The split, the clock, and the reset
Carlos Alcaraz announced his separation from longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero on December 17, 2025. The move closed a remarkable chapter and opened a short runway to Melbourne. Alcaraz indicated he would continue working with Samuel Lopez, a steady presence around the team in 2024 and 2025, which preserves continuity while allowing room for a fresh emphasis. With Opening Week running in mid January and the main draw set to begin on January 18, 2026, every training day now carries outsized weight. For context and confirmation, see the ATP report on the split.
This is not a tear-it-up rebuild. Think of it as a pit stop. The car is elite. The team is swapping tires, topping fuel, and cleaning the windshield so the driver can see and attack the next stint. If you want more on Alcaraz’s mental framework, revisit Alcaraz’s 3-step reset.
Part 1: The mental tune-up under Samuel Lopez
Lopez’s most visible contribution is organizational. He favors crisp routines and clear cues so that decisions under stress become automatic. For Alcaraz, that looks like three concrete layers you can copy in your own match play.
- Pre-point routine, 12 to 15 seconds
- Reset: one deep breath as he turns his back to the baseline, eyes down the strings, shoulders drop.
- Plan: simple question and answer, said quietly, no paragraphs. Server asks, Where and what next. Returner asks, Height, direction, then first step.
- Commit: a physical trigger. For Alcaraz that is two bounces and a foot rock before serve, or a left-hand grip tap and heel raise before return. The goal is to shut down doubt.
- Clutch scripts for score pressure
- 30 all or break point against: script narrows to three words, Target, shape, feet. It is a nudge to hit to a big target, choose a shape that suits the moment, and move the feet first.
- Break point for: script shifts to Height beats heat. That means clear the net and keep depth rather than forcing a line winner.
- Tie-break switches: he resets at the bench with the same mini sequence, one breath, one plan, one trigger.
Why it works: the match is mostly time between points. Routines are not superstition. They are cognitive guardrails that keep the mind from spiraling. The best test is repeatability. If the routine looks the same when Alcaraz is cruising and when he is bleeding points, it is working.
How to practice it
- Shadow a full service game only on routine. No ball. Walk the timing, breath, grip touch, bounce count, and serve motion to a metronome set at a comfortable cadence. Then add the ball and see if the rhythm holds.
- Scoreboarding drill. Play first to seven points with your partner feeding neutrals. At 3 all and 5 all, switch to your clutch script. Track whether you missed long and high or low and into the tape. If the misses are into the tape, your script is too aggressive.
OffCourt note: Off-court training is the most underused lever in tennis. OffCourt unlocks it with personalized physical and mental programs built from how you actually play. For a broader look at how tech will support coaching in Melbourne, see off-court coaching and AI.
Part 2: The physical prep for serve plus one and forward-first baseline tennis
Alcaraz’s game wins fast when the first strike lands. The physical block for January is designed to support two specific things.
- A more aggressive serve plus one
- Serve shape variety: add a body serve on big points so a deep returner cannot camp far back. Then pair a slice wide with a forehand to the open court.
- Footwork landing: finish the serve on balance, front hip closed enough to explode to either side for the plus-one. That requires ankle stiffness on landing and a quick crossover rather than a roundhouse shuffle.
- Forward-first baseline decisions
- Neutral-to-offense transition: turn shoulder height balls into approach chances, not just rally balls. That means driving through the outside edge of the ball to create depth and a lower bounce for the opponent.
- Close and split: once inside the baseline, close the net with a split step timed to the opponent’s contact, not your own.
Strength and court conditioning that map to those goals
- Medicine ball matrix, 6 minutes: overhead slam, rotational throw from both sides, step-behind chest pass. Three sets at medium load. Cue full hip turn and deceleration, because the plus-one forehand needs braking power as much as acceleration.
- Single-leg hop to stick, 3 x 6 per leg: jump diagonally, land on one foot, hold two seconds. This hardens ankles and knees for serve landings and sudden direction changes.
- First-step ladders with toss, 3 x 60 seconds: coach tosses left-center-right. Player reacts off a split step to catch and plant inside the baseline. Build that habit of playing in, not falling back.
- Serve capture: three blocks of 15 serves where the server must hold the finish for one full second, then jump into the first step. If the first step is late, the rep does not count.
For complementary match examples of fast starts under pressure, see first-strike tennis under pressure.
Part 3: Tactical adjustments for the matchups that matter
Versus Jannik Sinner
What makes Sinner hard: his backhand in the deuce court controls the cross-court exchange without leaking height, and his return contact is early. If you feed that pattern, you end up reacting.
The adjustment set for Alcaraz
- Serve patterns: more T serves from the deuce side to avoid the Sinner backhand cross trap and create forehand to forehand starts. From the ad side, a slider wide on first serve is fine, but the plus-one must go heavy cross before redirecting down the line. If you go line too early, Sinner’s backhand counter up the line burns you.
- Baseline geometry: break the rhythm with three-ball patterns. Example: forehand cross heavy and high, then backhand line to move Sinner, then forehand inside-out into the ad corner before closing forward. The key is not the winner, it is the forward position you earn.
- Low slice as a changeup, not a bailout: one per rally to force Sinner to lift and push him off his contact point, followed by a speed-up up the line.
Practice box for Sinner prep
- Two-box drill: coach drops targets in the deuce backhand cross and ad down-the-line lanes. Player must hit cross to the first, line to the second, then approach. Miss either box and the approach is canceled. This builds the habit of earning forward.
- Return plus one vs pace: partner hits first serves around your match speed. Your rule is depth over lines. Only when you land deep middle can you go short angle next ball.
For a data-backed breakdown of this matchup, read Sinner’s pressure-proof blueprint.
Versus Daniil Medvedev
What makes Medvedev hard: he returns from very deep and turns your pace into his control. If you feed him big cross-court rallies, he stretches you long and wins on errors.
The adjustment set for Alcaraz
- Body serves and flats into the hip: jam the returner who stands far back so he cannot get full swings. The body serve, plus a forehand to the open court, can be more valuable than a flashy wide ace attempt.
- Short-angle forehand as the unlock: after a deep middle ball, take a forehand short cross that pulls Medvedev off the court and brings him forward where he is less comfortable. Follow with the volley to the open space.
- Drop disguise off identical prep: same shoulder turn and racquet shape as your heavy cross, then soften the hand. If you change the takeback, he reads it. The goal is not the drop winner, it is the confused next step.
- Second-serve variety: add a kick that climbs above shoulder height to the backhand on big moments, then be ready for the short return. Do not let him camp on one contact height.
Practice box for Medvedev prep
- Serve to body, finish to space: 10-ball ladders where the serve must land within the body target zone, and the plus-one must clear the service line by at least one racket length into the opposite half. Score it. Under 7 of 10 is a redo.
- Wide-then-short: coach feeds deep middle. Player goes deep middle back, then a short angle, then closes and volleys. The sequence must finish inside the service line. If you hit behind the service line on ball three, the point is dead.
Product spotlights that support this reset
These are not endorsements for Alcaraz’s brand deals. They are tools that map to the playing patterns above and that coaches and aspiring players can test.
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Wilson Ultra v5, for plus-one power that still finds shape: the new Ultra v5 line adds SI3D layup tuning for pocketing and a Click & Go bumper system that makes maintenance simple. The update aims at a stiffer, more stable strike that helps you turn a good serve into an immediate forehand advantage. For specs and engineering, see the Wilson Ultra v5 tech overview. Who should test it: aggressive baseliners building a serve plus one that needs free depth and a repeatable launch angle.
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Head Speed Legend with Hy-Bor, for stability when you step in: the 2025 Legend update introduces Hy-Bor, a composite that blends carbon and boron fibers in the shaft to increase perceived stability at impact. Players who like to take the ball early and then transition forward will appreciate the connected feel on flat drives and the ability to stick a volley after the short angle. The Pro version favors precision with an 18 by 20 pattern, while the MP version offers a more open 16 by 19 for spin users. Who should test it: counterpunchers moving toward a forward-first identity who want a firmer, clearer response when redirecting pace.
String and setup tips you can apply regardless of brand
- If your plus-one is flying, increase cross string tension by 2 pounds before touching the mains. That tightens launch without killing spin.
- If your short-angle forehand is dying in the net, try a 1.20 millimeter gauge and drop 1 pound. The narrower string helps shape the ball with the same swing.
- For body-serve development, mark two hand-towel sized targets on the service boxes at the hip lane. Measure your hit rate before and after a small tension tweak so you are tuning with feedback, not guesses.
What coaches, parents, and ambitious juniors can do this week
This is the bridge from pro adjustments to your training plan.
- Write your two clutch scripts. Put them on your water bottle. Say them out loud at 30 all and break points in two practice sets.
- Serve plus one audit. Video ten minutes of only the first two shots when you serve. Count how often the plus-one is hit moving forward, on balance, and to a big target. Set a target of 70 percent on-balance swings before you chase speed.
- Forward-first constraints game. Only points where you step inside the baseline and split step on the opponent’s contact can count toward the game. First to seven wins. This rewires intent.
- Sinner box and Medvedev box. Build the two-box drill for backhand cross to line approach, and the serve-to-body ladder with plus-one depth. Alternate by game so your brain switches tactics on command.
- OffCourt assignment. Log your pre-point routine and add two mental triggers and two physical drills from this article.
The bigger lesson heading into Melbourne
Ferrero helped Alcaraz become a complete player. The task now is not to reinvent but to clarify. Under Samuel Lopez, the emphasis tightens around repeatable routines, cleaner first strikes, and matchups solved by specific geometry rather than improvised heroics. The reset is mental, physical, and tactical because those parts feed one another. Routines free the swing. Stronger landings enable earlier contact. Better geometry turns defense into offense without swinging harder.
If you coach, build one routine and one script for your player before you redraw strokes. If you parent a junior, measure habits between points as carefully as you measure winners. If you are the player, test a body-serve day and a short-angle day this week, then choose which earned you more points within four shots.
For additional matchup context from Turin, revisit our indoor study of this rivalry in Sinner’s pressure-proof blueprint. January will reveal whether the pit stop worked. Alcaraz does not need a new engine. He needs clear glass, fresh tires, and a full tank.