Carlos Alcaraz entered the 2026 season with a revamped serve motion, and it’s worked wonders. The World No. 1 has cruised into the Australian Open quarterfinals for the third time, averaging 70 percent on first serves and winning 68 percent of points on his second against Tommy Paul in the fourth round. But the new motion caught glimpses of the Serbian legend’s style, though Alcaraz makes light of the revelation.

After his 7-6(6), 6-4, 7-5 win over Paul, Alcaraz was asked about his thoughts on his new serve resembling that of Novak Djokovic‘s. He admitted to it with a little lighthearted humor in his post-match interview with Jim.

“Yeah, I heard that. I have the contract over there,” Carlos Alcaraz said, “But I haven’t seen him yet. It was funny because it was in the pre-season, and somebody came up with the movement. So, I wasn’t aware that it was really similar to Nole’s serve. But I just woke up one day, and I took out my phone. I had a Djokovic message: “Alright, you have to pay me for the serve.”

When Courier asked him, “He sent you a message directly?” Carlos admitted, “Yeah, he sent a message. So, it was fun, I mean, these kinds of things in the locker room, I think, are fine with another player.”

Previously, after the opening round at the Australian Open, Djokovic was asked about the similarity in the Spaniard’s new serve. He couldn’t resist joking about it.

“As soon as I saw it, I sent him a message. I said, we have to speak about the copyrights,” Nole said at the press conference. “Then when I saw him here, I told him we have to talk about percentage of his winnings. Every ace I expect, you know, a tribute to me. Every ace that he makes here. Let’s see if he’s going to stick to the agreement.”

Carlos Alcaraz’s serve has long been a work in progress. Early in his career, it was big, bold, and full of power, but too erratic to stand with the tour’s best. His first serve often hit between 115 and 120 mph, sometimes even higher. Yet accuracy remained his toughest opponent. His second serve leaned more on heavy topspin, pushing rivals back instead of blowing them away with pace.

Now, that work is paying off. The numbers prove it. The top seed shot 35 winners, and with his win over Tommy Paul, Alcaraz has added another feat to his growing list. He’s now surpassed Bjorn Borg and Boris Becker by reaching a 14th Grand Slam quarter-final before turning 23.

But he’s not the only one taking notes from others to improve his game. Earlier in the tournament, on the WTA side, the World No.3 revealed she had drawn inspiration from Carlos’ style to help her beat Olga Danilovic.

Gauff admits to taking inspiration from Carlos Alcaraz

On January 21, Coco Gauff kept her Melbourne momentum rolling, brushing aside Olga Danilovic 6-2, 6-2 to charge deeper into the 2026 Australian Open. The match was a masterclass in control, Gauff dictating every point, every swing. Yet the real headline came after the handshake. She admitted she’d borrowed a few ideas from Alcaraz’s playbook, a playful twist that added an extra spark to her dominant run.

“Honestly, the drop shot is always a bad idea in my head, and then I make it, and I’m like ‘Oh ok, that was good,’” Gauff told her close friend Chris Eubanks after winning the second round. “I saw Carlos yesterday, and I was like, ‘I’m trying to drop shot like him.’ In my first match, I won like 7 drop shot points, which I don’t think I’ve ever done. And today I won all of them that I did. It’s a good shot until I miss it.”

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Seems like Carlos Alcaraz is gaining quite a reputation. So far, he’s doing wellon the hard courts of the Rod LAver Arena. His best results at the tournament have been the quarterfinals twice, in 2024 and 2025. Last year, he lost to Novak in a five-set battle. But this year, he’s coming in with some good momentum on his side.

In the next round, he could meet with Alexander Bublik or home favorite Alex de Minaur. Will his new and improved serve push him into his maiden semifinals? Share your thoughts in the comments below!