Carlos Alcaraz has gained a reputation for his world-class drop shots since making his debut on the ATP Tour.
The four-time Major champion has entertained fans around the world with his exciting brand of tennis.
Alcaraz won the Monte-Carlo Masters at the beginning of the clay season, backing up that performance with a run to the final in Barcelona.
After missing the Madrid Open due to injury, the Spaniard returned in Rome, as Alcaraz beat Dusan Lajovic in his opening match.
Having booked his place in the third round of the Italian Open, Alcaraz broke down how to hit the perfect drop shot.
Carlos Alcaraz says the key to the perfect drop shot is finding the right ‘moment’ to use it
Speaking to the media after his 6-3, 6-3 win over Lajovic, the drop shot expert explained how he uses the technique so effectively.
“First of all, you have to have the opponent a few steps back. I don’t know how to explain. It’s just natural for me,” he said.
“The most important thing, you have to find the great moment to do it because it’s much better to do a not great dropshot but in a great moment than a pretty good dropshot in not a good moment.
“You have to find the balance on that.”
Alcaraz certainly has the right to speak on the matter, as research from tennisabstract.com showed the Spaniard to be the tour ‘champion’ of drop shots back in 2024.
| Rank | Name | Drop shot points gained/1000 |
| 1 | Carlos Alcaraz | 6.5 |
| 2 | Sebastian Baez | 5.2 |
| 3 | Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | 4.9 |
| 4 | Richard Gasquet | 4.5 |
| 5 | Kei Nishikori | 3.8 |
| 6 | Lucas Pouille | 3.0 |
| 7 | Pablo Carreno Busta | 2.3 |
| 8 | Andy Murray | 2.2 |
| 9 | Roberto Bautista Agut | 2.2 |
| 10 | Rafael Nadal | 2.0 |
Standing at the top of the pile ahead of fellow clay specialists Sebastian Baez and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Alcaraz was calculated to have gained 6.5 points/1000 drop shots.
An impressive gain when considering the tight margins that separate victory and defeat on the ATP Tour.
Carlos Alcaraz updates fans on his injury status ahead of the Italian Open third round
World number three, Alcaraz, missed the Madrid Open due to injury, and many suspected he would be forced to skip the Italian Open as well.
Recovering in time, Alcaraz has made a winning start in Rome and updated fans on his injury status after the match.
“Today was a great match, great start of the tournament. Honestly, I expected, let’s say, a worse match from my side. But I’m just really, really happy,” he said.
“The most important thing was the injury. I was going into the match [not knowing] if I was going to feel it or not. Today was great. I made a few sprints, I moved great today without any pain, which is great.”
Alcaraz was then asked to go into further detail on his recovery from injury.
“Honestly, I took some days without doing anything. Just recovering with the physio. Didn’t do any movement at all,” he said.
“When I went home on Monday after coming back from Madrid, I did a test. I want to see how was it. It was almost perfect. Then I started to practice.
“It was a mix of everything, you know? It was a mix of taking it easily and, of course, practicing, too, to get ready for Rome.”
He certainly looks ready, and will hope to score another win when he returns to the court for his third round clash with Laslo Djere over the weekend.
Carlos Alcaraz and Laslo Djere’s head-to-head record
Alcaraz and Djere have played twice before, with the Spaniard taking victory on both occasions.
- 2025 Barcelona Open 2R – Carlos Alcaraz beat Laslo Djere, 6-2, 6-4
- 2023 Argentina Open 2R – Carlos Alcaraz beat Laslo Djere, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
Alcaraz beat Djere last month in the second round of the Barcelona Open, dropping just six games against the Serbian world number 64.
He had beaten Djere on the surface two years earlier, fighting through in three sets to win in Buenos Aires.
Alcaraz would be wise not to underestimate the 29-year-old, however, as Djere has won 12 matches on clay this year, a tally that is only bettered by two players.
- Francisco Cerundolo – 16 clay wins in 2025
- Sebastian Baez – 13 clay wins in 2025
- Laslo Djere – 12 clay wins in 2025
- Alexander Zverev – 11 clay wins in 2025
- Lorenzo Musetti – 11 clay wins in 2025
It remains to be seen if Djere can pull off the upset and secure win number 13 when he takes on Alcaraz in the Italian Open third round on Sunday, May 11
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