<p>Melbourne: After clubbing 14 aces in a whirlwind victory at the Australian Open on Wednesday, <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/carlos-alcaraz">Carlos Alcaraz</a> made no secret of his aspirations for his retooled serve.</p><p>"Am I a serve bot?" Alcaraz scribbled on a camera lens at Margaret Court Arena where he thrashed Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka 6-0 6-1 6-4 to reach the third round.</p><p>Serving has been on the four-times Grand Slam champion's mind at Melbourne Park after tweaking his motion in the off-season.</p><p>He was not thrilled with its performance in his first-round win against Kazakh Alexander Shevchenko where he landed less than 60 per cent of his first serves and had six aces.</p><p>Wednesday's figures were more encouraging for the meticulous Spaniard, who more than doubled the ace count and won 32 out of 36 points (89 per cent) on his first serve.</p><p>It came after a long service training session with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero on Tuesday.</p><p>"I felt more comfortable on it, yes. I think the serve's about confidence and feelings," he told reporters.</p>.Carlos Alcaraz reaping rewards of rivalry with Jannik Sinner.<p>"Today I felt great. The throw of the ball was great today, which it helps a lot in the serve today."</p><p>Though having won the French Open and a second Wimbledon crown last year with his previous serving action, Alcaraz was unhappy with its accuracy and overall strain on the body.</p><p>The new movement is a little more relaxed with a looser wrist to try to improve timing.</p><p>Alcaraz said he still has much improve on if he wants to rival the top "serve bots" like American Reilly Opelka and Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.</p><p>As third seed with four Grand Slam titles under his belt, Alcaraz would seem a shoo-in for centre court scheduling at Melbourne Park but has played both his matches this year at Margaret Court Arena.</p><p>Players can submit their preferences to organisers but there are no guarantees they will be accommodated.</p><p>Alcaraz said he would rather play on Rod Laver Arena's centre court, where women's double defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and 10-times champion Novak Djokovic had the early slots on Wednesday.</p><p>But he was content to keep playing on the lesser courts if it meant an early night's sleep.</p><p>"Obviously I want to play on Rod Laver, but we have to see the schedule, as well. As I said many times, I don't like to play night sessions."</p>
<p>Melbourne: After clubbing 14 aces in a whirlwind victory at the Australian Open on Wednesday, <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/carlos-alcaraz">Carlos Alcaraz</a> made no secret of his aspirations for his retooled serve.</p><p>"Am I a serve bot?" Alcaraz scribbled on a camera lens at Margaret Court Arena where he thrashed Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka 6-0 6-1 6-4 to reach the third round.</p><p>Serving has been on the four-times Grand Slam champion's mind at Melbourne Park after tweaking his motion in the off-season.</p><p>He was not thrilled with its performance in his first-round win against Kazakh Alexander Shevchenko where he landed less than 60 per cent of his first serves and had six aces.</p><p>Wednesday's figures were more encouraging for the meticulous Spaniard, who more than doubled the ace count and won 32 out of 36 points (89 per cent) on his first serve.</p><p>It came after a long service training session with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero on Tuesday.</p><p>"I felt more comfortable on it, yes. I think the serve's about confidence and feelings," he told reporters.</p>.Carlos Alcaraz reaping rewards of rivalry with Jannik Sinner.<p>"Today I felt great. The throw of the ball was great today, which it helps a lot in the serve today."</p><p>Though having won the French Open and a second Wimbledon crown last year with his previous serving action, Alcaraz was unhappy with its accuracy and overall strain on the body.</p><p>The new movement is a little more relaxed with a looser wrist to try to improve timing.</p><p>Alcaraz said he still has much improve on if he wants to rival the top "serve bots" like American Reilly Opelka and Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.</p><p>As third seed with four Grand Slam titles under his belt, Alcaraz would seem a shoo-in for centre court scheduling at Melbourne Park but has played both his matches this year at Margaret Court Arena.</p><p>Players can submit their preferences to organisers but there are no guarantees they will be accommodated.</p><p>Alcaraz said he would rather play on Rod Laver Arena's centre court, where women's double defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and 10-times champion Novak Djokovic had the early slots on Wednesday.</p><p>But he was content to keep playing on the lesser courts if it meant an early night's sleep.</p><p>"Obviously I want to play on Rod Laver, but we have to see the schedule, as well. As I said many times, I don't like to play night sessions."</p>