US Open 2025: How Carlos Alcaraz Held 98 of 101 Service Games

The moment that set the tone

Carlos Alcaraz did not just win the 2025 US Open. He built the entire fortnight on a serve plan that left almost no air for opponents to breathe. According to the ATP recap, he won 98 of 101 service games across seven matches and took back the No. 1 ranking by beating Jannik Sinner in four sets. That topline stat is not luck. It is the product of repeatable patterns executed with variety, conviction, and smart score management. For broader context on his serve dominance, see our Hold Game tactical primer.

The goal of this breakdown is twofold. First, to show why Alcaraz’s choices worked in the specific crucible of the Sinner rivalry and the New York final. Second, to translate those choices into practical target and sequencing drills you can bring to practice this week. Whether you are a junior chasing UTR points, a coach building a weekly plan, or a parent feeding balls, the blueprint scales.

Why this serving plan worked in 2025

1) The rivalry context rewards first-strike clarity

Sinner and Alcaraz met in three Slam finals in 2025. Alcaraz won Roland Garros, Sinner took Wimbledon, and Alcaraz closed the hard-court season with New York. That arc matters. Each final nudged the other to refine how quickly they could assert patterns. In Paris, Alcaraz won with attrition and clutch offense. At Wimbledon, Sinner beat him with superior depth and return clarity. In New York, Alcaraz turned first strike into a sustained serve plus one campaign that made Sinner defend from awkward positions right away.

2) Body serves to blunt Sinner’s two-hander

Sinner’s backhand is a laser when he extends. Jamming the torso or the right hip takes away that extension and deletes sharp angles. The body serve also collapses the returner’s spacing so the server’s first ball arrives before balance returns. In the final, Alcaraz leaned on body serves early in games to set a predictable first ball for himself and an unpredictable one for Sinner.

3) Wide and kick mixing to change the geometry

Alcaraz alternated flat wide first serves with higher-bouncing kick serves, especially to the ad court. The contrast reset Sinner’s contact height and contact distance. On hard courts in New York, a quality kick that climbs shoulder high in the ad court forces a two-hander to lift. That neutralizes line drive returns and buys time for serve plus one.

4) First-ball aggression with big margin

The key was not just power. It was depth and direction paired with an earlier contact point. Alcaraz’s plus one ball often left his strings before Sinner recovered his base. He went heavy to the open court when the return floated and changed direction only when he had time. That approach turns a good hold into a near-automatic hold.

5) Selective serve and volley to punish the read

Once Sinner shaded for the plus one forehand, Alcaraz served and followed. He did not overuse it. He chose it on ad-side wide serves and on big points where Sinner would likely chip block. The emphasis is on selective. One or two serve and volleys per set were enough to protect the serve pattern from being solved.

The patterns, translated into drills you can run now

Below are court-tested drills. Each is built around clear targets, a sequence that mirrors Alcaraz’s choices, and pressure scoring that simulates a Slam tiebreak or a tough hold. For additional work on the forehand that follows the serve, see our Return+1 forehand strike window training.

A. Body-serve ladder with hip targets

Objective: Own the body serve on both courts, with repeatable contact height and a first-ball plan.

Setup

• Two cones on the returner’s right hip lane for deuce court, left hip lane for ad court. Place each cone one racquet width inside the singles sideline and three feet inside the service line.
• Returner stands on or inside the baseline to mimic Sinner’s neutral position.

Drill

• Server hits 10 first serves to each cone. After every serve, a coach or partner feeds a neutral ball down the middle. The server must take the first ball early and hard crosscourt, then play out the point to three shots total.
• Scoring: 1 point for a cone hit, 1 point for a plus one that lands past the service line hash, bonus 1 point for winning the third ball. Target 14 of 20 points.

Coaching cues

• Contact in front, no drift. Shorter toss for body serve helps jam without over-rotating.
• If the returner chips, take the ball on the rise. If the returner swings, use a heavier crosscourt with shape.

Progression

• At 8 points, add a call from the coach before the toss: “jam” or “jam and follow.” On “follow,” serve and close to the service line for a first volley to the open deuce or ad corner.

B. Ad-court kick and flat mix sequence

Objective: Disguise the ad-court pattern by pairing a shoulder-high kick with a flat slider to the sideline.

Setup

• Three targets in the ad box: T, 3 feet inside the sideline, and a high-bounce zone marked by a throw-down line 5 feet inside the baseline.

Drill

• Sequence of four balls, repeated for five rounds: Kick T, plus one heavy crosscourt; Flat wide, plus one to the open deuce side; Kick body, plus one deep middle; Flat T, plus one inside-in.
• Scoring: You must land the serve in its designated target zone and the plus one must cross the service line. Two errors in a round resets your score.

Coaching cues

• Raise the toss 2 inches for the kick. Think brush then drive. The kick must climb, not just arc.
• For the flat wide, aim three strings inside the line, not the line itself. Your margin is the disguise.

Pressure phase

• Play a simulated ad game: start 30 all. Alternate kick and flat on the ad side. You must hold twice in a row to clear the stage.

C. Deuce-court first-ball forehand capture

Objective: Turn deuce-side holds into routine holds by capturing the plus one forehand.

Setup

• Returner blocks crosscourt to neutral middle. Coach stands behind server calling “green” or “yellow” after the serve lands. Green means attack to open court. Yellow means build with depth up the middle.

Drill

• Serve anywhere deuce court. On green, take the forehand early to open court and look to finish with a third ball to the opposite corner. On yellow, drive heavy middle deep, then step around for the next forehand.
• Scoring: 15 balls to 11 points. Missed plus one costs 2 points, to emphasize discipline.

Coaching cues

• Do not change direction on the first ball unless you are set. Feet first, then strings.
• Inside-in on green needs height and depth. Do not flatten without space.

D. Selective serve and volley on a timer

Objective: Add enough serve and volley to punish the read without overusing it.

Setup

• A visual timer on your phone or an interval app set to 8 seconds. The server must decide S and V or stay back before the timer chimes.

Drill

• Play a service game where you must serve and volley once at 15 all, once at 30 all, and once on a game point, but never on consecutive points.
• Scoring: You only win the game if you win at least 2 of the 3 serve and volley points.

Coaching cues

• Favor ad-wide and deuce-body for serve and volley. Expect a blocked return and close diagonally to cut the highest percentage pass.
• First volley target is deep middle unless the return floats.

E. Disguise builder with pre-point holds

Objective: Train the same toss and stance to hide direction.

Setup

• Three serve directions per side: T, body, wide. One identical toss location marked by a spot on the ground. Partner calls the serve last second.

Drill

• Hold the trophy pose at the top of the toss for a one-count before striking. This slows tells and forces consistent rhythm.
• Randomize direction with a deck of cards or a phone randomizer. Red equals wide, black equals T, face cards equal body.
• Scoring: 30 serves. A double fault or a toss that drifts off the spot incurs a minus 1. Goal is net positive with at least 8 makes per direction.

Coaching cues

• Same knee flex and shoulder tilt regardless of direction. Do not let the torso open early on wide.
• If your toss creeps right on wide serves, address it by moving the toss left by one ball width, not by changing the stance.

F. Pressure scripting by score

Objective: Map a go-to pattern for every common pressure score so you are never predictable.

Template

• 0 0: Information gathering. Serve body and look to plus one crosscourt.
• 30 30: Ad side kick T or flat wide depending on opponent’s backhand quality, plus one to the open lane.
• Break point down: Deuce body, plus one heavy middle, then change to the open court only if feet are set.
• Game point: Ad wide serve and volley if the opponent has shaded inside the baseline, otherwise kick body and plus one forehand.

Drill

• Play three service games starting score 30 30, one on each side and one deciding point. You must call the pattern out loud before the toss and execute it. For more ideas, see our behind-score serve patterns guide.

Scoring

• Earn 2 points for a plan followed and 1 for the hold. If you improvise without cause, you lose a point.

The Sinner admission and the disguise lesson

After the final Sinner spoke plainly about the difference in New York. He said he was outplayed and at times he felt his own patterns had become easy to read. CBS captured the key line when Sinner called his play too predictable. That is not a knock on his level. It is a reminder that under stress the brain simplifies. Players fall back on favorite serves and most comfortable first balls. The opponent at this tier hunts those comfort zones.

Your takeaway is not to randomize recklessly. It is to build two versions of every favorite. If you love deuce wide, you need a deuce body with the same toss and the same rhythm. If your best plus one is inside-out, you need the same swing path to the other corner with a later contact. Disguise is not magic. It is repetition that removes visual tells and confidence that lets you vary when the score squeezes.

How the blueprint fits the three-final arc

In Roland Garros, Alcaraz exposed Sinner’s rhythm with height and patience, then surged in the clutch. At Wimbledon, Sinner reset the dynamic with depth on the return and straighter rallies. New York was the tiebreak. Alcaraz’s serve plan neutralized Sinner’s improved return and created fast starts to service games. Early leads matter against an elite returner. Even one clean hold relieves scoreboard tension and frees your ground game. That is how a 22 year old could drop only one set all tournament and spend the final playing offense more than defense.

The wider lesson is rivalry-driven improvement. The serve is the lever that moves the rest of the game. When two players see each other this often at the business end of majors, they are really playing a series. In a series, the side that varies first strike without sacrificing percentage tends to trend positive over time.

Implementation guide for coaches and juniors

• Week plan structure

  • Day 1: Body serve ladder and deuce-court capture. 45 minutes serves, 30 minutes live points.
  • Day 2: Ad kick and flat mix. 45 minutes serves, 30 minutes serve plus one drills.
  • Day 3: Selective serve and volley on a timer. 30 minutes serves, 45 minutes point play starting 30 30.
  • Day 4: Disguise builder and pressure scripting. 60 minutes serves under score, 30 minutes match play with calling patterns.

• Film checklist

  • Toss location stable within one ball width for all directions.
  • Returner contact height varies across the session. If not, your mix is not real.
  • Plus one depth past the service line on at least 70 percent of attempts.
  • First volley targets are deep middle unless you see daylight.

• Match day application

  • First two service games are information games. Try body both courts and one kick T on the ad side. Log the return quality in your head.
  • At 30 30, pick from your plan, not your emotions. If the opponent has stepped in, use kick or body to jam. If they have backed up, use flat wide and follow.
  • One serve and volley before each tiebreak to seed doubt.

Common pitfalls and fixes

• Pitfall: Your body serve leaks into the strike zone.

  • Fix: Aim at the returner’s back hip and shorten the toss by two inches. Practice with a partner starting inside the baseline to force a lower net clearance.

• Pitfall: The kick sits up without depth.

  • Fix: Contact more over your head. Add a target five feet inside the baseline. If you cannot clear it, your kick lacks drive.

• Pitfall: You change direction on the plus one while moving.

  • Fix: Build a rule. You do not change direction unless both feet are planted and your head is still at contact.

• Pitfall: Serve and volley feels scary on big points.

  • Fix: Treat it like a set play. Choose only two combos you trust, like ad-wide backhand volley deep middle and deuce-body forehand first volley short angle. Rehearse those 20 times the day before the match.

Off-court is the multiplier

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. If your serve holds drop late in sets, that is often not technique but legs and breath control. Pair these court drills with off-court blocks that train rotational power, overhead mobility, and pressure breathing. Use a simple habit stack: three mobility moves after every serve session and a two-minute box breathing routine between practice sets. OffCourt.app can help you program that without guesswork.

For a complementary deep dive that ties practice plans to match score, read our behind-score serve patterns guide.

Quick reference: the four core patterns

1. Body, plus one crosscourt

• Target the hip lane. Take the first ball on the rise. Finish to the open court, not the line.

2. Ad kick T and flat wide alternation

• Raise the toss for the kick. Drive through contact. Use flat wide when the returner leans in.

3. Deuce capture with inside-in forehand

• Serve deuce wide or body. Step around to inside-in with height and depth.

4. Selective serve and volley

• Choose specific serves that elicit blocked returns and close on a diagonal. First volley deep middle unless the ball floats.

The bottom line

Alcaraz’s 2025 US Open serve blueprint is not about aces. It is about patterns that travel. Body serves that jam elite backhands. Alternating wide and kick to change the geometry. First-ball aggression with margin. Serve and volley used like a scalpel. The results speak for themselves, and they came against the player most likely to solve him. If you put these drills on your calendar and track your hold percentage weekly, you will feel the same clarity under pressure that Alcaraz owned in New York.

Ready to implement this with a plan tailored to your strengths and match data? Download your week template, schedule two serve sessions, and build a 30 30 script for your next tournament.