Carlos Alcaraz's tennis playing style has been likened to that of boxing legend Mike Tyson.
That's according to Daniil Medvedev’s coach Gilles Cervera who was commenting on Alcaraz's dominating win over his student in the Indian Wells Open final earlier this month.
Despite Medvedev being on a 19-game winning streak, Alcaraz made light work of him in just over an hour to enjoy a 6-3, 6-2 victory and return to World No. 1 in the process.
Alcaraz has been regularly compared to the likes of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, but Cervera made a more interesting comparison…with former boxing heavyweight champion Tyson.
“He is the Tyson of tennis because of how he is capable of hitting those forehands with the racket,” he told L’Equipe (via Tennis 365). “There were blows that were displacing Daniil 10 metres with brutal power and speed.
“He is an incredible player. He leaves rivals without options. We thought he would make mistakes and he gave the feeling that he could not fail. We will have to start looking for his weaknesses for the future.”
It's a unique comparison with some merit as even though Tyson was mainly known for his knockout power and intimidating aura, his boxing IQ was very underrated at the same time. Just like Cervera commented on Alcaraz's showing, there was a feeling that Tyson would never fail in his prime.
Not to mention, just like Alcaraz is the youngest World No. 1 in tennis history at the age of 19, Tyson still remains the youngest world champion in boxing to this day when he won the heavyweight title at 20.
Alcaraz is currently looking to defend his Miami Open crown. He defeated Dusan Lajovic in a 6-0, 7-6 (7-5) victory in the round of 32 on Sunday and will face Tommy Paul in the round of 16 on Tuesday.
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