Analyzing Alcaraz's new serve: this is where he has improved the most

Jose Morón | 26 Nov 2025 | 15.30

Analyzing Alcaraz's new serve: this is where he has improved the most. Photo: Getty

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Carlos Alcaraz and his team dared to make a risky change in his service mechanics during the 2025 preseason, exactly twelve months ago. They knew that it could affect his start of the year, but they believed it would be the best for him in the medium/long term. It's time to analyze how his new serve has performed in this 2025 that is coming to an end.

With a straighter back, arm higher in the stroke preparation, and a more relaxed hand to perform the serve smoothly, without pauses. This was how Carlitos' new serve was presented in 2025, aiming to find better sensations with a shot that had not been consistent in the last two seasons, alternating very good moments with much worse ones.

At the start of the season, during the Open of Australia, he himself said he didn't feel entirely comfortable since he had to think about how to make the new movement. That's tennis. In a sport with not much rest time, any change implies adapting on the go, in the midst of tournaments. Having analyzed everything as a whole in this 2025, we can say that the change has brought more positives than negatives.

An Improved Serve for Carlos Alcaraz

In terms of sensations, without looking at the numbers, the feedback we get is that Carlos has caused much more damage with his serve in this 2025. Especially after Wimbledon. Dominating completely in Cincinnati, US Open, and Tokyo, and performing exceptionally well in the ATP Finals, where he reached the final for the first time. It remains to delve into the data to see if these sensations translate into good results.

Compared to 2024, where he played 67 matches (compared to 80 this year), Carlitos has improved in almost all aspects of his serve. He only worsens compared to the previous year in terms of first serve percentage in, with a change of just 1%, and in points won with his second serve. In all other aspects, everything has improved, achieving more aces per match and being tremendously effective in saved break points.

The significant improvement in Alcaraz's serve in 2025 lies in the break points he saves. Under pressure, Carlos saves almost 7 out of every 10 break points he faces. Only Sinner, Opelka, and Bublik have better numbers than him, which speaks volumes about his serve in pressure situations. Without being a big server, he has numbers akin to a true servebot.

US Open 2025: His Best Serving Tournament

Throughout the year, Alcaraz's best serving tournament was at the US Open. There, he demolished all his opponents with powerful serves, leaving nearly 9% more points won with the first serve and 8% more points won on serve compared to his season average. Additionally, he hit almost 7 aces per match on average. Astounding.

If we were to analyze Carlos Alcaraz's new serve in 2025 in overall terms, we would say that he has aimed to hit more aces, which has helped him inflict more damage with his first serve. He has also taken a step forward in serving under pressure and saving tense moments.

Looking at the Insights graph, we see that in 2025, he has opted mostly to serve more wide, both in the advantage and deuce court. This shows a Carlos who seeks to push his opponents out with his serve, to open up the court for his shot after the serve and be aggressive.

Possible Objectives for 2026 with His Serve

In order to improve something that has evolved compared to previous years, perhaps Carlitos may want to enhance his precision, as he has gone from an average of 64 centimeters near the lines to 61cm, still far from the tour's average of 59 or Sinner's 55cm, as no one lands their serves as close to the line as he does. This will increase the percentage of serves that do not come back, as currently, Carlos sees 35% of his first serves not returned, compared to Sinner's 43%, the best in this statistic among the Top players.

Overall, it was a great decision by Carlos and his team to change that service mechanics for 2025. The Australian Open 2026 will be a good test to see if he can replicate what he did at the past US Open, achieving the best serving numbers of his career.

Data Source: Insights, by TennisViz.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Analizando el nuevo saque de Alcaraz: en esto es en lo que más ha mejorado