This is the change that Alcaraz has introduced in his backhand in 2025

Jose Morón | 4 Sep 2025 | 19.15

This is the change that Alcaraz has introduced in his backhand in 2025.

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In high-level tennis, even the slightest change can lead to something significant. The best tennis players in the world, such as Carlos Alcaraz, seem to have very few areas to improve, but they are always in constant motion to polish things that will make them even better over the years.

In Carlitos' case, the player from Murcia has made changes this year to his serving mechanics and recently adjusted his backhand technique. While these changes may have been almost imperceptible to the viewer, they have marked a significant step for Alcaraz's tennis, elevating his game to another level since their implementation.

Just before the clay court season, Alcaraz felt the need to change his backhand technique. His previous movement consisted of three phases in a very Next Gen backhand style. First phase, racket up; second phase, neutral position with the racket near the hands; third phase, racket down before striking. In 2025, Alcaraz eliminated one of these phases for a shorter and more explosive technique.

"I started to change the movement, the technique, beginning the stroke with the racket slightly lower. This way, I felt I could play with more spin and was more confident with this shot. I started doing it and loved it, so I kept it," Carlitos commented regarding this change.

Although theory suggests that a shorter movement results in less power and spin, it has proven just the opposite for him. This year, Alcaraz is hitting the backhand with more power and spin than before. This is evident in the data presented by Tennis Insights and TDI Data.

Alcaraz, compared to 2023, is hitting the backhand over 5km/h faster and with almost 200 more revolutions per minute in terms of spin. This makes him more offensive with his backhand, using it as a weapon rather than solely a means to keep the ball in play, as he did in most instances a couple of years ago. He has shifted from a more defensive or neutral backhand to one that allows him to take control of the point.

During the recent tour, at events like Cincinnati and the US Open, we have witnessed him being more aggressive than ever with this shot, taking the ball earlier and causing significant damage with both crosscourt and down-the-line shots. Without any hesitation, one can say that Alcaraz's backhand is currently among the circuit's best, capable of withstanding exchanges with top players like Jannik Sinner stroke for stroke.

Combined with various changes such as the mentioned adjustment in his serve, Alcaraz has made a significant qualitative leap in 2025. Add to that an improvement in mental strength and maturity, and we have the best version of Carlos Alcaraz we have seen on a tennis court so far.

This is one of the many aspects that the best players work on in training to evolve and transform their tennis into something much greater, elevating it to another dimension. If you previously believed that Carlitos' backhand was not one of his strengths, perhaps now, knowing this, you might reconsider.