Isner says Alcaraz’s serve has room to improve

Carlos Alcaraz’s serve drew criticism from former world No. 8 John Isner after the Spaniard won his first Paris Masters title, with Isner saying the shot could improve substantially and was not among the ATP Tour’s top 10. Alcaraz has said he recently adjusted his service motion to improve his balance and has been feeling better on serve.

Speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, Isner pointed to Novak Djokovic’s development as an example of a player improving his serve later in his career. He said Alcaraz’s overall game was exceptional but that his serve remained an area for growth. Isner’s remarks concerned the serve, rather than Alcaraz’s standing as a player overall.

ATP statistics for the 52 weeks covered in the reports rank Alcaraz 13th in Serve Rating. He is seventh in first-serve percentage, eighth in second-serve points won and sixth in service games won. In other measures, he ranks 39th in first-serve points won and 59th in aces per match, averaging 4.8. The figures span a period that largely predates his reported motion change, so they do not directly measure its effect.

Alcaraz said he changed his service motion ahead of the Laver Cup in September, using a lower toss and...