"I'm like, ‘Oh, what footwork!’ I wish to have this speed and this timing and reading the direction of the ball" - Kasatkina takes inspiration from Alcaraz and Auger-Aliassime instead of fellow WTA pros

Ahead of her debut at the WTA Finals, Daria Kasatkina admitted she mostly looks to ATP players for inspiration when it comes to tennis struggling to do so for WTA players.

The reason why that is rather simple. The Russian competes daily against her fellow WTA players and spends hours picking apart their games and finding flaws which make it hard for her to find something she likes:

“It's very difficult (to pick something from other women on tour). We compete against each other, so I want to see more disadvantages in the game of the girls It's very difficult to see their good parts. Of course, I see them, but it's tough to accept."

She will play her first match against Iga Swiatek, a player she faced four times this year and is yet to win a set. To get some inspiration and improve, Kasatkina turns to ATP tennis:

“I watch more men's tennis, and I try to catch something from their game. Also, because my game is a bit more like boy style, let's say. Most of the girls, they are hitting the ball more, so I cannot take much from their game because we are a bit different. It's a very competitive sport, so it's tough to see good in your opponents. I'm quite objective, so I can see. I'm trying to take more from the men's part.”

Asked whom she likes, Kasatkina named Auger-Aliassime and Alcaraz:

“Now because they play indoor tournaments, first of all, very similar. I'm watching how they're running around the forehand. They can run from the other side of the court making like this half a circle and catch the forehand from completely other side of the court. I'm like, ‘Oh, what footwork!’ I wish to have this speed and this timing and reading the direction of the ball because sometimes for me it's difficult."