First match, one set dropped. Next two matches, zero sets dropped with a ticket to semifinal. Carlos Alcaraz‘s return to form at the ATP Rotterdam this week has been remarkable. Especially after his Australian Open setback last month. In Melbourne, he lost the QF round against 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic. But even then, he was hopeful of a solid comeback in 2025: “I have tried to take the good things about that match and will look ahead now.” Well, now it seems the former World No.1 has proved his words right with a phenomenal performance in Rotterdam so far. But what’s the key to this turnaround?

In his first event since the Australian Open, in Rotterdam, Alcaraz had a promising start. Although he faced slight turbulence in the first round against Botic Van de Zandschulp, earlier this week, the Spaniard overcame the challenge with a score line of 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-1. But the next two matches saw him completely dominating the court. In second round, he beat Italy’s Andre Vavassori 6-2, 6-1. Then in the third round, the Mercian repeated this scorecard without taking long to wrap up his battle against compatriot Pedro Martinez. Now he’s all set to play his 34th career semifinal on Sunday.

Reflecting on what’s changed in his style, after the third round victory, Alcaraz said, “I think the concentration with which I am playing is key. I am reading every moment very well, feeling solid and safe. It helps to manage certain moments of the game, sometimes being more solid and slowing down, at other times being more aggressive. I’m doing it very complete.”

At the moment, he’s also very “focused on the serve and it gives me peace of mind in the game. It gives me confidence to see that the serve is improving. I agreed to change the serve when the team told me to this preseason, because I knew it was going to be to improve. The results with the serve give me confidence to feel that I am on the right path.”

For those wondering, the Spaniard made it clear last month itself regarding the transition in his serving technique. But why so?

Why did Carlos Alcaraz change his serving style?

Ahead of his campaign in Melbourne last month, Carlos Alcaraz threw light on the reason behind a switch in his serve technique. “Of course, you have to change things,” explained the four-time Slam champion as reported by the ATP Tour website on January 12. In the preseason itself, he began working on the new style. “We knew that the serve was something I had to improve, we had to do something. It had to be more accurate, and I wasn’t managing to do that,” he revealed. So what’s been the most significant impact due to this transition?

“The new movement is a little more relaxed, quite a lot more relaxed, with a looser wrist to try and improve my timing and there’s no pause when the racquet gets to the top, it’s all more fluid,” he added. It’s also positively affected his on-court performance. But how? “I’m not so tense, which can take its toll physically”

In January, he didn’t have much time to practice the new serving style. After his stint ended down under, however, it appears the 21-year-old has worked intensively on landing his accurate serves. Perhaps that’s why he’s doing so good in Rotterdam. With his third round win, he became the fourth Spanish player to enter the last four of this ATP event. Before him, compatriots Rafael Nadal, Pablo Carreño Busta and his trainer Juan Carlos Ferrero have achieved this feat.

It will be intriguing to see whether he succeeds in making it to the title clash at Rotterdam. In the semifinal on Sunday, Alcaraz will face Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz. The latter is coming after his third round win over Andrey Rublev. What’s your prediction about the battle between the Spaniard and the Polish star? Let us know in the comments below.