The Brazilian, who will not debut in Australia until next Tuesday, talks about his recent experiences and shows his ambition to aim for the maximum.
ATP
One of the small novelties that Carlos Alcaraz has implemented for the new year has been a slight modification to his serve. It's not as groundbreaking as the change made last year when he modified a large part of the stroke, but it is indeed a new nuance. And regarding the reasons that led to this update, he confessed in statements to ESPN: "The goal was to make the serve motion smooth and effortless. It was little by little, myself changing the movement a little bit because I felt more comfortable," stated the world number one after his victorious debut at the 2026 Australian Open.
Alcaraz about his new serve motion 🎙️:
— Alcaraz Updates🐝 (@alcarazzupdates) January 18, 2026
“The goal was to make the serve motion smooth and effortless.” 🎯
"It was little by little, myself changing the movement a little bit because I felt more comfortable." 🎾 pic.twitter.com/A504QZV29W
This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz desvela el motivo de su nueva técnica de servicio: "El objetivo es que el movimiento sea suave y sin esfuerzo"
"He has not received the recognition he deserves," Alcaraz commented at the press conference, asking for more credit for his coach for this 2026.
While the whole world waits to see how Carlos Alcaraz becomes the youngest player to achieve the Career Grand Slam, provided that he wins this 2026 Australian Open, there is another statistic that could further motivate the Murcian in his quest to lift the title in Melbourne. If the El Palmar native raises the trophy on February 1, he would have secured a total of 91 Grand Slam victories (currently at 85), thus also becoming the player with the most Grand Slam wins before turning 23, matching Boris Becker and surpassing Björn Borg (88) and Rafa Nadal (90).
📊 Players with most Grand Slam wins before turning 23 (Open Era/Men’s Singles):
— MisterOnly.Tennis (@OnlyRogerCanFly) January 18, 2026
🇩🇪 Boris Becker | 91
🇪🇸 Rafa Nadal | 90
🇸🇪 Bjorn Borg | 88
🇪🇸 Carlos Alcaraz | 85 pic.twitter.com/se1ghpDiYK
This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Este es el otro récord de precocidad que puede batir Alcaraz, además del career Grand Slam, si gana el Open de Australia
The Australian stood up to the Spaniard for much of the match and affirms that "he has an incredible ball rhythm and plays at a speed I'm not accustomed to facing".
Carlos Alcaraz made his debut at the 2026 Australian Open with a great victory against a demanding opponent in Adam Walton. Despite finishing in three sets, there were moments when the Australian put pressure on the Spaniard, who managed to solve the situation remarkably. In the post-match interview with Eurosport Spain, he highlighted the importance of winning the first match of the season and overcoming those challenges that can arise in a Grand Slam match.
"It was not an easy first match, but I had been training well and was very focused. It had its ups and downs, with some high-level moments and others not so good, facing difficult situations. I think it's quite satisfying to handle tough situations in your first match. Overall, it went very well, three sets, hours on the court, back in competition rhythm, and happy to achieve my first win of the season. The one thing missing was the competition rhythm, no matter how many hours you train. But gradually, I started feeling good throughout the match. Walton played a great game, and I prefer being challenged and having a good rhythm," stated the world number one before facing Yannick Hanfmann in the second round.
This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz: "Es bastante bueno solventar situaciones difíciles en tu primer partido"
Carlos Alcaraz still doesn't know what it's like to lose in the first round of a Grand Slam. The Spaniard made a convincing debut at the 2026 Australian Open after defeating Adam Watlon (6-4, 7-6(2), 6-2), making it 20 victories in his first 20 Grand Slam opening rounds. A feat previously achieved only by three tennis legends like Arthur Ashe, Björn Borg, and Rafa Nadal.
4- Carlos Alcaraz is the 4th player in the Open Era to win the opening match in each of his first 20 Men's Singles Grand Slam appearances after Arthur Ashe, Bjorn Borg, and Rafael Nadal. Marching. #AusOpen | @AustralianOpen @atptour
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) January 18, 2026
This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El dato que confirma la imbatibilidad de Alcaraz en las primeras rondas de Grand Slam con el que iguala a Nadal, Borg y Ashe
Carlos Alcaraz delivered in his debut against Adam Walton (6-3, 7-6(2), 6-2) at the Australian Open 2026: "It has been a great match, I felt good, Adam has good shots, and it was good for me being the first round. I am very happy with the level I showed today. He was always well positioned, we played very long points, and his flat shots troubled me; he played a very solid match," stated the world number one, who starts in Melbourne on the right foot.
This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz, tras vencer en su debut a Walton: "Estoy muy contento por el nivel que he mostrado hoy"
The Brazilian, who will not debut in Australia until next Tuesday, talks about his recent experiences and shows his ambition to aim for the maximum.
While the whole world waits to see how Carlos Alcaraz becomes the youngest player to achieve the Career Grand Slam, provided that he wins this 2026 Australian Open, there is another statistic that could further motivate the Murcian in his quest to lift the title in Melbourne. If the El Palmar native raises the trophy on February 1, he would have secured a total of 91 Grand Slam victories (currently at 85), thus also becoming the player with the most Grand Slam wins before turning 23, matching Boris Becker and surpassing Björn Borg (88) and Rafa Nadal (90).
📊 Players with most Grand Slam wins before turning 23 (Open Era/Men’s Singles):
— MisterOnly.Tennis (@OnlyRogerCanFly) January 18, 2026
🇩🇪 Boris Becker | 91
🇪🇸 Rafa Nadal | 90
🇸🇪 Bjorn Borg | 88
🇪🇸 Carlos Alcaraz | 85 pic.twitter.com/se1ghpDiYK
This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Este es el otro récord de precocidad que puede batir Alcaraz, además del career Grand Slam, si gana el Open de Australia
One of the small novelties that Carlos Alcaraz has implemented for the new year has been a slight modification to his serve. It's not as groundbreaking as the change made last year when he modified a large part of the stroke, but it is indeed a new nuance. And regarding the reasons that led to this update, he confessed in statements to ESPN: "The goal was to make the serve motion smooth and effortless. It was little by little, myself changing the movement a little bit because I felt more comfortable," stated the world number one after his victorious debut at the 2026 Australian Open.
Alcaraz about his new serve motion 🎙️:
— Alcaraz Updates🐝 (@alcarazzupdates) January 18, 2026
“The goal was to make the serve motion smooth and effortless.” 🎯
"It was little by little, myself changing the movement a little bit because I felt more comfortable." 🎾 pic.twitter.com/A504QZV29W
This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz desvela el motivo de su nueva técnica de servicio: "El objetivo es que el movimiento sea suave y sin esfuerzo"
The Australian stood up to the Spaniard for much of the match and affirms that "he has an incredible ball rhythm and plays at a speed I'm not accustomed to facing".
"He has not received the recognition he deserves," Alcaraz commented at the press conference, asking for more credit for his coach for this 2026.
Carlos Alcaraz made his debut at the 2026 Australian Open with a great victory against a demanding opponent in Adam Walton. Despite finishing in three sets, there were moments when the Australian put pressure on the Spaniard, who managed to solve the situation remarkably. In the post-match interview with Eurosport Spain, he highlighted the importance of winning the first match of the season and overcoming those challenges that can arise in a Grand Slam match.
"It was not an easy first match, but I had been training well and was very focused. It had its ups and downs, with some high-level moments and others not so good, facing difficult situations. I think it's quite satisfying to handle tough situations in your first match. Overall, it went very well, three sets, hours on the court, back in competition rhythm, and happy to achieve my first win of the season. The one thing missing was the competition rhythm, no matter how many hours you train. But gradually, I started feeling good throughout the match. Walton played a great game, and I prefer being challenged and having a good rhythm," stated the world number one before facing Yannick Hanfmann in the second round.
This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz: "Es bastante bueno solventar situaciones difíciles en tu primer partido"
Carlos Alcaraz still doesn't know what it's like to lose in the first round of a Grand Slam. The Spaniard made a convincing debut at the 2026 Australian Open after defeating Adam Watlon (6-4, 7-6(2), 6-2), making it 20 victories in his first 20 Grand Slam opening rounds. A feat previously achieved only by three tennis legends like Arthur Ashe, Björn Borg, and Rafa Nadal.
4- Carlos Alcaraz is the 4th player in the Open Era to win the opening match in each of his first 20 Men's Singles Grand Slam appearances after Arthur Ashe, Bjorn Borg, and Rafael Nadal. Marching. #AusOpen | @AustralianOpen @atptour
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) January 18, 2026
This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El dato que confirma la imbatibilidad de Alcaraz en las primeras rondas de Grand Slam con el que iguala a Nadal, Borg y Ashe
Carlos Alcaraz delivered in his debut against Adam Walton (6-3, 7-6(2), 6-2) at the Australian Open 2026: "It has been a great match, I felt good, Adam has good shots, and it was good for me being the first round. I am very happy with the level I showed today. He was always well positioned, we played very long points, and his flat shots troubled me; he played a very solid match," stated the world number one, who starts in Melbourne on the right foot.
This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz, tras vencer en su debut a Walton: "Estoy muy contento por el nivel que he mostrado hoy"
An exciting journey has begun at the 2026 Australian Open this Sunday, January 18, resulting in the elimination of a total of four seeds, three in the women's draw and only one in the men's draw. It will be interesting to see how the tournament progresses to determine how many of the seeds are knocked out in the early rounds.
Seeds Eliminated in the 2026 Australian Open on the First Day
- Ekaterina Alexandrova (11)
- Marta Kostyuk (20)
- Dayana Yastremska (26)
- Flavio Cobolli (20)
This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Estos son los cabezas de serie eliminados en la primera jornada del Open de Australia 2026
Spanish kicked off the 2026 Australian Open with a straight-sets victory against a resilient Walton.