Mouratoglou: "If Alcaraz wants to dominate 2026, he must improve his first two shots"

According to Patrick Mouratoglou, Carlos Alcaraz will not be able to dominate in 2026 if he doesn't urgently transform his first two shots.

© AFP

Arthur Millot

le 01/12/2025 à 09h01

1 min to read

Alcaraz Djokovic Federer Nadal Sinner

The rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner is reshaping the landscape of modern tennis. But this time, it's not a victory making headlines: it's Patrick Mouratoglou's direct analysis on LinkedIn.

"If Carlos Alcaraz wants to dominate in 2026, he must start by improving his first two shots: the serve and the return. Because Jannik (Sinner) is currently number one in these two aspects of the game. And that's unique."

A simple observation, but one that, coming from the French coach, sounds like a red alert for the Alcaraz camp.

Sinner, the unprecedented blend of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic?

Because Mouratoglou reminds us that history has already seen monsters dominate one side of the equation, but never has a player dominated both. Sinner is thus the first.

"We've already had players who dominated one side of this equation, Roger (Federer) on serve, Rafa (Nadal) and Novak (Djokovic) on return, but never both. This is something new in tennis history."

The French coach isn't seeking controversy. He points to a reality: if the Spaniard wants to regain control of the tour, he must improve a part of his game.