At the 2026 Australian Open, Alcaraz received criticism for seeming to copy Djokovic’s serve after altering his technique.
In a conversation on Bryson DeChambeau’s YouTube channel, Alcaraz pointed out two key areas he was working on: his serve and running forehand.
He admitted to spending a lot of time watching other players to understand their strengths and weaknesses.
“The serve has gained more importance in tennis over the last five years, along with the running forehand. I had some challenges in this area, so players knew it was a weakness for me,” he said.
“I’ve been focusing on it a lot to feel more comfortable. When I was running, I often tried to defend instead of attack.”
“I’ve watched many matches to see what works well for players and what doesn’t. This helps me understand their strong and weak points.”
Alcaraz’s Serve Performance at the 2026 Australian Open
Though Alcaraz didn’t lead any serving categories, he still claimed his seventh Grand Slam title in Melbourne.
After the tournament, ausopen.com compiled data on the top 20 servers at the event. This information revealed Alcaraz’s position among the competitors.
He ranked ninth in total aces and eighth in points won on his second serve, but he was also among the bottom ten for double faults.
It’s important to note that Alcaraz played more matches than any other player in the men’s draw; for instance, runner-up Djokovic participated in only six matches after receiving a walkover in the fourth round.
Alcaraz did not make the top 20 for first serve percentage, first serve points won, or fastest serves.
Ben Shelton recorded the fastest serve of the tournament at 232 km/h during his quarter-final run, while Jakub Mensik led in double faults despite withdrawing with an injury after three matches.