World No.8 Daria Kasatkina reveals that she likes to watch men’s tennis and analyze their games. Specifically, Kasatkina likes to watch Carlos Alcaraz and Felix Auger-Aliassime and their movement and positioning when running from the forehand.
“Now because they play indoor tournaments, first of all, very similar. I’m seeing how they’re running around right. They can run from the other side of the court thus making a half circle and catch the forehand completely from the other side of the court.
I’m like, ‘Oh, what footwork!’ I want to have this speed and momentum and read the direction of the ball because sometimes it’s hard for me. I can’t count the distance, the speed of the ball, where exactly the ball is coming from.
I think the boys do a little better than the girls. I really think this is one of the most important aspects of tennis, reading the ball correctly. Because if you can read the ball, you can take the ball early when you need it, you can slow down when you need it, and this is a very useful thing,» Kasatkina explained, according to Eurosport.
Kasatkina achieved an important goal in 2022
Kasatkina, who has won two titles in 2022, now enjoys a career-high ranking of No. 8 in the world. Kasatkina also enjoyed some Grand Slam success this year, having reached the semi-final of the French Open.
As a reward for her good season, the 25-year-old Kasatkina secured her first place in the WTA Finals. In her WTA Finals pool, Kasatkina faced Iga Swiatek, Caroline Garcia and Cori Gauff. Kasatkina was not given an easy group as neither player wanted to share the same group as Swiatek.
However, Kasatkina will certainly give her best this week to prove that she belongs in the top eight at the prestigious season-ending tournament. It remains to be seen how far Kasatkina can go in her WTA Finals debut.
