Andy Roddick Explains Why He Doesn’t Think Carlos Alcaraz Served Like Novak Djokovic at Australian Open

World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz holds a 5-5 head-to-head record over former World No.1 Novak Djokovic.

Andy Roddick Explains Why He Doesn’t Think Carlos Alcaraz Served Like Novak Djokovic at Australian Open

Novak Djokovic (l), Andy Roddick (circle), Carlos Alcaraz (r) (Image via NYTimes, X/The First Serve, Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

In Short
  • Andy Roddick argues that Carlos Alcaraz's serving technique differs significantly from Novak Djokovic's.
  • Alcaraz has won 10 titles, including three Grand Slams, since the start of the 2025 season.
  • Djokovic has not played since losing to Alcaraz in the Australian Open final and withdrew from the Qatar Open.

As soon as Novak Djokovic saw Carlos Alcaraz‘s serve technique at the Australian Open, he texted the Spaniard about copyright issues, joking that every ace from Alcaraz’s racket would be a tribute to him. Alcaraz went on to win the title at Melbourne Park by defeating none other than the Serb in four sets, denying him his 25th Major.

Alcaraz always strives for improvement, and even though many have called his game ‘complete’, he never shies away from experimenting and tweaking his style. Some claimed that Alcaraz would struggle due to his highly unpredictable playing style, but since the 2025 season, he has won 10 titles from 13 finals, including three Grand Slam titles.

Andy Roddick, on his Served podcast, called out those who still think Alcaraz is inconsistent and also thinks he doesn’t agree with those who believe there’s a similarity between the World No.1 and the World No.3’s serve techniques.

I mean, Novak serves off of two feet, he’s a platform server, and Alcaraz doesn’t, so that’s not accurate. Now, the takeback, like Novak used to kind of take a full big swing and, like, his service motion, people forget, like, it wasn’t great when he won his first Major, it was like he was throwing grenades on the second serve.

Djokovic has not yet featured in a match since his defeat to Alcaraz in the Australian Open final. The win helped Alcaraz tie his head-to-head record over Nole to 5-5. Alcaraz, who is now the youngest man to complete the Career Grand Slam as well as win seven Majors, registered his second consecutive win over Djokovic following the 2025 US Open semifinal victory.

Like, it was from here, and the way that he’s tightened it up and rounded out the bottom of it, which is what we’ve talked about with Alcaraz before. So maybe the start point in, like, kind of how you get to the trophy position looks like Novak, but their feet are not similar at all. It has to be [upper-body], because the lower body is, like, completely different.

Andy Roddick added

After the Australian Open, Djokovic withdrew from the Qatar Open. Alcaraz played the ATP 500 Doha event, ending his campaign as the champion for the first time. In the final, he defeated Arthur Fils.

Gael Monfils names the toughest player he has faced between Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal

Gael Monfils has faced every member of the Big 3, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal, and the only player he has yet to beat is the 24-time Major champion. Djokovic holds a perfect 20-0 head-to-head record over the Frenchman.

Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal (Image via X/Danny)

Monfils beat Nadal twice out of the 16 matches they played. Against Federer, Monfils emerged victorious four times out of the 14 matches. So, when he was asked which Big 3 player was the toughest to beat on Silver State Sports Entertainment Network, Monfils picked Djokovic.

Of course, for me, number one is Novak Djokovic. I never beat him. I never beat him. And so far, maybe this year is my last chance if I have to face him. But for me, Novak has this capability to actually answer all my questions.

Monfils will retire after this season. It’s uncertain when Djokovic will hang up his racket, though he has often expressed his wish to retire at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The next event that Djokovic is expected to play at is the Indian Wells Masters, where last year, he suffered an opening-round exit. At the Miami Open last year, however, Djokovic reached the final and lost the title to Jakub Mensik.

Also read: Andrey Rublev Admits He Doesn’t Believe Carlos Alcaraz is Unbeatable on Tour