NOVAK DJOKOVIC JOKINGLY DEMANDS "COPYRIGHT" ROYALTIES FOR CARLOS ALCARAZ’S NEW SERVE
Carlos Alcaraz's new serve motion has the tennis world talking. Discover the "copyright" deal Djokovic proposed at the AO 2026.
Some fans have a knack for picking up on the smallest details, and they didn’t miss the change in Carlos Alcaraz’s serve at the Australian Open. His new motion looked a lot like Novak Djokovic’s, and Djokovic definitely noticed.
People couldn’t stop talking about Alcaraz’s tweaks. The guy’s already a six-time Grand Slam winner, and here he was, breezing through his first match against Adam Walton—straight sets, no drama. Right after, reporters jumped on the similarities between his serve and Djokovic’s.
Alcaraz just grinned. “You wanted to say it’s really similar to Djokovic, right?” he joked. “I get it. Honestly, everyone needs to make changes, just a few little details here and there. For me, serving is something I keep trying to improve—every year, every tournament. I’m always working on it, changing things up, even when nobody’s telling me to. This time, I adjusted my motion a bit, and now it just feels smooth and calm—like I’ve found a good rhythm. It’s helping. Who knows, you’ll probably see me change it again.”
Of course, Djokovic had to chime in. His own serve has changed a lot over the years, especially since 2018, when he shook things up with a new, shorter backswing. That move helped him rack up another 11 slams. “As soon as I saw Carlos’s serve, I messaged him,” Djokovic said, half-joking. “I told him we need to talk about copyrights. Then I told him face-to-face that he owes me a cut of his winnings for every ace he hits. Let’s see if he sticks to our deal.”
Looking ahead to the rest of the tournament, Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are the clear favourites in Melbourne. Together, they’ve claimed the last eight Grand Slam titles. The only person to break their streak? Djokovic, who won the 2023 US Open.
Now, Djokovic is chasing a 25th major title, hoping to finally outrun Margaret Court and hold the record for singles slams. He started strong, cruising past Pedro Martinez for his 100th Australian Open match win.
But can he still win it all? John McEnroe didn’t sound convinced. “Honestly, no,” he told TNT Sports. “I don’t think he can beat both Alcaraz and Sinner after already playing five matches. That’s just the reality. People wonder why he keeps going when he hasn’t won for a bit, but why not? He’s still ranked No. 3 in the world, made four semis last year, and even beat Alcaraz here. He must believe he can still do it—otherwise, he wouldn’t bother coming back. But it’s definitely getting harder.”
WHY DID 22 PLAYERS SUDDENLY WITHDRAW FROM THE 2026 ITALIAN OPEN MID-TOURNAMENT?
Discover the full list of injured stars, including Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, forced out of the 2026 Italian Open.
At the 2026 Italian Open, the number of players who have withdrawn or retired during matches has climbed to 22, spanning both the ATP and WTA competitions.
By midweek, 17 players had already exited the combined ATP/WTA 1000 event in Rome. Since then, an additional three men and two women have followed suit.
Before the draws were even announced on Monday, prominent names like Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, and Marketa Vondrousova had pulled out. On the opening day of the women’s tournament, Tuesday, Marta Kostyuk and Emma Raducanu also withdrew.
Amanda Anisimova, ranked sixth in the WTA, stepped back before her first match on Thursday due to a left wrist injury. Meanwhile, Victoria Mboko, who is ninth in the world, withdrew before playing on Friday because of a gastrointestinal illness.
Valentin Vacherot, the 16th-ranked player on the ATP tour, pulled out shortly before his scheduled second-round match against Marin Cilic on Friday, citing a foot injury.
Tomas Machac, holding the 41st spot in the men's rankings, also withdrew ahead of his second-round encounter with Daniil Medvedev after an impactful win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in round one.
Arthur Fils, ranked 17th, retired during his opening match against Andrea Pellegrino on Saturday, trailing 0-4, due to hip pain.
Here’s a rundown of the withdrawals on the ATP side: Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) was replaced by Sebastian Ofner; Taylor Fritz (No. 7) by Zachary Svajda; Valentin Vacherot (No. 16) by Martin Landaluce; Arthur Rinderknech (No. 24) by Aleksandar Kovacevic; Holger Rune (No. 40) by Damir Dzumhur; Gabriel Diallo (No. 46) by Alexander Blockx; Jack Draper (No. 50) by Hamad Medjedovic; Raphael Collignon (No. 68) by Alexandre Muller; Reilly Opelka (No. 74) by Aleksandar Vukic; Arthur Cazaux (No. 73) by Mattia Bellucci; Kamil Majchrzak (No. 76) by Roberto Bautista Agut; and Eliot Spizzirri (No. 92) by James Duckworth.
On the WTA side, Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) was replaced by Elena Gabriela Ruse from Romania; Victoria Mboko (No. 9) by Nikola Bartunkova; Marta Kostyuk (No. 15) by Ajla Tomljanovic; Emma Raducanu (No. 30) by Lilli Tagger; Marketa Vondrousova (No. 44) by Solana Sierra; Sonay Kartal (No. 56) by Zeynep Sonmez; Varvara Gracheva (No. 61) by Eva Lys; and Veronika Kudermetova (No. 70) by Petra Marcinko.
THE "REST OVER REPS" PLAN: WHY JANNIK SINNER IS SNUBBING HALLE FOR WIMBLEDON
After 23 consecutive wins, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner adjusts his schedule to target a Career Grand Slam and Wimbledon glory.
Jannik Sinner has already logged a heavy schedule this year, with deep runs in recent Masters 1000 tournaments keeping him on court against top-tier competition regularly. Given this demanding stretch, he’s taken a fresh look at his calendar and decided to skip the Halle Open, carving out a three-week break between Roland Garros and his Wimbledon title defence.
The 2024 Wimbledon champion won’t be heading to Germany for the grass-court event. That’s notable since Sinner claimed that Wimbledon crown in impressive fashion, overcoming two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz to secure his first major title away from hardcourts. That victory was his latest Grand Slam, following Alcaraz’s wins at the previous two majors.
After Roland Garros, where he seeks to complete the career Grand Slam, Sinner plans to recharge rather than pile on more tournaments before Wimbledon. Without Alcaraz in sight, he’s considered a favourite to maintain his remarkable run. His recent haul includes titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and, most recently, Madrid. Now, he’s setting his sights on Rome, his home turf, where he’s never clinched a win but is eager to continue an ambitious streak of Masters 1000 victories, aiming for a sixth in a row.
Post-Rome, he’ll take a week off before the French Open begins. In total, Sinner has played 23 matches over the last two months without tasting defeat. If he wants to lift the Rome trophy, he’ll need to notch six more wins, then potentially battle through seven more rounds in Paris. This demanding schedule partly explains his choice to forgo Halle.
As for the 2026 Halle Open, fans might be disappointed not to see the world number one, but the field remains strong. Heading the draw is Alexander Zverev, a local favourite who has yet to claim a grass-court title or even one on home soil. With Sinner out, this could be a prime opportunity for Zverev to break through.
The American players are also well represented. The U.S. hasn’t seen a finalist here since Mardy Fish in 2004, but Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton might be poised to change that, especially Fritz, who has already shown grass prowess with titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne last year.
Defending champion Alexander Bublik, who ousted Sinner on his way to victory and took down Daniil Medvedev in the final, will be back aiming to repeat. Alongside him, names like Andrey Rublev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe are also set to compete. The tournament runs from June 15 to 21, promising plenty of exciting tennis.
