Carlos Alcaraz adjusts his pre-Australian Open plans as key off-season training focus is revealed

Carlos Alcaraz has adjusted his early 2026 season schedule, while a technical change the world No 1 has been working on has been revealed.

The six-time Grand Slam champion will not play any tournaments before officially starting his campaign at the Australian Open, where main draw play will begin on January 18.

Alcaraz will, though, face world No 2 Jannik Sinner — his biggest rival — in an exhibition match in Incheon, South Korea on January 10.

According to a report by Eurosport Spain, Alcaraz was originally set to travel to South Korea on Monday, but he has delayed his trip until Wednesday January 7.

The 22-year-old will spend Three Kings Day, a major Spanish holiday on January 6, at home with his family in El Palmar.

Alcaraz has trained for four weeks at the Real Sociedad Club de Campo in Murcia, his long-time home tennis club, and the report revealed he has been making tweaks to his service motion.

During his practice sessions, Alcaraz has been seen working on improving his service ball toss with his coach Samuel Lopez.

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Alcaraz had the best season of his career to date in 2025 as he won eight titles, including two majors, reached 11 finals and finished as the year-end No 1.

However, constantly finding ways to improve is a quality shared by tennis’ greatest players, and Alcaraz’s focus on his serve during off-season training suggests he feels this key area of his game can reach another level.

How did Carlos Alcaraz’s serve perform in 2025?

For the 2025 season, Alcaraz ranked 10th on the ATP Tour’s Serve Rating Leaderboard, which takes into account: first serve percentage, first serve points won, second serve points won, percentage of service games won, average number of aces per match, and average number of double faults per match.

The Spaniard was third for second serve points won (56.8%) last year, but he finished in a modest position of 26th for first serve points won (74.1%), highlighting that first serve effectiveness is an area in which he has significant room for growth. Alcaraz ranked sixth for percentage of service games won (87.6%).

Alcaraz’s rival, Sinner, topped the rankings for first serve points won (79.5%), second serve points won (59.1%) and percentage of service games won (92%).

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