Carlos Alcaraz found himself under some real pressure at the Australian Open. The Spaniard faced a hard challenge against Yannick Hanfmann in his second-round match. The German came out firing, forcing a rocky start to the first set. Usually calm under pressure, Alcaraz showed signs of frustration this time as he survived a real scare. Things, however, didn’t go quite as smoothly for his team.

During his match on Wednesday, Alcaraz struggled under Hanfmann’s early pressure and fiery hitting in the opening set. The tension got to him. He turned to his box, not just seeking support but to let out that frustration that was bubbling up. The 22-year-old shouted at his coach and brother, looking bewildered by how quickly things were slipping away.

According to fans, Carlos Alcaraz said, “No sé qué hacer” (I don’t know what to do) in Spanish, voicing confusion. The audio wasn’t clear, but the phrase was picked up as an estimate from the video shared by Eurosport.es on X.

In the end, the win was his. He sealed a 6-3, 6-2 victory after two hours and 44 minutes to reach the third round. It wasn’t easy, and his reaction said it all.

Hanfmann came firing on all cylinders, uncorking a monster first serve at 208 km/h, just a single click shy of Carlos Alcaraz’s best of the day. His average first delivery clocked 188 km/h, also right behind the Spaniard’s. It all left Alcaraz a little dazzled by the sheer power behind the shots.

“We’ve played a few times already,” Carlos Alcaraz said after the match. “We came through the Challengers together. I played Challengers against him, but to be honest, it was tougher at the beginning. I didn’t feel the ball that well, or not as well as I wanted, but the ball was coming like a bomb, you know?”

The hardcourts of Melbourne Park have yet to see Alcaraz break past the quarterfinals, but this time, he’s chasing history. With the Australian Open title still missing from his trophy case, the 22-year-old has his eyes on completing the career slam and becoming the youngest man to do it.

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His team, ever-present and tuned in, has been working closely with him to tweak his form and according to the Spaniard, they have made changes to his form.

Carlos Alcaraz reveals the things he’s working on with his team

During the post-match press conference, when asked to share his “most valuable changes” in the last year or two, Alcaraz kept it short and honest. He’s been working alongside Samuel Lopez since his ex-coach Juan Carlos Ferrero left the team in December. In the off-season, Alcaraz was busy on court, putting in the hours with Lopez.

“Well, I mean, I don’t know. I would say probably technical part,” he said. “I think the serve is a shot that I doing a lot of changes, you know, probably the last year. No other shot I’ve been changing anything or I’ve been putting so much attention on it.”

Since parting ways with Ferrero in December, Alcaraz has been working under the guidance of Samuel Lopez. The off-season turned into a workshop for progress, with countless hours spent refining details under Lopez’s watchful eye. The biggest experiment has been his serve, which is now drawing comparisons to Novak Djokovic’s sleek and efficient motion.

The 22-year-old didn’t stop at technique. He also took a long look at how he manages himself during matches, taking inspiration from some of the game’s greats. For Alcaraz, improvement now extends beyond his racket.

“But outside in terms of shots, I just adjust myself about how you behave, how I talk to myself, how I just approach every match, how I approach every tournament, in some really difficult moments in the match, how I deal with them,” he explained. “Those adjustment I just try to made in the best way possible in the last year. It’s something that I’ve been so much focused on it.”

With that mindset in his corner, Alcaraz now shifts focus to Round 3 of the Australian Open, where Corentin Moutet awaits After facing a scare today, will Carlos Alcaraz bring a more intense game to the court on Friday? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!