Former doubles No. 1
Rennae Stubbs hailed
Carlos Alcaraz as unbelievable and a combination of
Novak Djokovic,
Roger Federer and
Rafael Nadal after his
Indian Wells triumph.
The Australian keenly follows tennis and she watched Alcaraz easily defeat Daniil Medvedev in the final. It was a rather surprising result to many because Medvedev generally doesn't lose matches like that but there was absolutely nothing he could have done in this one. Speaking in the latest episode of her podcast, Stubbs said:
"He literally made Medvedev look terrible. He was overpowering Daniil Medvedev. This is the thing that I really noticed about Alcaraz. He would be happy to rally and not really go for it. He hit one back and two backhands and then he would crush one backhand and it would literally push Medvedev backwards, where he couldn't control the ball. He's literally overpowering Daniil Medvedev, which never happens. That just shows you how great he is at changing the pace of the ball and how hard he hits the ball and how athletic he is. His variety is off the charts."
She added:
"Just like Rafa, just like Roger and Novak, he's gonna make everyone better because he made Medvedev look terrible. And by that I mean Medvedev has not lost a match in three ornaments, comes in here not looking like he can lose to anybody, right?"
Talking about the similarities between the big three and him:
"He is like a combination of the Big 3, literally. He is the characteristics of all three. He comes forward and wants to come into the net and finish points off, like Roger. He has the spin on the forehand and the flatness of the backhand and the flexibility in the speed around the court, like Novak. And he has the tenacity and that sort of drive and desire and Frankly looks like happiness, like Nadal."