Djokovic surprisingly lost in the semi-finals this season, but with his new star coach, could well now be the favorite to pick up a record-extending 11th Australian Open title.

On the other hand, the man who beat him, Jannik Sinner, will be looking to defend his title, as he aims to continue his dominant form that saw him reach world number one.

There are plenty of other names to look out for as well, with Carlos Alcaraz hoping to complete the Career Grand Slam with a maiden title down under, and Alexander Zverev trying to finally get over the hump and take home his first Major.

Plenty of storylines to keep fans entertained, but perhaps not quite as gripping as what tennis fans saw in a whirlwind tournament for one ATP star back in 2021.

Aslan Karatsev: The qualifier who broke a 44-year-old record at the Australian Open

Ahead of the Australian Open in 2021, all the talk was about Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, and Rafael Nadal, but instead it was a player that most had never heard of that stole all the headlines.

Aslan Karatsev entered qualifiers for the tournament as world number 114, but more than left his mark in Melbourne.

The Russian advanced to the main-draw of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career as a 27-year-old, winning all three of his qualifying matches.

He was rewarded with a first-round match-up against Italian Gianluca Mager, whom he beat in straight sets.

A thoroughly dominant win against Belarussian, Egor Gerasimov followed, as Karatsev dropped just a single game on his way to the third round.

His next round was set to be his first true test, however, as he came up against number eight seed Diego Schwartzman.

Karatsev’s fairy-tale run really started to gather momentum as he took down the Argentine 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, securing his place in the fourth round.

Fans were starting to take note of the Russian’s performances as they eagerly anticipated his last 16 matchup with rising star Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Many thought the dream was over, as the Canadian took a two-set lead, before Karatsev battled back to win in five-sets, as he reached the quarter-finals on his Grand Slam debut.

Grigor Dimitrov awaited the Russian in the last eight, another tough-seeded test for Karatsev, who had only scored his first top-50 win three months prior.

Again, Karatsev endured an early setback as he dropped the first set before he powered through to win the next three securing his place in the semi-finals.

By this point, the tennis world couldn’t quite believe what they were seeing, as Karatsev became the first qualifier to reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open since Bob Giltinan in 1977, 44 years prior.

The Russian was no doubt dreaming of Grand Slam glory but came up against his toughest test in the semis as he played Serbian superstar Djokovic.

He finally ran out of steam, as Karatsev was outclassed by Djokovic in straight sets, as he fell to defeat in his one and only Grand Slam semi-final.

Karatsev didn’t lift the trophy in Melbourne, but he wrote his name in the history books, with one of the most surprising performances the sport has ever seen.

His life had changed as he rose to 42 in the world rankings, allowing him entry into most ATP tournaments, and earned $660,000, more than he had picked up in his past decade of competition.

What happened to Aslan Karatsev after the 2021 Australian Open?

With a career-high ranking, and access to coaching and facilities that he once could only have dreamed of, Karatsev took advantage as he impressed throughout 2021.

Just a few short months after his Australian Open exploits, the Russian took down Gerasimov, Dan Evans and Lorenzo Sonego to reach his first ATP 500 quarter-final in Dubai.

He then beat future world-number one Sinner, before snapping Andrey Rublev’s 23-match ATP 500 winning streak to take his place in the final.

Karatsev beat South Africa’s Lloyd Harris in straight sets in the final, to win his first ATP title.

The good results didn’t stop there as he reached his second ATP final later that year, exacting revenge on the man who beat him in Australia.

At the Serbian Open, Karatsev took on Djokovic, in a rematch of the Australian Open semi-final, as this time he saved 23 break points on his way to victory.

Many tennis fans considered the match to be one of the best of the year, as Karatsev secured his first and only win over a world number one.

He went on to lose the final against Matteo Berrettini but did pick up a second ATP title, in his native Russia, against Marin Cilic in October.

His impressive form continued at the beginning of 2022, as Karatsev won the Sydney Classic, beating Murray in the final.

Things started to slow down, however, throughout the rest of the year, as the Russian struggled for form.

His performances briefly picked back up in 2023, as Karatsev reached his maiden Masters 1000 semi-final in Madrid, before qualifying for his second ATP 500 final later that year in Tokyo, before losing to Ben Shelton.

The golden era of Karatsev’s career seemed to come to close in 2024 though, as he fell out of the world’s top 300 for a period, winning just three matches on the ATP Tour.

After reaching a career-high of 14th in the world, reaching a Grand Slam semi-final, and winning three ATP titles, Karatsev currently sits at 287th in the rankings.

Perhaps the end of a ‘purple patch’ for the 31-year-old, but his run to the Australian Open semi-finals and his performances that followed, will surely never be forgotten.

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