A real revelation at the start of the season with his semi-final at the Australian Open, Aslan Karatsev has quietly settled into the world top 30 since. If his performances were not dazzling, he was rather consistent and will play this Monday in California for his place in the quarterfinals against Hubert Hurkacz.
Asked by the ATP site, Dimitri Tursunov, former 20e world and current Estonian coach Anett Kontaveit, knew Aslan well for having trained with him when he had not yet exploded in the eyes of the general public. He tries to compare him with players like Tomas Berdych or Rafael Nadal.
“I think Berdych was more about precision than raw power. He didn’t take the racket out of your hands. In some players the ball looks deceptively soft and when it hits you it hits you like a brick. Some players move around and make a lot of noise, but the ball doesn’t really hurt you. There are few players who have the power of Aslan. Rafa looks violent when he hits the ball and the ball is violent, so that kind of matches the look and feel. With Aslan, it’s almost a bit misleading. It doesn’t seem like it’s hitting the ball very hard, but when it lands on your racquet it feels like it’s very heavy. “
Posted on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at 18:54
