Less catastrophic system updates were installed in the setup, which were evident during Alcaraz’s practice match with Alex de Minaur and then again in his first-round win over fellow Australian Adam Walton. For example, a new delivery move that is noticeably “Novak” (Wally Masur), with that signature wrist drop and racquet head drop; more spin and pace on the ball, more accurate placement.
Carlos Alcaraz serves against Australia’s Adam Walton in Sunday’s first round victory at Melbourne Park.Credit: Getty Images
“Everybody has to make changes, little details,” Alcaraz said, mocking the similarities. “My serve is something I want to keep improving and I’m always working on it. To be honest, we didn’t plan on making changes during the preseason, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have them.”
“I’ve changed my movement a bit; I feel very comfortable and calmer, with a smoother rhythm, which helps me improve my serve. You’ll probably see more changes in my serve in a few months or at the end of the year. I’m making constant changes with every shot, the details are important. I didn’t intend for my serve to be the same as Novak’s, but in the end I see similarities.”
It’s especially interesting because he just finished refining his delivery to become a standout aspect of his game. It used to be inconsistent. When he won his first US Open in 2022, he collected 24 games on serve during the tournament. He served a total of three service games during the 2025 tournament. Only Pete Sampras at Wimbledon in 1997 has conceded fewer service games on his way to a Grand Slam title since 1991.
And you have to wonder: if Alcaraz now possessed a serve so devastatingly effective that it was part of what caused Sinner — his only real rival in the post-Big Three era — to appear out of his depth in that spectacularly one-sided 2025 US Open final, why not hit that exact serve every time for the rest of your days?
Probably for the same reason that Woods abandoned the world’s best golf swing and rebuilt it. I’ve rebuilt the world’s best swing before and before that. He showed us that he is the best, and that the best is still not good enough.
Woods changed what was perfect—and changed coaches—in an effort to achieve something better than flawless; develop your style and strategy, manage injuries and maintain your dominance in the ever-evolving professional game. He won 15 majors in 22 years.
Tiger Woods, en route to winning the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines, has spent his entire career developing.Credit: Getty Images
Perhaps for the same reason, Simone Biles has also repeatedly redefined the technical limits of gymnastics. Not content with the routines already available, she revealed new, wickedly difficult skills, five of which are of the same name.
Alcaraz also set a higher ceiling for himself in the infancy of his career. After that triumph at Flushing Meadows, he said: “I feel like I can do everything on the court to be honest – slices, drop shots, topspin, flat”. And yet he spent the offseason rebuilding.
His enhancements can be for himself, or they can be aimed at him sporting a headlining rivalry with Sinner; developing into the Italian world no.2. Sinner was certainly making his own changes.
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“We worked a lot [in the off-season] trying to go to the net,” Sinner said. “We changed a few things on the serve. But [they’re] all the little details. When you’re at the top level, it’s the little details that make the difference.”
The details may be so small that they are not noticeably beneficial until the end of the tournament, potentially even another Alcaraz-Sinner epic to compare to the rest. Whether Alcaraz ends up getting there at the Australian Open could tell the success or failure of his offseason renovations.
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