Young American talent Alycia Parks's playing style has some similarities to Serena Williams, and she admitted to being influenced by the tennis legend.
Powerful baseline hitting was prevalent among some players before Williams' emergence, such as nine-time Grand Slam champion Monica Seles, who recently stated that Naomi Osaka is even better than she was.
However, Williams' firepower had never been seen before on the WTA Tour. No other player in the history of women's tennis could take the racket out of her opponent's hands like the 23-time Grand Slam champion did.
Many consider Williams the best female player of all time. She bid farewell to tennis at this year's US Open, but her influence will not diminish, especially since so many players in the modern game attempt to emulate the 41-year-old's style.
21-year-old Parks won her first WTA Challenger title this month at the Andorra Open. She is currently competing in the Angers Open in France in an attempt to claim back-to-back Challenger-level titles.
Parks' most formidable weapons are her serve and forehand, which was also the case for Williams. The young American revealed during an interview that she got to practice with Serena and her sister, Venus Williams, which was a great experience.
"It felt good at the US Open that I got to hit with both of them. Serena especially, because I look up to Serena. She's the GOAT of tennis. What can you do besides look up to her? She's literally tennis."
The Andorra Open champion also discussed her unique route to where she is today, which involved not playing in Junior tournaments.
"We didn't do the junior route because at the time, I was growing throughout juniors. I would always have knee problems and my dad wanted to prevent injuries. Just train and get ready for the pros. So that's what we did and here I am now."
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