Carlos Alcaraz had arranged to meet Albert Ramos-Viñolas on Sunday morning on Court 5 at Roland Garros for his final practice session before his Monday opener against Giulio Zeppieri. However, the Spaniard turned up half an hour early in the company of Juan Carlos Ferrero and Samuel López, his two coaches, to work on one specific part of the game: his return.
With his brother Alvaro serving, for some time the 22-year-old was trying to get the ball back in play with something of a disadvantage. Alcaraz kept his eyes closed until he heard the sound of the ball on the other side of the net.
In an effort to improve his reaction time, the No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings faced his brother’s serve without seeing a thing until the moment the strings made contact with the ball, generating a sound that signalled to Alcaraz it was time to open his eyes and make his move.
With the exercise, which he repeated for more than 15 minutes, the four-time Grand Slam champion sought to perfect the instinct required to be quick and accurate on the return, thus fine-tuning that part of his game the day before kicking off the defence of his title, which he won last year by defeating Alexander Zverev in the final.
The Spaniard, who is always looking for ways to improve his game, made changes to his serve in the preseason. His new action is more relaxed, with a looser wrist. By no longer stopping when the racquet reaches its peak, he has improved the flow of his technique. The stats show that these changes have translated into an improved delivery, and the Murcia native has capitalised on it so far in 2025 with three titles (Rotterdam, Monte Carlo and Rome).
Alcaraz, on Sunday was present at the tribute to Rafael Nadal inside Court Philippe-Chatrier, but now will turn his focus to his first-round match Monday against Italian qualifier Zeppieri.
The second seed is charged with defending his title at the season’s second Grand Slam tournament. He will pursue his second Coupe des Mousquetaires.
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