If you’ve ever watched Carlos Alcaraz play, you’ll notice his Alcaraz strategy to win tennis matches makes it feel like he’s doing everything at a different speed.
Not just physically… but mentally too.
He’s constantly solving problems, adjusting, and finding ways to stay in control of the point—even when he’s not the one supposed to be in control.
And that’s really what makes his game so powerful.
The good news is, you don’t need his athleticism to start playing smarter like he does.
There are a few specific things he does over and over again that you can start copying right away.
One of the first things that stands out is how well he handles big serves.
Most players, when they face a powerful server, immediately feel like they’re on defense. The goal becomes just getting the ball back somehow and surviving the point.
But Alcaraz approaches it differently.
Instead of trying to do too much, he focuses on neutralizing the serve and getting the point back to even as quickly as possible.
And one of the simplest ways he does this is by directing most of his returns right down the middle of the court.
That might not sound exciting, but it’s incredibly effective.
When you send the ball down the middle, you take away angles. You limit your opponent’s options. And most importantly, you remove their advantage from the serve.
Now instead of them controlling the point, you’re starting on equal ground.
What’s interesting is he doesn’t use just one type of return.
Sometimes he’ll simply block the ball back.
This is especially useful against really big serves where there’s already plenty of pace coming at you. Instead of taking a big swing, he keeps the motion compact, turns his shoulders just enough, and uses the incoming speed to redirect the ball.
It’s almost like a volley motion from the baseline—short, controlled, and precise.
Other times, he’ll use what you could call a “half swing.”
Here, he adds just a little bit more motion, enough to give the ball some shape and topspin, but still not a full, aggressive swing. This is usually when he’s slightly stretched or off balance but still has time to guide the ball with some control.
And then, when the serve lands in a more comfortable position, he’ll take a fuller swing.
Not a wild one—just a smooth, controlled motion that uses more of his body. Even then, he’s not trying to crush the return. He’s still focused on direction and depth more than power.
In all three cases, the goal is the same: neutralize and reset the point.
Another thing Alcaraz does incredibly well is change the depth of his shots.
Most players are very focused on hitting side to side. Forehand, backhand, back and forth. That’s what we’re used to practicing, and it’s what feels comfortable.
But there’s a huge part of the court that often gets ignored—the space in front of you.
Alcaraz uses that space all the time.
Yes, he hits drop shots, but it’s not just about hitting highlight-reel winners. A lot of the time, he’s simply mixing in shorter, softer shots that force his opponent to move forward.
And that’s where things get uncomfortable.
Even at high levels, most players are much more comfortable staying back near the baseline. When you bring them forward, you take them out of that comfort zone and force them to deal with a completely different kind of shot.
The technique behind this is actually pretty simple.
His racket starts above the ball and moves downward through contact, creating backspin. At the same time, the racket face is slightly open, which helps lift the ball gently and keep it short.
It’s not about hitting the perfect drop shot every time. It’s about changing the rhythm, changing the distance, and making your opponent deal with something different.
And then there’s the third thing, which might be the most important of all.
He just doesn’t stop.
If you watch him play, you’ll notice that he runs for everything.
Not just the balls he knows he can get to—but even the ones he probably won’t.
And that sends a very clear message to his opponent.
It says: “You’re going to have to beat me. I’m not going away.”
That kind of effort creates pressure in a different way. It forces your opponent to hit one more shot. And since most points in tennis end with an error, that alone increases your chances of winning.
It also makes them second-guess themselves.
Now they’re thinking, “Do I need to hit this closer to the line? Do I need to go bigger?”
And the more they think like that, the more mistakes start to show up.
There’s also a smart element to his movement.
Sometimes, he even starts running before his opponent hits the ball, making an educated guess based on patterns and positioning. He won’t always be right, but when he is, he puts himself in a position to extend the rally and apply even more pressure.
And even when he’s wrong, it still has an effect.
Because now his opponent knows he’s willing to chase everything down.
At the end of the day, none of this is complicated.
But it does require a shift in how you think about the game.
Instead of trying to hit better and harder shots all the time, start focusing on:
Neutralizing when you’re under pressure
Changing depth to disrupt rhythm
And committing to every single point with your movement
If you can start doing those three things consistently, you’ll begin to notice a big difference—not just in how you play, but in how your opponents respond to you.
And that’s when matches start to swing in your favor.
Your Coach,
Ian
