It really does feel like 2026 could be Carlos Alcaraz’s year again. He started things off with a big win, but more importantly, with a bold change that had everyone talking. When Alcaraz walked onto Rod Laver Arena for his opening match in Melbourne, the result was convincing as he won 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-2 over Adam Walton.  Yet it was not the scoreline that stole the spotlight. But it was the serve…

A new motion, a new rhythm and a look that felt familiar enough to Novak Djokovic’s style. His serving motion looked fluid and relaxed. The ball toss was slightly modified.

Even Alcaraz said, “You wanted to say it’s really similar to Djokovic’s serve (smiling). I know you want to. I wasn’t thinking about making the same serve as Djokovic. But at the end, I can even see the similarities.”

And soon after, the clips of the serve quickly went viral, and it was only a matter of time before they reached Djokovic himself. The Serbian had just completed his own first-round match at the Australian Open, beating Pedro Martinez, when reporters brought up the resemblance. Djokovic, clearly amused, wasted no time turning it into a joke.

“As soon as I saw it, I sent him a message, and I said you know we have to speak about the copyrights, and then when I saw him here I told him we have to speak about percentage of his winnings, “Alcaraz said. “Every ace I expect, you know, a tribute to me. Every ace that he makes here. So let’s see if he’s going to stick to the agreement.” Meanwhile, Djokovic’s own serve was on fire in Melbourne.

The 10-time Australian Open winner won 93 percent of his first serve points and didn’t have a break point against Martinez, his 100th hard-court major win and two away from Roger Federer’s record of 102. Against this background, Alcaraz’s developing serve was not merely a technical adaptation; it was a declaration of intent. And the question is: how did he get here? Well, it took him years to reach this high.

How Carlos Alcaraz’s serve evolved into a tour-ready threat

Carlos Alcaraz’s serve has always been  “work in progress.” Early on it was a big, powerful serve but also a very inconsistent one for a long way from any of the other big servers on tour. He could hit first serves at 115-120 miles per hour, sometimes faster, but placement was often an issue. Even his second serve used to rely on topspin to push opponents back instead of pure pace.

In 2024, his serve had a couple of small pauses in the racquet path prior to contact, disrupting the rhythm and making it more difficult to flow power. “Carlos used to make two stops when he threw back his racquet, and now he makes one which helps him maintain rhythm when he serves,” said Antonio Martinez Cascales, director of the Ferrero Tennis Academy.

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At that stage, Alcaraz also tended to coil his body later in the swing, after his feet were set, which reduced the efficiency of his serve compared with modern pros. The start of 2025 brought a noticeable breakthrough. New footage from January 3rd showed an evolved serve with no late coil. The key change involved the lag: previously, his racket pointed to the side, but now it pointed more toward the ground.

This subtle tweak had a big effect on his rhythm. During the critical lag phase, the racket angled downward and slightly back, allowing his elbow to coil earlier and more smoothly as the racket ascended into the trophy position. The late coil was eliminated, and the entire motion became more integrated and fluid, closer in feel to the smooth trophy phase of players like Novak Djokovic.

And now, following a split with longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero over the off-season, Alcaraz comes into the 2026 Australian Open with a newly refined serve. He began the tournament winning in straight. With this continuous progress, every time Alcaraz is on the court, he considers his serve sharper, smoother and more unstoppable.