Carlos Alcaraz was aware of an issue that he had in his game which his rivals have worked out.
Alcaraz won the Australian Open title in his first tournament since splitting from former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
After coming from a set down to beat Novak Djokovic in the final, Alcaraz became the youngest man to ever complete the Career Slam.
While Alcaraz continues to make tennis history, he has suggested there were two areas of his game which other players were able to exploit.
Carlos Alcaraz names two things that he was ‘struggling’ with in his game
Alcaraz was accused of copying Novak Djokovic’s serve at the Australian Open this year, after making a clear change to his motion.
When speaking in a video on major golfing champion Bryson DeChambeau’s YouTube channel, Alcaraz named both the serve and his running forehand as two weaknesses in his game that he has had to work on.
Alcaraz also revealed that he has spent a lot of time watching other players to scout both their strengths and weaknesses.
“The serve. In tennis in the last five years the serve has taken more importance in the game and the running forehand,” said Alcaraz. “I was struggling a bit, so the players knew that was something that I didn’t do as well as some things.
“I have been working on it a lot, just to feel comfortable. When I was running I was trying to defend all the time instead of attack.
“I watched a lot of matches from the players, just to see what they are doing well during the tournaments and doing badly. And so I know what part of the game they are doing well or not.”
Who finishes their career on more majors – Alcaraz or Djokovic?
Where did Carlos Alcaraz’s serve rank at the Australian Open?
Alcaraz’s serve certainly did not hold him back from winning a seventh Grand Slam title, but he did not top the statistics.
Following the conclusion of the 2026 tournament, ausopen.com have compiled statistics from the best 20 servers at this year’s event.
Will Carlos Alcaraz win the Calendar Slam in 2026?
If not, which Grand Slam is he going to fail to win?
Alcaraz ranks at ninth in terms of aces and eighth in second serve win percentage, but he is 10th worst in terms of double faults.
However, it is worth considering that Alcaraz played more matches than any other male player at this year’s event, with even runner-up Djokovic only playing six matches after receiving a walkover in the fourth round.
While he was in the top 20 for both aces and second serve win percentage, Alcaraz did not make the list for first serve percentage, first serve win percentage or fastest serve.
| Carlos Alcaraz’s Serve at the Australian Open | Where he ranks compares to other ATP players at the Australian Open | |
| Aces | 51 | 9th (joint with Alexander Bublik) |
| Double Faults | 15 | 10th worst (joint with Casper Ruud, Lorenzo Musetti and Alex de Minaur) |
| Second Serve Win % | 60% | 8th (joint with Alexei Popyrin, Benjamin Bonzi and Jordan Thompson) |
The ATP player who hit the fastest serve at the Australian Open this year was Ben Shelton, having hit a 232km/h serve en route to the quarterfinals.
While Jakub Mensik hit the most double faults at the Australian Open this year, despite winning all three of his matches at the tournament before withdrawing due to injury.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
