Carlos Alcaraz described as the ‘Mike Tyson of tennis’ due to ‘brutal power and speed’

Carlos Alcaraz has been likened to boxing great Mike Tyson with Daniil Medvedev’s coach Gilles Cervera saying he “leaves rivals without options”.
Reigning US Open champion Alcaraz produced an emphatic performance on Sunday to defeat Medvedev 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the Indian Wells Open with the result helping him to return to No 1 in the ATP Rankings.
What made the display even more impressive was the fact that Medvedev headed into the clash on the back of a 19-match winning run that saw him lift three consecutive hard-court titles.
But he was never at the races against Alcaraz as the Spaniard blew him away and Cervera was impressed by the teenager’s performance as he compared the 19-year-old with former undisputed world heavyweight champion Tyson, who was known for his speed and power in the ring.
“He is the Tyson of tennis because of how he is capable of hitting those forehands with the racket,” he told L’Equipe. “There were blows that were displacing Daniil 10 metres with brutal power and speed.”
Cervera added: “He is an incredible player. He leaves rivals without options. We thought he would make mistakes and he gave the feeling that he could not fail. We will have to start looking for his weaknesses for the future.”
READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz’s 2023 tennis schedule: Where is he competing next…
Medvedev himself felt he was ready for the fight against Alcaraz, but the reigning US Open champion made his life very difficult.
“He’s playing good. You know, I feel like he was serving well. Serve and volley was good. Like even I knew that it’s never easy to finish a match, especially a final. I was thinking about my match with Novak [Djokovic] in US Open, and, you know, try to do the same, put pressure on him,” he said.
“For example, deuce, I made finally like a very good return on his serve and volley, sliding forehand volley, dropshot. It’s not easy to play him. I would definitely love to play him on other surface, like maybe a little bit faster hard courts to see if I could do better.
“I don’t know if it’s his game that didn’t let me play my best level or just, for whatever reason, I didn’t play my best level. Mentally I was ready for the match. I don’t feel like I kind of took it too easy before the match. I was ready for a fight. I knew that I have a tough opponent on the other side.
“He played well. Good dropshots in good moments, some good winners to break me. So not much more to add.”
READ MORE: Is there any way that Carlos Alcaraz can improve?
Latest
-
Tennis News
Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff’s US Open prize money sparks fresh equal pay debate
Novak Djokovic was paid $2,730 per minute for his record-breaking 24th Grand Slam title at the US Open earlier this month.
-
News
Maria Sakkari reveals how tearful US Open exit became an inspiration
Maria Sakkari says that the love and support she received from fans and even colleagues after her US Open exit helped inspire her.
-
Tennis Features
Six ways clay courts are superior to hard courts
Clay courts often get a bad rap with the odd player gripe repeated endlessly in the media, but the surface has a number of big upsides.
-
Tennis News
WATCH: Intense Felix Auger-Aliassime brushes off Laver Cup spat with Gael Monfils
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gael Monfils shared some heated moments after the Canadian complained to the umpire during their Laver Cup clash.
-
ATP Tour
More questions for Andy Murray to answer after another agonising defeat
Andy Murray blew an early lead as he crashed to defeat against Aslan Karatsev in the last 16.
-
Tennis News
Roger Federer reveals what he misses about tennis as Rafael Nadal surprises him
Speaking in an interview with former world No 1 Jim Courier at the Laver Cup, the 20-time Grand Slam champion reflected on how his life chan
-
US Open
Top coach spotted Coco Gauff’s potential very early on
Patrick Mouratoglou has revealed that Coco Gauff left a big impression on him during their first meeting.
-
Tennis News
British star set for rankings breakthrough after a decade on the ATP Tour
Liam Broady set to break into the top 100 of the ATP rankings for the first time.
-
Tennis News
Guadalajara proves a balm for Maria Sakkari’s suffering once again
Maria Sakkari feels that the bond between herself and Guadalajara has grown closer after another deep run in the Mexican city.
-
Tennis News
Novak Djokovic hits raw nerve with tennis chiefs after latest controversial comments
Djokovic has made some radical proposals that would ensure the huge amounts of cash being generated by gambling goes to tennis players.