Andrey Rublev has endured a patchy past 12 months, but he remains a threat no matter the surface.
After all, there are some traits that transcend conditions, and if it is firing, his forehand is one of them.
Should an opponent not get regular depth and pace on their groundstrokes, and instead tee up short balls for the Russian to attack, he will almost always punish them.
And yet, when asked who he felt had the best forehand on tour, Rublev opted for one of his opponents.
Andrey Rublev builds his perfect tennis player
Naturally, when asked to craft his ultimate tennis player based on seven key characteristics, the Big Three had to feature.
However, there were also a few surprise additions, with one current ATP star actually featuring twice alongside Novak Djokovic.
For serve, Rublev could not decide between Nick Kyrgios and Reilly Opelka, but he was instant in his answer for the best forehand: Carlos Alcaraz.
Then when asked for who had the best footwork, he deduced that the fastest on tour was also the Spaniard, further praising the youngster.
Elsewhere, Rafael Nadal was picked for mindset, Roger Federer for volleys and Djokovic for returns and backhand. Alcaraz is in good company.
Despite that, Alcaraz wishes he could take something from Juan Carlos Ferrero’s game, suggesting he is far from finished improving.
Carlos Alcaraz could hijack the Big Three
Already, despite his youth, Alcaraz is being touted to hijack the innumerable records set by the Big Three.
And with good reason given the history he has already made at just 22 years old.
He is the youngest ever year-end world number one, and the youngest man to have won three Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces. That second one he accomplished this time last year, when he won the French Open as a 21-year-old. He’s now seeking to repeat that feat as the defending champion and take his total majors tally to five.
Alcaraz has more Grand Slam titles than legends like Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Arthur Ashe, and is quite clearly one of the dominant two players of his generation.
In another 15 years, when he is around the age Djokovic is now, there’s every chance he could be discussed as equal, or even better than the Big Three.
