Patrick Mouratoglou thinks there are areas where Carlos Alcaraz can still improve and that the key to the Spaniard dominating in 2026 will be improving his opening shot on the serve and return.
This year, Alcaraz finished with the most wins on the ATP Tour (71) - with the most titles (8) - and as the Year-End No. 1. During the season, the world No. 1 picked up only nine losses - of which two came against Jannik Sinner. Also, the 22-year-old made Grand Slam finals in all tournaments except the Australian Open, where he was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal. Overall, it was an outstanding season for the Spanish tennis star, who further separated himself from the rest of the competition with Sinner.
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Over the last couple of months, several ATP players stated that one of the toughest things about playing Sinner was dealing with his first shot on the serve and return. And Mouratoglou - who worked with Serena Williams for a decade - believes Alcaraz should also work on that and try matching Sinner in that department.
Mouratoglou: Alcaraz's improvements must start with the first two shots
"If he [Carlos] wants to dominate 2026, improvements must start with the first two shots, serve and return. Because Jannik is currently No.1 in the world in serve+1 AND return+1. That's unique. We've had players dominate one side of that equation, Roger on serve+1, Rafa and Novak on the return, but never both. This is something new in tennis history," Mouratoglou explained.
Heading into the 2026 season, Alcaraz and Sinner are widely regarded as the two top favorites for the biggest titles.
