Carlos Alcaraz was aware of a weakness in his game that others have picked up on.
The Spaniard claimed the Australian Open title in his first tournament since splitting from coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Alcaraz achieved the Career Slam, becoming the youngest man to do so, after winning the final against Novak Djokovic in a comeback from a set down.
Despite that historic achievement, the 22-year-old admitted there were a couple of areas in his game that other players had learned to target.
Carlos Alcaraz names two things that he was ‘struggling’ with in his game
During this year’s Australian Open, Alcaraz faced criticism for allegedly mimicking Djokovic’s serve after changing his motion.
Speaking on Bryson DeChambeau’s YouTube channel, the Spaniard highlighted two specific weaknesses he has focused on: his serve and his running forehand.
Alcaraz admitted to having dedicated significant time to observing fellow players, a strategy employed to analyze their respective strengths and weaknesses.
“The serve. In tennis in the last five years the serve has taken more importance in the game and the running forehand. I was struggling a bit, so the players knew that was something that I didn’t do as well as some things,” he said.
“I have been working on it a lot, just to feel comfortable. When I was running I was trying to defend all the time instead of attack.
“I watched a lot of matches from the players, just to see what they are doing well during the tournaments and doing badly. And so I know what part of the game they are doing well or not.”
How Carlos Alcaraz’s serve stacked up at the 2026 Australian Open
Alcaraz might not have led any serve categories, but that did not stop him from winning his seventh Grand Slam title in Melbourne.
After the tournament wrapped up, ausopen.com pulled together data on the top 20 servers at this year’s event. The numbers show where the 22-year-old star stood among the field.
He finished ninth in total aces and eighth in second serve points won, though he also ranked 10th worst for double faults among the group.
But it is worth noting that Alcaraz played more matches than anyone else in the men’s draw. For instance, runner-up Djokovic only played six matches after receiving a walkover in the fourth round.
The Spaniard did not appear in the top 20 for first serve percentage, first serve points won or fastest serves.
Ben Shelton hit the tournament’s fastest recorded serve at 232km/h during his run to the quarter-finals. Jakub Mensik topped the list for double faults, despite playing only three matches before pulling out with an injury.
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