Carlos Alcaraz has made a noticeable change to his game ahead of the Australian Open this year.
Alcaraz has stated his goal to win the Australian Open, which is the only Grand Slam tournament he is yet to get his hands on.
When reacting to his draw ahead of the tournament getting underway, former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski claimed that Alcaraz had a better draw than Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz has made a positive start at the Australian Open this year, and Rusedski has revealed that he has already noticed an improvement the Spaniard has made.
Greg Rusedski praises Carlos Alcaraz for changing his serve
There has been a lot of discussion about Alcaraz’s serve at the Australian Open this year, which he has noticeably changed the motion of.
Many have highlighted that Alcaraz appears to be replicating Novak Djokovic’s service motion.
Some had questioned this decision from Alcaraz, who had already found a lot of success on his serve last year, but Rusedski is supportive of this move from the world number one.
Why do you think Carlos Alcaraz has struggled at the Australian Open in the past?
2021 Australian Open – 1R
2022 Australian Open – 3R
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When speaking on his podcast, Rusedski spoke about Alcaraz’s split from Juan Carlos Ferrero and how this is a good chance for Samuel Lopez to prove himself as the number one coach.
“I actually think it’s a big change,” began Rusedski. “The wrist position starting up higher gets him in the throwing position in a better way. He’s also more balanced, there’s less parts than can go wrong. From my point of view it’s a really good change.
“I liked the comment where he [Novak Djokovic] said, ‘I want a percentage of his winnings, because he copied my serve’. He’s always getting better, that’s a massive thing to make that adjustment, especially after serving so well last year, winning eight titles. But I think, it’s the right way forward, when you can simplify something, like he did with the backhand, we saw it last year, making these tweaks.
“This is where we’re going to find out, Samuel Lopez, what is the huge benefit? With Djokovic, he was looking for a coach who was super technical when he partnered with Andy Murray. Maybe Alcaraz is thinking the same way, I need that technical change to make me a better player. Time will tell, but I actually like the change. I don’t think it’s just looks-wise, I think it’s better balance, better productivity, and also simpler on the body.”
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Carlos Alcaraz’s serving statistics at the Australian Open so far
Rusedski appears to enjoy how Alcaraz’s new serve looks visually, and the Spaniard is also finding success from it.
From his first two matches at the Australian Open so far, Alcaraz has hit a combined 20 aces, which is actually the same number as he achieved in Melbourne last year.
What has improved for Alcaraz compared to last year’s Australian Open is his double fault count, which is down by three.
Alcaraz has also only been broken twice in the 30 service games he has played so far at the tournament.
| Carlos Alcaraz’s Serve | First Round vs Adam Walton | Second Round vs Yannick Hanfmann |
| Aces | 8 | 12 |
| Double Faults | 1 | 3 |
| First Serve % | 67% | 64% |
| First Serve Win % | 77% | 69% |
| Second Serve Win % | 67% | 60% |
| Games Broken | 1 | 1 |
The six-time Grand Slam champion will hope his service motion continues to be effective for his upcoming matches, as he now gears up to play 32nd seed Corentin Moutet.
Alcaraz will be playing Moutet for the first time when their match takes place on Friday, January 23.
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