Accepting your mistake is the first step in improving on it. Carlos Alcaraz is proving to be an absolute champion in this regard. Playing against one of the best returners in the form of Novak Djokovic at the Paris Olympics, he wasn’t the best on his serves. Alcaraz landed just 67% of his first serves and won 70% of his first serve points, a not very great figure for a player of his caliber. Although his return game is one of the best in the world, Alcaraz has often struggled in his service games during important matches. Earlier today, he accepted his shortcomings in a candid revelation.

The Spaniard has traveled to America after his Paris Olympics campaign, where he’ll play in the Cincinnati Masters this week. Hours ago, he was involved in a fun interview during which the interviewer asked if he had any chance of returning Alcaraz’s serve if he played against him. However, the Spaniard laughed and pointed out his biggest weakness, saying, “My serve is not great as well.”

Despite Alcaraz’s serve being one of the major weaknesses in the modern game, his consistent return game makes up for it on most occasions. As a result, it often goes unnoticed but Alcaraz knows that it can come back to haunt him, like it did in the summit clash of the Paris Olympic Games against Novak Djokovic. Thus, his serve will be one of the things Alcaraz would look to work on ahead of the US Open, which begins later this month.

Nonetheless, Alcaraz has seen gradual improvements as far as his service game is concerned. Back in the Wimbledon third round against Frances Tiafoe this year, Alcaraz smashed a whopping 16 aces and his serve speeds had also gone up. It showed clear signs of improvement and was crucial to his success in the tournament. Subsequently, Alcaraz revealed how gradual improvements helped his cause.

Carlos Alcaraz: ‘I’ve improved quite a lot’

Winning back-to-back Wimbledon titles is no joke. And one can’t achieve it with the service game not being a weapon. This is exactly what Alcaraz did right and went on to win the Wimbledon title in 2023 and 2024. However, to do so, the Spaniard worked hard day in and day out to improve himself.

The Spaniard badly wanted to overcome his weakness in serve and said, “It’s something I’ve improved quite a lot. It’s been on my to-do list for many years: Trying to improve my serve. I had to make it significant, a key part of my game, at difficult moments. On grass, it’s even more important than on other surfaces. I’m happy to see we’ve improved it, and that we’ll continue to improve it.”

Nonetheless, with the high standards that he has set for himself, Alcaraz feels that there is still work to be done in the service department. Consistency in this regard will be one of the factors that Alcaraz would look to aim for as the US Open comes up later this month.