By Chris Lewit
Carlos Alcaraz is playing excellent with a new and improved service technique action that he recently refined with his team. He features a tough to beat combination of power and feel–velocidad y habilidad. When Alcaraz demonstrates good control of his shots and game, he reduces his errors while still playing aggressively for winners and approaches to the net.
Against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, Alcaraz served very well and made a number of key moves forward to the net. From the baseline, he showed that his movement and two-handed backhand outmatched Tsitsipas’ movement and one-handed backhand.
Alcaraz has a style that makes both tennis modernists and classicists happy. He will serve and volley at times and demonstrates great feel at the net when moving forward but also displays modern forehand and backhand ATP techniques with power and topspin play from behind the baseline. It’s also exciting to watch him execute his well-disguised drop shot off both wings.
Alcaraz’s ability to move forward and volley during baseline rallies makes him harder to play than the typical Spanish players whom historically have been primarily baseline grinders. Alcaraz is Spanish tennis 2.0. With his all-court game, he is redefining what it means to be a Spanish player right in front of our eyes.
Chris Lewit is a PTR level 2 coach. His Chris Lewit Tennis Academy is based in Manchester, Vermont. He is the author of the book “The Secrets of Spanish Tennis”” for sale and download here https://a.co/d/baWdOHq
