Carlos Alcaraz has already achieved so much in his short career, but he may need to tweak a key area of his game to go to the next level.
At the age of 20, Alcaraz is already a two-time Grand Slam champion after winning the 2022 US Open and then recording an epic victory against Novak Djokovic in last year’s Wimbledon final.
Alcaraz’s rise to world No 1 and his status as a global sporting superstar have picked expectations on his young shoulders, with his dip in form in recent months a predictable story for a player with such limited experience at the highest level.
Now former British No 1 Laura Robson has told Tennis365 that Alcaraz’s serve is the one area of his game that could be improved, with Jannik Sinner taking his game to another level after he improved his service motion with the assistance of coach Darren Cahill last year.
“With Carlos, if anything I feel the serve is the one area he could improve on,” Robson told Tennis365 at the launch of the new Sky Sports Tennis channel.
“Obviously, it’s not a massive problem because he’s still won Wimbledon and the US Open, so clearly he is doing amazing things at such a young age, but I just feel like he needs to go to the next level on his serve, as Jannik has done. He could look to make some small changes and they can make all the difference.”
Robson went on to suggest Sinner is better positioned than Alcaraz to enjoy success in 2024, after she was courtside to watch his Australian Open victory in Melbourne last month.
“I would say Jannik at this point,” she stated. “I feel like his improvements over the last year or so have been very noticeable.
“You can see the changes on his serve and he is also a little bulkier now, although he is still not big compared to other players. He’s clearly put in so much work, especially on the serve.
“There is a real plan from him and his team to look to do new things and to look to improve. It has been exciting to watch.”
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The emergence of Sinner and Alcaraz has sent a wave of excitement through the men’s game, with the young guns aiming to shoot down the great Novak Djokovic and end his reign as world No 1 a compelling narrative to follow over the next few months.
There has long been a debate over what happens next in men’s tennis when the era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic ends, but Robson insists that was never a concern.
“I was never worried about what would happen when the Big Three went,” she added. “People said the same things before Roger Federer came along and there is always someone coming.
“Carlos and Jannik are so exciting to watch, that’s the most fun for me. They seem to enjoy playing as much as we enjoy watching them.
“Looking at them courtside in Australia, you are blown away with how well they hit the ball, how well they move. These are tall guys, but their movement is incredible. They slide around the court as if they are 5’2″.”
