Novak Djokovic accuses Carlos Alcaraz of stealing as pair strike Australian Open agreement | Tennis | Sport

Novak Djokovic has jokingly accused Carlos Alcaraz of stealing his serve motion as the pair gear up for a deep run at the Australian Open. Djokovic is searching for his record-extending 25th Grand Slam title, having reached all four major semi-finals last year.

Djokovic made a solid start to his Australian Open campaign in round one, defeating Pedro Martinez 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena. There will no doubt be tougher tests to come down the line, but the Serb made a cheeky comment directed at Alcaraz after securing his spot in round two – and joked that they have come to an agreement over the matter.

On the Spanish superstar’s serving action, Djokovic remarked: “As soon as I saw it, I sent him a message. I said, we have to speak about the copyrights. Then when I saw him here, I told him we have to talk about percentage of his winnings. Every ace I expect a tribute to me. Every ace that he makes here. Let’s see if he’s going to stick to the agreement.”

Of course, Djokovic’s tongue was placed firmly in cheek, with the tennis legend donning a wry smile throughout the exchange. But it comes after Alcaraz altered his motion to something that looked remarkably similar to that of Djokovic’s.

When questioned about the reasons behind the change, Alcaraz said: “You probably meant to say it’s very similar to Djokovic’s, right? I knew it… (laughs). Seriously, I don’t know. I think everyone has to make changes, adjust certain details. And for me, the serve is something I really want to improve. Every year, in every tournament, I put a lot of effort into my serve.

“I just slightly changed the motion, and I feel more comfortable this way. It’s more fluid, more relaxed, and perfectly timed. It helps me serve much better… I didn’t think about copying Djokovic’s serve. But of course, I can see the similarities.”

After a straight-sets win over Adam Walton on opening day, Alcaraz has been afforded plenty of recovery time, with his next match not pencilled in until Wednesday. Yannick Hanfmann will be the Spaniard’s next opponent, with Alcaraz needing the Australian Open title to secure the Career Slam at just 22 years old.

Meanwhile, Djokovic, who completed the Career Slam 10 years ago, has a slightly shorter turnaround time, with qualifier Francesco Maestrelli next up for the 38-year-old. Should they progress through their respective sides of the draw, Djokovic and Alcaraz will meet in the final of the Australian Open.