Carlos Alcaraz Told Copying Novak Djokovic Messed Up His Wrist: “He Will Be Struggling”

Players like Carlos Alcaraz always improve their game. He often tweaks his service motion, as he did before this year’s Australian Open, crediting it with his dominant performance before he defeated Novak Djokovic in the final.

The service motion looked familiar. Many in the tennis world were convinced Alcaraz copied it from Djokovic. The Spaniard jokingly admitted that although he didn’t want his serve to look like Djokovic’s, similarities are inevitable.

Alcaraz said he wants to improve his serve every year and has been working on it constantly. But the Djokovic-esque serve had negative ramifications, believes Serena Williams‘ coach Rennae Stubbs.

I think one of the reasons why Alcaraz is struggling so much with the wrist is because he changed that service motion. He did that little dropped wrist like Novak Djokovic, and I do think that ( ) up his wrist. I think those changes and iterations took its toll on his wrist. I think he will be struggling a little bit. I did say that at the US Open when he played in the mixed doubles with Serena, his serve didn’t have as much pop.

Rennae Stubbs said on her The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast

Alcaraz ended up injuring his wrist during the Barcelona Open. It forced him to miss four months of tennis, during which he also skipped both the French Open and Wimbledon. He returned to action at the US Open and lost to eventual runner-up Ben Shelton in the quarterfinal.

I think that is something he will be working on in the off-season because he does need to improve the serve, particularly on a faster court, which this is in Asia. They are always fast courts, although he won last week. I think that is a part of his game he has to improve on if he wants to push Jannik when he makes it back and starts winning these Slams again.

Rennae Stubbs added

After the US Open, Alcaraz played the Laver Cup, defended his title by beating Jiri Lehecka, before he suffered a third-round defeat at the Shanghai Masters. Unseeded Belgian Zizou Bergs beat him in straight sets in a match where Alcaraz complained a lot about the way the balls were behaving.

Greg Rusedski tells Carlos Alcaraz to stop complaining about the schedule

Since his return to the tour, Carlos Alcaraz has already complained about the calendar multiple times. The seven-time Grand Slam champion wants to take long breaks in the future by skipping tournaments.

He said not getting enough time between the tournaments took a toll on players’ bodies, and they ended up getting injured, also blaming the ATP for Jannik Sinner‘s knee injury. Former WTA player Naomi Broady is losing sympathy for Alcaraz because, despite his complaints, he signs up for the exhibition events. Now former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski has weighed in on the complaints, urging the 23-year-old to skip events, even at the cost of losing the end-of-season ATP bonus pool.

He has the choice whether he wants to play or not, but he doesn’t get the bonus pool money. Don’t worry about the prize money, Carlos. You’ve got enough money. That’s not the problem. It’s more about the ranking, but it’s also about scheduling correctly as well. […] You don’t always have to take the appearance money. You can find a way around the schedule. I mean, last year I think he made $60 million (including sponsorship). I mean, that’s enough for a lifetime.

Greg Rusedski said on his Off Court with Greg podcast

Alcaraz will next compete at the Paris Masters, which kicks off on October 31. He has never made it past the quarterfinals here, reaching the last eight only once, in 2022.

Also read: Andy Roddick Thinks He Has Identified Big Issue Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner Are Dealing With: “There Is Always a Bill to Pay”