
Carlos Alcaraz began his journey at the Australian Open with a very comfortable victory against the Russian with Kazakh nationality Alexander Shevchenko (6-1 7-5 6-1). The Spaniard showcased good tennis and managed to counter his opponent well, who never posed a threat despite having been among the top 50 best tennis players in the world. Carlos is in Australia with the goal of winning the tournament.
Without a preseason but after two exhibition matches against Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin, Carlos Alcaraz got off to a good start in his particular journey at the 2025 Australian Open. The young man from Murcia attended a press conference to talk about his changes in the serve motion and his confidence regarding the goals he faces in the first Grand Slam of the season, the only one of the four major titles missing from his collection at only 21 years old.
- No preparation tournaments
"I preferred to have a good four-week preseason. We don't have much time in December for a long preseason. You have to think whether to attend a 250, the United Cup... see what's best for you. I chose not to come, I believe I'm at an age where I need several weeks to be prepared. The season will be long, so you have to be in good shape, that's why I decided not to play official tournaments before the Grand Slam."
"I've played at a good level. You never know how the first match of the year will go, but I was confident it would go well. Nevertheless, I want to play better in the next round."
- Dealing with moments of subpar performance
In the second set, Carlos had some games where his level declined: "It's something I'm working on. When I play well, I'm happy, but when I feel I'm declining I try to think about getting back to being good again and that I must stay focused because my good form will return. I try not to get upset and regain the rhythm, that's what I tried during the second set."
- Reason for the serve change
As we explained on PDB in recent weeks, Carlos has made changes to his serve motion, which he still needs to refine: "It was difficult for me today, it's easier during practice. Many things come to mind when I execute it and that's why it's a bit challenging for me. I will surely improve it and make it more natural. My overall tennis has been good; I need to get into competition rhythm. Regarding the serve, we decided not to pause in the motion to pick up the pace, there are great servers with different styles, but with Juan Carlos and Samuel, we decided to make some changes because we believe it will lead to improvement".
- Facing Nishioka in the second round
Alcaraz will face Japanese player Yoshihito Nishioka in the second round, who defeated Tunisian Aziz Dougaz in the opening match (3-6 6-4 7-6 6-3): "Nishioka is tough, I just have to focus on playing well and improving on everything I'm working on. I need to try to be more comfortable and confident, it will be a good match and I'll be ready", Carlos concluded.
This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz, sobre sus cambios en el saque: "Me están costando un poco"