An off-color Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock 6-1 7-5 defeat against Norway's Casper Ruud in his opening match at the ATP Finals as the Spaniard's hopes of winning the year-end title for the first time suffered a blow on Monday.
The round-robin format of the eight-man event means he could still crown a standout year in style, but the third seed has left himself with little margin for error in his remaining group matches and he will need to find a higher level.
"I think he did a really good job today. But I talk about myself, I could just be better. I could play better. Obviously I could feel better on court," world No. 3 Alcaraz, who has been under the weather in the build-up, told reporters.
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