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The WTA player Jim Courier said had more accurate drop shots than Carlos Alcaraz two years ago

Image of Carlos Alcaraz hitting a drop shot at Wimbledon in 2025
Credit: Tim Clayton/Getty Images
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Carlos Alcaraz has been one of the best drop-shotters in the game since he burst onto the scene in 2021.

The skillful Spaniard has been entertaining fans with his world-class shot-making for several years on the ATP Tour.

His drop shot is arguably the greatest in his arsenal, disguising the weapon to great effect on his way to big titles such as Wimbledon and the US Open.

Carlos Alcaraz holds the trophy after winning the 2025 US Open
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

He’s not the only player who has mastered the technique, however, as several other stars on the ATP Tour and WTA Tour have grown a reputation for their drop shots over the years.

In 2023, tennis legend Jim Courier named the WTA player who he believed had more accurate drop shots than Alcaraz.

Jim Courier said Ons Jabeur had more accurate drop shots than Carlos Alcaraz

During a Tennis Channel media conference in 2023, Courier was asked to compare Alcaraz’s drop shots with Ons Jabeur’s.

“Well, I think that one advantage that Carlos [Alcaraz] has is that he has just a little more of a speed difference between his top speed shots on the forehand, the backhand, and then the obvious gap to the drop shot, and that gives him probably a little bit more space to work with,” he said.

Carlos Alcaraz hits a drop shot at Wimbledon in 2025
Photo by Tim Clayton/Getty Images

“He has a very good disguise. It’s a late grip change on both of his shots, so that helps him. He is also, by sheer nature of the force available, creating more space in the forecourt.

“[Ons] Jabeur is more of a magician. She needs more sleight-of-hand in a way to work her wizardry because she’s not able to back the players off of the court as much with the firepower coming off of her groundstrokes.

“So I would give her the edge as far as feel. Her drop shots have to be more accurate, more precise to do the damage, but I would love to have both of them, if I could, in my arsenal.”

Courier then shared a trend he’d noticed with players hitting drop shots.

“It’s become something to see players have options on both sides with the drop shot because, typically speaking, that’s only been on one side, like [Novak] Djokovic, you rarely see him hit a forehand drop shot,” he said.

“When he does, it’s nowhere near as good or as effective as his backhand drop shot.

“Historically, most players hit drop shots off of their forehand wing because it tends to be a shot that has more force in general and creates that opening and availability for the surprise weapon.”

One thing is for sure, Jabeur’s drop shots are sorely missed, and fans will no doubt love to see them and her return to action before too long…

What went wrong for Ons Jabeur in 2025?

The three-time Grand Slam finalist began the year ranked 42nd in the world and surely dreamt of making a triumphant return to the top ten before the end of 2025.

Unfortunately for Jabeur, after a relatively strong start to the year, things quickly unravelled, as she failed to gain any real momentum.

TournamentTierSurfaceResult
Brisbane InternationalWTA 500HardLost in QF to Mirra Andreeva
Adelaide InternationalWTA 500HardLost in R16 to Yulia Putintseva
Australian OpenGrand SlamHardLost in R32 to Emma Navarro
Abu Dhabi OpenWTA 500HardLost in QF to Elena Rybakina
Qatar OpenWTA 1000HardLost in QF to Jelena Ostapenko
Dubai Tennis ChampionshipsWTA 1000HardLost in R64 to Peyton Stearns
Indian WellsWTA 1000HardLost in R64 to Dayana Yastremska
Miami OpenWTA 1000HardLost in R32 to Jasmine Paolini
Madrid OpenWTA 1000ClayLost in R64 to Moyuka Uchijima
Italian OpenWTA 1000ClayLost in R32 to Jasmine Paolini
French OpenGrand SlamClayLost in R128 to Magdalena Frech
Berlin OpenWTA 500GrassLost in QF to Marketa Vondrousova
Eastbourne OpenWTA 250GrassLost in R32 to Maya Joint
WimbledonGrand SlamGrassLost in R128 to Viktoriya Tomova
Ons Jabeur’s 2025 results

Jabeur played her final match of the year at Wimbledon, retiring due to injury during her first-round match with Viktoriya Tomova.

Shortly after, Jabeur announced she would be taking a break from tennis, admitting that she hadn’t felt ‘happy’ on court for a number of years.

It’s unclear when or if she plans to return to tennis, although the Tunisian star has remained involved with the sport, announcing the new ‘Ons Jabeur Academy’.

The Academy will be located in Dubai and will open in November 2025, in a bid to ‘inspire the next generation of champions’.

Only time will tell if the former world number two will become a champion again before retiring, but it will certainly be something to look out for in the new year.