WTA: Daria Kasatkina inspired by Rafael Nadal

Daria Kasatkina starts as one of the favourites for the title in Miami. The Russian has been taking visual lessons from Rafael Nadal for years.

Daria Kasatkina is still allowed to lean back a little bit in Miami. The opponent of the 20-year-old Russian will only be determined in a duel between two qualifiers: Sofia Kenin, whose path is not quite as steeply upwards as that of Kasatkinas, who, however, is beginning to establish herself stably on the WTA tour. Or Stefanie Vögele from Switzerland. These are tasks that will not frighten the Indian Wells finalist, after all Kasatkina defeated Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber among others at the BNP Paribas Open.

With a playground rich in variations that is quite different from that of the man Daria Kasatkina cites as inspiration: “I watched all his matches on TV,” Kasatkina explained in Indian Wells, “Even when he won the French Open in 2005. Nadal will be missing in Miami as he was at the first Masters 1000 tournament of the year.

“Nadal has always inspired me,” Kasatkina continues, “I love everything about him: how he plays, how he behaves. For me, he is the perfect role model as a sportsman” The Russian, who won her only tournament so far last year in Charleston, also tries to copy certain aspects of Rafael Nadal’s game. First and foremost, the use of topspin balls, which had a great effect in the match against Kerber, for example.

The year 2018 did not start well for Kasatkina, at the Australian Open, for example, it was already over in round two against Magda Linette. The first signs of an upswing were then seen in St. Petersburg, when the local heroine reached the semi-finals, losing to defending champion Kristina Mladenovic. With her successes in Indian Wells, Daria Kasatkina has set another milestone: for the first time in her career, she has been named Russia’s best player.

Here the single tableau of the ladies in Miami