Alcaraz 'Toughest Opponent' And 'Different' Than Big Three Says Medvedev
ATPFriday, 12 July 2024 at 22:00
Daniil Medvedev was asked to compare Carlos Alcaraz to the Big Three, and he chose the Spaniard as the more challenging opponent to play.
The Russian player does not mind giving long answers when he's asked something that he enjoys talking about. After losing to Alcaraz at Wimbledon, the Russian was asked to rate the Spanish player, especially compared to Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, against whom he played.
The 28-year-old gave a long response to that, admitting that all of them are quite different players when broken down, but also, he didn't play the Big Three at their peak.
It happened later in their careers, as opposed to Alcaraz, who Medvedev played still only in his early twenties. He broke down the differences in detail, explaining why everyone is unique, and Alcaraz isn't comparable to either of them.
"The thing is I played the Big 3 when they were let’s call it ‘old’ or over 30. It’s a bit different. They’re all different. All different in their own way, in their game. I feel like you can’t even take something from one and compare it to another because Roger plays on the line. He hits his beautiful technique, shots, goes to the net."
"Novak plays also on the line but completely different. Amazing defense, like a pinball player where the ball comes back so fast at you. Rafa is completely different. He can stand 10 meters behind but he’s gonna run to every ball… banana shot… lefty."
When he shifted his attention to Alcaraz, he noted that the 21-year-old doesn't really do anything like any of the Big Three. He plays his style, which can sometimes be offensive or defensive, and for Medvedev, it's a tricky style to counter.
"I don’t think Carlos has anything from them. It’s a different game style. I think where Carlos is different from many players.. we all have our preferences. Some prefer defense, some prefer counter attack, some prefer to be super aggressive. He can do all of it."
"He can sometimes slice.. Even a bad slice, and then run and try to win like this. Many times when guys do this, you can hit an easy shot back and they don’t want to attack. But that’s not Carlos. If you give him an easy shot, you know it’s over for you. That’s what makes it tough. Probably in my career, he’s the toughest opponent I have faced. But I have time to try to do better."
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