Great honor for Aslan Karatsev: The 28-year-old Russian was given the award that gave him the greatest improvement of all players in 2021 as part of the ATP Awards, which are to honor special achievements on the tour of the world's best tennis players this week attested. With good reason, after all, Karatsev was able to move up from number 112 in the ATP charts to number 15 this year.

Significantly responsible for this was undoubtedly the strong and at least as surprising start of the season of the Russian when Karatsev played his way from qualifying into the semifinals at the Australian Open. And on the way there Diego Schwartzman, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Grigor Dimitrov cleared the way, before the end of the line against the later triumphant Novak Djokovic.

Two titles and two big wins for Karatsev

"I am really happy to win this award," Aslan Karatsev is quoted on the ATP homepage. "It means a lot to me and I am really happy to receive this award. Thank you very much." For Karatsev, reaching the semi-finals Down Under should be the breakthrough in a great season in which the 28-year-old was able to defeat number one and number two in the world rankings with Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev.

In total, Karatsev won two titles on the ATP tour (Dubai, Moscow) in 2021, and the 28-year-old also reached the final in Belgrade. Before that, Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hughes Herbert (Fan´s Favorite Double Team), Mackenzie McDonald (Comeback Player of the Year) , Facundo Lugones (Coach of the Year, Cameron Norrie) and Marcus Daniell (Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year ) are happy about ATP Awards.