“He’s a mix of Nadal and Djokovic,” Karen Khachanov showers Carlos Alcaraz with praise ahead of their fourth-round tie in Rome
Carlos Alcaraz and Karen Khachanov have faced each other four times on tour, with the former winning all their meetings.
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Carlos Alcaraz and Karen Khachanov (via X/ATP)
Karen Khachanov is set to make his second round of 16 appearance of the season at the Italian Open. He earned the slot after defeating local favorite Francesco Passaro in the third round. He will take on the in-form Carlos Alcaraz next and has hailed the Spaniard to being a mix of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal ahead of their meeting.
Alcaraz has been the most in-form player since the clay season began, as he has recorded only one loss on the surface this season. He claimed the Monte Carlo Masters title after beating Lorenzo Musetti in the final and then reached the final of the Barcelona Open. During his loss to Holger Rune in the Barcelona final, he sustained an injury.
That forced him to be away from the tour during the Madrid Open. But he returned in the ongoing Italian Open, and he’s yet to drop a set. The Spaniard has often been compared to Nadal because of his athleticism on the court. However, he most often plays drop shots and forehand shots, which have been linked to Djokovic’s style of play.
Khachanov revealed ahead of his clash against Alcaraz that the Spaniard was a good fighter on the court. He then added that the 22-year-old is a top player and a mix of Nadal and Djokovic on the court.
He’s a good fighter, so it will be a different kind of game with him. And, again, Carlos Alcaraz, you could say, has everything. He’s a top-top player — a mix of Nadal and Djokovic, you can feel it when he plays. But again, when he’s focused, in the game and shape, it’s very hard to play him. He has everything.
Karen Khachanov said via Championat
However, Khachanov is looking forward to having a tough battle against Alcaraz. The Russian has only won 11 matches this season and has been poor in several tournaments this season, but against Alcaraz, he’s seeking to beat the World No.3.
But we’ll have to see what I can do, what I can do on my own, how to put him in a tough situation. Again, it’s a question of the game, a question of the level, a question of intensity as well, to maintain this intensity, maintain this concentration and focus throughout the match, to beat such a player. This is the next challenge, the next task that I will be preparing for now, and we will see what comes out of it.
Karen Khachanov said
Alcaraz and Khachanov have met four times on the court, with the former leading 4-0 in their head-to-head record. The World No.3 last played against him at the China Open last year, beating the Russian 7-5, 6-2.
Carlos Alcaraz is excited about winning his third-round match in Rome despite a slow start
Carlos Alcaraz needed to shake off some of his early struggles to reach the Italian Open fourth round. The Spaniard showed some signs of rust in the first set against Laslo Djere, which can be due to his return from injury, but as the game went on, he became better and then pulled through to a 7-6(2), 6-2 in an hour and 44 minutes on the court.
He revealed after the match that it was a tough start to the match, but he waited for his time to grab the victory. He added that he was excited about the victory and that he felt good physically.
A tough start to the match, honestly. I couldn’t find a way to harm him, but I waited for my chances and stayed mentally strong. I had the right attitude and the second set leaned a bit more towards my side. Winning the match in only two sets is positive, in a Masters 1000 it’s important for confidence and I also feel good physically.
Carlos Alcaraz said via Rome Press
Alcaraz is in the round of 16 of the Rome Masters for the first time in his career. If he does beat Karen Khachanov, he will complete the set of reaching the quarter-finals at all nine Masters 1000 events.
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