Rather than me telling you, here is what Emma Raducanu had to say about training with Carlos Alcaraz, and how the men’s players are different than women.
“It wasn’t long but I hit with Carlos in New York, and the impact of his ball… It looks like he’s not trying, but on your strings, it’s so heavy,” Raducanu said on what Sabalenka will have to deal with.
“That compared to a girl, usually they hit the ball flatter, except Iga [Swiatek] hits a very spinning ball. And there are certain exceptions on the women’s game. Aryna’s ball is pretty heavy, too.
“But I’d say the heaviness of the impact is different, and also just their strength in certain positions. You think you’ve hit a good shot, and they’re just able to get behind the ball like an extra step and generate and kind of one-up you and use your pace. That and the serve.”
