Serena Williams’ former coach Rennae Stubbs has shared some insightful advice for Carlos Alcaraz as he prepares for the 2024 ATP Finals in Turin. According to Stubbs, the 21-year-old Spaniard needs to make adjustments to his game if he hopes to succeed on fast indoor courts, a challenge he faces ahead of one of the most prestigious events in tennis. Stubbs highlighted the importance of adapting his playing style to thrive on indoor hard courts, referencing how Rafael Nadal—Alcaraz’s legendary compatriot—had to make similar adjustments in order to excel on grass courts.
While Alcaraz has already established himself as one of the brightest stars in the tennis world, having won four Grand Slam titles and numerous ATP tournaments, one surface where he has yet to find success is indoor hard courts. To date, Alcaraz has not won a title or reached a final at an indoor event. His success has come mainly on clay, where he has claimed eight titles, and on outdoor hard courts, where he has won five titles. Additionally, he has lifted three trophies on grass, most notably at Wimbledon in 2023. However, indoor hard courts—especially fast ones—have been a challenge for the young Spaniard.
Alcaraz’s struggles on indoor courts were evident in his third-round defeat to France’s Ugo Humbert at the Paris Masters last week. Alcaraz’s loss raised questions about his ability to adjust to different playing conditions, particularly after the fast nature of the court seemed to catch him off guard. In his post-match comments, Alcaraz openly questioned the speed of the Paris courts and hinted that the conditions were part of the reason for his early exit.
“This court… I mean, I don’t want to say something that’s going to sound like an excuse,” Alcaraz said after his loss. “But when I played the first match, the stats came out that it is the fastest court in the Masters 1000, probably on the tour right now. This is crazy. I don’t know why they did it. Probably the fastest one in the last ten years in this tournament. So I don’t know why they changed it.”
Alcaraz continued by expressing his surprise at the speed of the surface, mentioning that he had not been able to arrive early enough to adjust to the conditions before his match. He added, “I probably had to come earlier to get used to these conditions, but I didn’t. Honestly, all I can say is I don’t understand why they did it.”
Stubbs, who has extensive experience in both singles and doubles and was one of the most successful doubles players of her era, responded to Alcaraz’s concerns during an appearance on the **Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast**. She acknowledged that playing on fast courts can be a tough adjustment, but emphasized that Alcaraz must adapt his game if he wishes to succeed in these conditions. She pointed to the example of Rafael Nadal, who—like Alcaraz—had to make strategic changes to his game to conquer certain surfaces.
“If you have a fast court, you can come into the net because it’s harder to adjust your position to hit a winning passing shot when you’re getting rushed,” Stubbs explained. “So, fast courts indoors, sorry Carlos, you’re going to have to adjust your game. If not, you’re not gonna win indoors. It’s the same as Rafa. Rafa had to adjust his style of tennis on grass back in the day when the grass was a little bit quicker. When it started slowing down, he started standing on the baseline, flattening out his forehand, flattening out his serve.”
Stubbs continued to draw a parallel between the adjustments made by Nadal on grass and the changes Alcaraz needs to make to thrive on indoor hard courts. “Because [Nadal] knew if ‘I wanna win Wimbledon, I have to play to the grass speed.’ And he won Wimbledon. He was the type of player that adjusted his game to win on fast surfaces,” she said.
Stubbs pointed out that Alcaraz’s comments about the Paris court conditions were somewhat reflective of the kind of challenges every player faces when adapting to a new surface. “The first thing that Alcaraz said when he lost his match was, ‘The courts were so fast, I didn’t get here in time to practice. It was my fault, yada yada.’ It’s like, that’s exactly what I’m talking about,” Stubbs said. “Yeah, we have to have surfaces that reward players that play quick, that play serve-and-volley tennis, that come into the net.”
She also emphasized that while much of the ATP Tour is played on slower surfaces—such as clay and slow hard courts—fast courts provide a unique challenge for players who are accustomed to playing on slower surfaces. “89% of the tour is played on a slow hard court, or clay, or grass—which, by the way, has been slowed down to the wazoo,” Stubbs remarked, suggesting that players like Alcaraz must find ways to perform well on all surfaces, including the faster indoor ones.
As Alcaraz heads into the 2024 ATP Finals in Turin, he will once again face the challenge of playing on indoor hard courts, with matches set to take place at the Pala Alpitour, a venue known for its fast conditions. Alcaraz has been drawn into a tough group, where he will compete against Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, and Andrey Rublev. While Alcaraz’s rise in the tennis world has been meteoric, and he has already shown his ability to adapt to many different conditions, his performance at the ATP Finals will be another key test of his versatility.
Despite his recent struggles in Paris, Alcaraz remains one of the most exciting young players in the sport. His athleticism, baseline power, and all-around game have made him a favorite to win in many of the biggest tournaments. However, if he is to capture his first indoor title at the ATP Finals, he will need to refine his approach and adjust his game to the fast-paced conditions, just as Nadal once did on grass.
With the tournament beginning on Sunday, all eyes will be on Alcaraz to see if he can overcome his indoor challenges and add another major achievement to his already impressive career. The ATP Finals offer a significant opportunity for him to prove that his game can evolve to meet the demands of every surface.