Novak Djokovic joked he had contacted Carlos Alcaraz to discuss “copyright” after the Spaniard revealed a new service motion at the Australian Open that bore a striking similarity to his own.
Djokovic said following his opening win at the Australian Open on Monday, January 19, “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. Let's see if he's going to stick to the agreement,” he added.
According to Independent, Alcaraz’s serve was a major weapon as the 22-year-old won his sixth grand slam title at the US Open in September, but he has continued to tweak it during the off-season.
“I wasn't thinking about making the same serve as Djokovic,” Alcaraz said when asked about his serve before the Australian Open. “But in the end, I can even see the similarities.”
Alcaraz, who split with long-term coach and mentor Juan Carlos Ferrero during the off-season, began his Australian Open with a straight-sets win on Sunday and has been drawn on the opposite side of the draw to Djokovic, who could have to play defending champion Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals.
