Beyond the numbers
How Alcaraz has had a perfect start to his 2026 season
Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analyzes the Spaniard’s serving success
February 25, 2026
Carlos Alcaraz won 90.8 percent of his service games in 2026.
By Andrew Eichenholz
Carlos Alcaraz serves his way to success.
The Spaniard is already the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP rankings and has made the best start to a season of his career. Alcaraz is a perfect 12-0 and has already won trophies at the Australian Open and in Doha.
An analysis by Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers shows that improved service has supported the 22-year-old’s success, allowing him to race out of the 2026 gates.
That does not mean that Alcaraz has had trouble serving lately. Infosys ATP Stats shows that he finished sixth on the ATP Tour in service games won last year with 87.6 percent.
This year, the world number 1 has simply found a new level, making marginal gains across the board by claiming 90.8 percent of his service games in twelve matches, leading to twelve wins despite slightly lower than average success on returns.
“I think everyone needs to make changes, small details. For me, the serve is something that I really want to improve every year, in every tournament,” Alcaraz said at the Australian Open. “I just constantly work on the service.”
Alcaraz’s serving statistics
| Serving statistics | Career | 2026 |
| First time % | 65% | 68.3% |
| First time points won % | 72.2% | 74.3% |
| Second service points won% | 56% | 59.4% |
| Aces per match | 4.3 | 6.1 |
| Service games won | 84.6% | 90.8% |
Instead of taking a huge step forward in terms of serving stats, Alcaraz has done everything slightly better compared to 2025. The Spaniard is achieving a higher percentage of first serves (64.2% to 68.3%), winning slightly more first serve points (74.1% to 74.3%) and second serve points (56.8% to 59.4%) this season, and hitting an average of more aces per match (5.8 to 59.4%). 59.4%). 6.1).
It is important to note that in 2025, Alcaraz knocked Jannik Sinner off the top of the PIF ATP Rankings to become ATP Year-End No. for the second time. 1 claimed, presented by PIF honours. Last season was great for the Spaniard, but he continues to raise the bar.
What Alcaraz does particularly well during the serve is defending his second throw. As of Monday, Alcaraz ranked third by winning 56 percent of his career second serves, behind only Rafael Nadal (57.1%) and Roger Federer (56.8%). This year he has claimed 59.4 percent of his second serve points, well above those numbers.
The world number 1 does not blow opponents off the field with his serve; his 74.3 percent winning percentage behind his first serve ranks 45th on the ATP Tour among qualifying players this season. But Alcaraz has made incremental improvements to a game that already put him at the top of the sport.
In three of his five matches at last week’s Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha – against Arthur Rinderknech, Karen Khachanov and Arthur Fils in the final – Alcaraz did not drop serve. Excluding his semi-final victory against Andrei Rublev, in which he lost his serve four times, the Spaniard has won 92.6 percent of his service games this season.
On the return side, the 22-year-old has historically distinguished himself by finishing among the top three players on the ATP Tour in return matches won in each of the past five seasons. Although he ranks second in the category so far this season, his 30.3 return match winning percentage is actually below his career mark of 31 percent.
But despite this, small improvements in the serve have led to a perfect start to his results, which count the most.
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