Carlos Alcaraz possesses the ultimate nullifier in his arsenal. According to an Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis, Alcaraz has led the Tour in first-serve return points won in three consecutive seasons. In 2025, the Spaniard won 35 per cent of those points, with only Jannik Sinner (33.6%) and Francisco Cerundolo (33.4%) winning more than 33 per cent. The first serve is a key weapon on the ATP Tour, with many players putting foes on the back foot immediately and earning plenty of free points. Even the Spaniard wins just more than one out of every three first-serve return points. The 22-year-old's 35 per cent win rate against first serves in 2025 was at least 10 per cent better than seven of the other nine players who finished in the year-end Top 10. Alcaraz's first-serve return winning percentage was 33.9 per cent better than World No. 9 Ben Shelton's (26.2%) and 33.2 per cent better than World No. This was not a one-year success story, either. Alcaraz has dominated the category for years. Over the past three years, nobody has been close to Alcaraz. His 35 per cent win rate against first serves since 2023 is more than six per cent better than Alex de Minaur, who ranks second on Tour during the same period (32.9%). Daniil Medvedev (32.9%) is right behind De Minaur. Alcaraz tallied a 71-9 record in 2025 according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. But there was a trend in his losses: below-average first-serve return performance. The Tour leader in titles (8) and match wins (71) lost just nine times, and in seven of those defeats he won 31 per cent of his first-serve return points or less. Alcaraz won 36 per cent of points against his opponents' first serve in those clashes. On the whole, Alcaraz does a better job than anyone else of neutralising his opponents' first-serve effectiveness. 1 for the second time and will be something the Spaniard will rely on moving into 2026 and beyond. Get official marketing communications from the ATP and WTA! No part of this site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying, recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means), without the written permission of ATP Tour, Inc..