Aslan Karatsev is the mystery man of Australian Open 2021.
Playing explosive tennis on his Grand Slam debut, the Russian has built one of the most impressive major breakouts ever.
MORE: Karatsev makes history with run to semis
As media and fans delve to try and learn more about the 27-year-old, Karatsev keeps his cards close to his chest. Does he think he can go onto lift the trophy?
“We will see. I mean, how can I say … match by match.”
The level-headed world No.114’s reward for ripping through the draw is one of the toughest tasks in sport – defeating defending champion Novak Djokovic on Rod Laver Arena.
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The world No.1, aiming to narrow the gap to 20-time Grand Slam winners Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, is through to his ninth semifinal at Melbourne Park. On the previous eight occasions, the Serbian 17-time major winner has progressed to eventually win the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.
It took Karatsev 10 qualifying attempts to reach a Grand Slam main draw, but he has one shot for a seismic shock in a first meeting against the world No.1.
Journey to the final four
Top seed Djokovic has described his route to the semifinals as a “rollercoaster.”
The 33-year-old has had to utilise all his experience and reserves of resilience to compete with a suspected abdominal tear.
Djokovic picked up the injury in the third-round five-set thriller against Taylor Fritz, then withstood a barrage of 26 aces and 50 winners against Milos Raonic.
He survived another major test on Tuesday, “pushed to the limit” by world No.7 Alexander Zverev 6-7(6) 6-2 6-4 7-6(8). Physically hampered, the reigning champion is still finding a way, absorbing all thrown at him and still pinging over miraculous shots.
MORE: Djokovic digs deep to deny Zverev
“Emotionally, I feel a little drained,” he admits. Perhaps a chance for the fresh Karatsev.
The qualifier’s journey in stark contrast has been completely dominant.
The 27-year-old has been leading the stats with supreme firepower, striking the ball harder and faster than his remaining rivals.
Fifty winners scorched past world No.9 Diego Schwartzman in a straight-sets triumph, before the resolute Russian rallied from 0-2 against 20th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Tuesday’s four-set passage past 18th seed Grigor Dimitrov meant Karatsev became the first player in the Open Era to reach the semifinals on their major debut.
What they said
“To be honest, I hadn’t seen him play at all before the Australian Open,” said Djokovic.
“Of course, I have seen him play during the tournament … He is a very strong guy. Physically, he is just very strong. He moves well, just has a lot of firepower from the back of the court. Great backhand, from the Russian school of tennis, they always have great backhands. He serves well and he is motivated. He has nothing to lose.”
Following the five-month tour hiatus in 2020, Karatsev returned at world No.253. Silverware on the Challenger circuit followed courtesy of 18 wins in 20 matches at that level. Now he’s two wins away from major glory. Did he expect such a sharp rise?
“Of course not,” Karatsev said.
“From the beginning (August), my first step was to be top 100. So that was my thought.”
Very simple, businesslike; it doesn’t matter if it’s world No.1 Djokovic or a qualifying contest.
“I try to believe every match what I'm doing on the court, and it's helped me to win matches,” he said hailing his coach (and former doubles partner) Yahor Yatsyk for his composure in battle.
“He's helped me a lot, more mental part … to more believe in yourself and to believe the game that I played. We work on this a lot.”
That work has certainly paid off.
Key to the contest
Karatsev certainly doesn’t seem like a player who will be intimidated by the occasion or daunted by the aura of Djokovic.
He’s fresh and composed. To have any chance, the Russian will have to keep up the free-hitting and scary velocity off his racquet. Full-throttle attack and he’ll find chinks in the Djokovic armour.
Of course, the eight-time champion, with so much history on the line, will be the overwhelming favourite. Despite his injury scare, Djokovic still continues to erase the hopes of the best before him at Melbourne Park.
His serving will be crucial. The Serbian stunned himself with a “miracle” 23 aces against Zverev. So even if he’s struggling physically, the world No.1 can strike in a flash to escape from tricky positions.
Karatsev will have to bring everything and more.