Carlos Alcaraz: The story behind his new & improved serve

When Carlos Alcaraz put the finishing touches on his comeback against Frances Tiafoe in the third round of Wimbledon, stopping the clock at three hours and 50 minutes, the match statistics showed that the Spaniard had reeled off 16 aces, with a fastest serve of 135mph and a serving average of 116mph during the encounter. The upshot of these numbers is clear, the 21-year-old has made significant progress in his delivery.

“It’s something I’ve improved quite a lot,” celebrated Alcaraz after claiming his win over the American. “It’s been on my to-do list for many years: Trying to improve my serve.”

Against Tiafoe, in a clash that was replete with nail-biting moments, Alcaraz’s serve was a lifeline. It was a weapon he turned to when he found himself in a hole, such as to save a 0/30 at 4-4 in the fourth set, when his opponent was enjoying a 2-1 lead in sets.

“In situations like today’s I had to try and get points from my serve,” explained Alcaraz. “I had to make it significant, a key part of my game, at difficult moments. The first day, I didn’t serve well, but it’s been improving. The second round was much better and today, at key moments, my serve saved me from a lot of trouble. On grass, it’s even more important than on other surfaces. I’m happy to see we’ve improved it, and that we’ll continue to improve it.”

Alcaraz is a player who has constantly evolved since bursting onto the ATP Tour, where he has enjoyed astonishing success, claiming three Grand Slam titles (US Open 2022, Wimbledon 2023, Roland Garros 2024) and becoming No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings in 2022.

After identifying the potential for improvement in his serve, under the tutelage of his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz has been looking for ways to make the opening shot one of the most potent in his arsenal, above all on surfaces like grass, where the opening shot of a rally takes on the utmost importance.

Therefore, before the clay swing, Ferrero made an important decision; to make a significant change in the biomechanics of Alcaraz’s serve, changing from two pauses to one when he pulls his racket back in order to improve the Murcia native’s rhythm when putting the ball into motion.

This new technique, which caught his opponents off-guard at Roland Garros, where Alcaraz claimed his first Coupe des Mousquetaires, is also proving to be highly effective at Wimbledon, as he proved on Friday against Tiafoe.