Djokovic Teases Alcaraz on Serve Echoes at Australian Open
Under Melbourne’s night lights, Novak Djokovic turns Carlos Alcaraz’s serve tweak into playful rivalry fuel, while his own arm carves through the opener toward hard-court history.
In the electric hum of Melbourne’s opening night, where the Australian Open‘s hard courts demand precision from the first ball, Novak Djokovic eyes more than just his draw—he’s clocking the evolution across the tournament. Carlos Alcaraz’s new-look serve has been the hot topic around the tennis world this past week and the Spaniard himself admitted in Melbourne that there might be a familiar influence behind it. That influence? Novak Djokovic.
On Monday night at the Australian Open, Djokovic was finally asked about the resemblance and he didn’t miss the chance to have some fun with it. The Serb, at 38, blends veteran insight with humor, turning a technical nod into mental sparring ahead of their potential final.
“As soon as I saw it, I sent him a message. I said, we have to speak about the copyrights,” Djokovic said with a smile. “Then when I saw him here, I told him we have to talk about percentage of his winnings. Every ace I expect, you know, a tribute to me. Every ace that he makes here. Let’s see if he’s going to stick to the agreement.”
Banter masks deeper rivalry currents
This exchange cuts through the tournament’s early tension, where Carlos Alcaraz absorbs lessons from the master to sharpen his game on these plexicushion surfaces. Djokovic, who could only meet Alcaraz in the final in Melbourne, uses the jest to probe the psychological edges, knowing every adjustment like Alcaraz’s tighter toss and hip snap could alter rally tempos in their head-to-head.
The Spaniard’s serve now carries more kick, climbing off the bounce to jam returners, a tweak that echoes Djokovic’s own blueprint for dominating returns. As the draw heats up, this light-hearted claim hints at the respect fueling their clash, with Alcaraz chasing a third major and Djokovic extending his legacy at No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
Serve precision powers straight-sets win
Djokovic was doing plenty of damage on his own serve in his first-round win at the Australian Open on Monday. The record 10-time champion won 93 per cent of his first-serve points and did not face a break point en route to victory against Pedro Martinez.
Djokovic has now won 100 matches at the hard-court major, moving to within two wins of Roger Federer’s all-time mark of 102. He mixed wide first serves with heavy topspin crosscourts, setting up inside-out forehands that stretched Martinez across the baseline, the crowd feeding off each unreturned delivery in the arena’s rising roar.
The 38-year-old Serbian was pleased with how he started. “It felt good tonight. Let’s see how it’s going to feel in a few days’ time,” Djokovic said on how his body and mind are feeling. “Performance-wise, the feeling on the court, it was great. I couldn’t ask for more. Obviously a great serving performance. Just overall felt really good on the court that has made me feel good on it for so many times throughout my career.”
This clinic eases the physical toll of the early rounds, where Melbourne’s pace rewards the 1–2 punch of serve and forehand, keeping opponents like Martinez pinned without forcing long rallies. Djokovic’s adaptability—dipping into slice second serves to skid low—preserves energy for the bracket’s grind, turning routine points into building blocks for a deeper run.
Qualifier matchup tests early rhythm
Djokovic will next face Italian Francesco Maestrelli in what will be a first ATP Head2Head meeting between the two. Maestrelli, fresh from qualifiers, brings underspin backhands that hug the surface, potentially disrupting Djokovic’s forward momentum with low skids on these courts.
Yet the Serb’s tactical depth should shine, favoring down-the-line redirects after neutral returns to exploit gaps. This low-stakes test allows fine-tuning amid the tournament’s pulse, where Alcaraz’s serve evolution lingers as a shadow over the draw.
As 2026‘s hard-court saga unfolds, Djokovic’s banter with Alcaraz weaves humor into the hunger, setting up a fortnight where technical tweaks meet unyielding will. Their paths, converging under the Australian sun, promise clashes that redefine dominance, one ace at a time.
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