‘Most important shot:’ Carlos Alcaraz battling to address struggles in one key area
Carlos Alcaraz’s 16th straight win at Wimbledon proved to be a lot more comfortable than his 15th.
After a gruelling five-set epic against Fabio Fognini back in Round 1, the two-time defending champion was much more comfortable out on Centre Court on Wednesday.
British qualifier Oliver Tarvet’s display was valiant, but he did not have quite enough to challenge the world No 2 consistently, with Alcaraz easing his way to a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win.
The match took just two hours and 17 minutes to complete, and will be a much-welcomed straightforward win considering the upsets that have dogged the opening days of the event.
However, one issue still appears to be causing Alcaraz a slight problem at Wimbledon: his serve.
The 22-year-old’s serve has long been considered one of the few potential flaws in his game, and was a key reason as to why he brought coach Samuel Lopez into his entourage ahead of 2025.
Against Tarvet on Wednesday, Alcaraz landed 65% of his first serves in play.
That is a significant improvement compared to his match against Fognini, where his overall first serve percentage was down at 58%.
And, there is little difference between his first serve points won in both matches; against Fognini, he won 70% of such points while against Tarvet, he was at a still solid 69%.
However, some of his other serving statistics may make for concerning reading.
Alcaraz won just 52% of points behind his second serve in his round one match against the Italian, who had a higher second serve win rate of 56% across the five-set battle.
Against Tarvet, his second-serve percentage was still only at 53%; while you can get away with that against the world No 733, higher-ranked opponents later in the tournament may not be so forgiving.
The Spaniard had the best serving week of his career at the Queen’s Club in June, the last tournament he played before heading to the All England Club.
Alcaraz did not drop serve once across his final three matches and, in the final against Jiri Lehecka, he won a staggering 87% of points behind his first serve, and 72.4% on his second.
It is clear that his serve is not firing as well as it was two weeks ago, but what does Alcaraz make of how things have been working, or not, at the All England Club?
Wimbledon News
Carlos Alcaraz surpasses Wimbledon legend with immense achievement after second round win
Aryna Sabalenka reveals key to her Grand Slam mentality after impressive Wimbledon win
“I think here in Wimbledon, I’m struggling a little bit with the serve,” admitted Alcaraz.
“I’m feeling really different between Queen’s and here with the balls, with the speed. So I’m struggling a little bit, but I’m just getting more confident. I think today was pretty much better, and let’s see.
“I think the serve for me is the main thing right now. As I said, on grass the serve is probably the most important shot. I’m trying to be better.
“After the first round, I left the court not happy at all with the performance with the serve. Today I felt a bit better.
“But a lot can’t improve without the serve. So tomorrow I’m going to pay much attention on the serve. Let’s see if in the third round I’ll be better.”
Alcaraz awaits to see who he will face in the third round, with either 26th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime or Jan-Lennard Struff awaiting him.
Two big-hitters, the Spaniard’s ability to land his first serve or not may ultimately prove key to his chances of a straightforward triumph.
