[ad_1]
Russian tennis player Aslan Karatsev was ranked 114th in the world last week and had never made the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament. He is now one of the last four players in the men’s singles and will face world No.1 Novak Djokovic for a chance to play in the final.
He is also guaranteed to win $ 850,000 to qualify for the semi-finals.
Prior to last week, the 27-year-old had earned $ 618,354 his entire career – in singles and doubles.
“It’s amazing to have reached the semi-finals after qualifying,” he said, adding, “I’m just trying to enjoy the moment and not think too much about winning.
Aslan turned pro in 2013 and competed in Challenger and Futures tournaments. Last year, MarketWatch explained how difficult it can be to move from these tournaments to the main draw of a Grand Slam like the Australian Open. See: We followed the world’s No. 1,700 ranked tennis player for an overview of tennis’s minor leagues
If Karatsev continues his dream tournament and defeats Djokovic, he will win $ 1.5 million. And if he wins the tournament, he will receive $ 2.75 million.
At this year’s tournament, the cash prizes are distributed differently last year. To help lower ranked players win more after the cancellation of many pro tournaments in 2020, cash prizes have been increased for early round entrants and reduced for players who qualify for subsequent rounds. The idea being that the higher ranked players earn a lot more money and need it less.
For example, in 2021, the winners of the men’s and women’s singles will receive $ 2.75 million, but in 2020 they were awarded $ 4.1 million – similarly, players who lose in the first round this year received 100,000. dollars and they got $ 75,000 last year. See the full price comparison here.
Karatsev is the first man in the open era, which started in 1968, to advance to the semi-finals in his first main draw appearance in a Grand Slam.
Source link
