghai defeat exposed a problem Zizou Bergs was brave enough to exploit

It is fair to say that Carlos Alcaraz is one of the best players in the world. However, the 23-year-old is far from perfect. His recent 7-5, 7-6(4) defeat to Zizou Bergs in the third round of the Shanghai Masters proves that he is not immortal, a tale that has been seen numerous times.

When Alcaraz gets it right, he is virtually unbeatable. Possibly only Jannik Sinner can live with him in this tennis landscape. The scary thing is that the young Spaniard can still improve and get better. The sky and beyond is the limit, with his current seven Grand Slam total likely to soar a lot higher with a long and prosperous career ahead of him.

There are incidents where he is not competing at a high enough level. Compared to a rival like Sinner, whose consistent form on the big stage has only really been compromised by external factors away from tennis, Alcaraz is not totally safe from an early exit.

He was not at his best in the contest against Bergs and paid the price. Once again, a concerning and unpredictable trend has occurred with Alcaraz. He was vocal about the balls in that match, but whether it is a lack of focus, consistency or his opponent simply being better on court, there is possibly a blueprint to take down the World No.3. However, not enough players are brave enough to complete this, or maybe even talented enough. When they do, the results speak for themselves; just look at Bergs.

At Masters 1000 level, Alcaraz has been very much hit and miss. From 2024, he has competed in 16 events, making it to the quarter-final stage on 10 occasions. That is a decent turnaround for most players, but those six exits in question prove that Alcaraz is unmistakably at risk sometimes from exiting the tournament early.

The players he lost to in these events are also competitors who should not be getting the better of someone with the calibre of Alcaraz.

When he gets it right, it is electrifying. A player who boasts so much variety and overall is a joy to watch. Brimming from ear to ear while pulling off almost unthinkable shots, Alcaraz is one of the most mesmerising tennis players of this current generation and is already being compared to the greats.

This makes these results a lot more bizarre. Take the most recent one against Bergs. The World No.39 had failed to win more than two matches in any tournament from Wimbledon onwards. He lost in the opening round of the Japan Open, the competition Alcaraz won just before Shanghai, and yet produced a stunning upset.

Coming into this tournament, Alcaraz was in great form. A US Open quarter-final in his return to the sport was a commendable result, but the Japan Open title charge was a statement. While not at his best, he turned up the heat in all his matches and was able to dart clear to complete a fine title defence. He was one of the favourites for glory in Shanghai, but a wait to clinch an elusive title in this tournament prolongs.

This result goes far deeper beyond the surface. At first glance, upsets are a part of tennis. Bergs is a title winner in 2026 and is rapidly improving. Shanghai is also the location of his maiden Masters 1000 quarter-final, making it happy hunting ground for him. When taking a deeper dive, there is much to analyse.

It was not the first time Bergs had faced Alcaraz, losing to him in Tokyo last year. He did put up a fight, breaking three times in that match. That is the exact same amount as in Shanghai, but he was a lot more solid on serve and shut the door to his opponent.

The first serve points won percentage at 77% is key. Bergs was aggressive when starting points and successfully managed to shorten them. This made Alcaraz more uncomfortable while asserting his dominance on the court.

According to Eurosport, the match averaged just 3.6 shots per point, with 107 of the 154 points finishing within four shots. Bergs won 59% of those. This is a huge contrast to the few points that extended beyond that, with Alcaraz on top by quite a distance. When dragged into longer rallies, Alcaraz can fall back on his explosive power, variety and lightning quick pace to cause his opponent a lot of grief. When faced with a more aggressive player, this comprimises his game plan and makes it harder to produce this. Bergs not letting the rallies develop was a key tactical insight that proved pivotal.

Adding to that, the rewarding yet risky aggressive style of play Alcaraz utilises was not at its glittering best. It is a style of play that Alcaraz has not just mastered but uses highly effectively, as he is part of a new generation playing a similar way. His forehand alone can overwhelm opponents with a key eye for a drop shot.

This works because Alcaraz is able to get on top of the rally and dictate play. When his chances of controlling the contest are limited, this opens the door for his opponent to step in and capitalise. Against the serve, Bergs limited the chances Alcaraz would get, with just two break points created. He did take them, but on this occasion it was not enough.

Alcaraz can play on every surface. The seamless transition from hardcourt to clay to grass back to hardcourt just adds to the reasons why he is in a class of his own. While indoor hardcourt is possibly an area he could improve, outside he has won almost everything. Australian Open, two US Open's, along with more success at Indian Wells, Miami and Cincinnati.

His prior successes prove that he does have solutions to when he is becoming unstuck on the court. Sometimes, his attacking style has to be used in a different way. Able to absorb pressure, he can still change the rhythm and give the player on the other side of the net a headache.

Take the 2025 US Open title triumph. He dropped one set in the entire tournament, and that included fixtures against Novak Djokovic and Sinner in the final. It was an event where his serving was of the highest calibre, giving him a solid foothold in the contests. Against Bergs, he won just 66% of first-serve points.

In other hardcourt tournaments, he is able to find solutions. Shanghai is one that continues to leave him scratching his head. A fourth round and quarter-final appearance in 2023 and 2024, respectively, is far off the level expected, and another poor run in the penultimate Masters 1000 competition of the season makes for grim reading.

The straight sets defeat against Bergs could have a number of storylines and reasons coming from them. On one instance, the poor prior form in Shanghai, not much competitive tennis played following wrist injury, conditions not being to his liking, a tactical failure or just a standard bad day at the office could all be compelling arguments.

You do have to factor in how Bergs hushed Alcaraz for much of the contest, but that deserves so much praise. It is not as simple to say to a tennis player, 'play this way, and you will beat Alcaraz.' For someone that good, you have to produce a performance higher than your usual standard and hope you are not met with a barrage from the other side of the court.

This blueprint on how to defeat Alcaraz on a hardcourt cannot be written in stone thanks to just one performance. If that is going to be made permanent, it needs to happen again, and again, and again. However, Bergs demonstrated that an opponent does not need to outlast Alcaraz or match his full range of shot-making. A strong serve, early ball-striking, forward movement and disciplined execution can be enough to deny him the time he needs.

For Alcaraz, the main argument to deal with this is to play nearer to his usual self. Maybe if he was slightly more satisfied with the balls, he would have got more joy on the court. Even then, the key word is adapt. He needed to adapt to the conditions when his opponent successfully did so. He needs to successfully implement a style of play on court that is built around his aggressive nature and variety but also takes a more patient approach, producing a better serving performance and solving the returning issue.

This is an effective way to defeat Alcaraz. However, it is too soon to call it a huge flaw. Early defeats in these big tournaments have been common for Alcaraz, especially on hardcourt. Even in Japan the week before, he was pushed by his rivals but managed to find a way to win. There is an argument that Bergs unearthed the combination to tackle Alcaraz, but whether it is the ultimate method is yet to be seen.