"You can improve more from defeats...": Carlos Alcaraz

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz hits a return to Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov during their men`s singles match at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament. Pic/AFP

Carlos Alcaraz isn't going to dwell on his three-set loss against Grigor Dimitrov in the Shanghai Masters Round of 16.

Instead, after going 5-2 during the Asian Swing, the Spaniard is ready to get back on the practice court.

"I always say that you can improve more from the defeats than the wins. After this trip, I took a lot of lessons to improve, to be better," Alcaraz said in his press conference as quoted by ATP.

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"As I said in Beijing, I have to work on a few things to beat the best guys and after this loss, it [happened] not too much time ago, so I have to think about it. But I will take a lot of lessons to improve in practice before the tournaments that I have ahead," Alcaraz added.

"I think I'm playing great tennis. Even if I didn't make the quarter-finals [in Shanghai] or lost in the semi-finals [in Beijing], I think I'm playing great tennis. So I have to practise at 100 per cent in the weeks before Basel. That is the next tournament for me, so I'll try to do my best in that tournament," he said.

After winning the first set, the No. 2 player in the ATP Rankings appeared to be in an excellent position to struggle through against the 2017 ATP Finals champion. But Dimitrov maintained his level, and Alcaraz was unable to find the answers he so frequently does to re-establish his lead.

"Probably I had to start the second set better. I think I made a few mistakes in the first game that I shouldn't do. That is the truth. It was a little bit of a surprise for me as well, the way that he started the second set after let's say a tough first set for him," said the Spaniard.

"He didn't makeup and downs in his game after a really good first set. He started really well in the second set and kept that level, that intensity during the second set and the third set. He didn't let me put my game on the match. I was all the time fighting to find a way to put the match on my own game, but I couldn't. And I think that was the key of the match."

Although Alcaraz bemoaned a wasted opportunity in Asia to close the gap on Novak Djokovic in the battle for ATP Year-End No. 1, he was quick to praise Dimitrov for his performance in their ATP Head2Head series.

"I think he played great. He played a great match since the beginning until the last ball. No up and downs in his game. Comparing to the matches that we've played before, he was on another level today. So congratulations to him and I have to be better if I want to beat this Grigor," Alcaraz said.

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