(JTA) — Russian-Israeli tennis player Aslan Karatsev’s historic run at his first-ever Grand Slam tennis tournament has ended.
He lost to no. 1 seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic on Thursday in three sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
“First I want to give credit to Karatsev for a great tournament. Maybe it wasn’t his day today but he had big wins and debut, first Grand Slam semifinals. Kudos for great result,” Djokovic said after the match.
Karatsev, born in Russia and raised in Israel, had a remarkable run in Melbourne, including a defeat of top-10 Jewish player Diego Schwartzman.
Despite his lost, the 27-year-old tennis player is leaving with a newfound confidence — and a new top-50 ranking.
“It gives me more experience, more confidence,” Karatsev told reporters. “Now I will be playing all big tournaments without playing the qualifiers. So I’ll get this confidence and just keep playing, keep practicing. I am starting to believe more in myself that I can play with everyone.”
Read more about his Israeli story here.
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