Russian-Israeli tennis player Aslan Karatsev reaches French Open mixed doubles final

• Author: Emily Burack/JTA
• Date: 08 June 2021
• Published date: 08 June 2021

Maybe not: At the Australian Open in February, Karatsev had an amazing run, reaching the semifinals before losing to the eventual champion, Novak Djokovic. That was his first Grand Slam tournament in singles or doubles.

Karatsev and Vesnina now have their sights set on playing mixed doubles at the Tokyo Olympics starting next month.

Karatsev, 27, was born in the North Caucasus region of Russia. His maternal grandfather is Jewish, and he moved to Israel when he was 3 years old. He left at 12 and said the Israel Tennis Association's lack of funding was a major factor pushing him to leave. His mother and sister remained in Israel.

Karatsev will be representing Russia in singles at the postponed Olympics due to his ranking, No. 26 in the world as of May, and he reached out to his fellow Russian Vesnina, 34, a women's doubles champion, about the possibility of competing in the mixed doubles draw.

"We spoke before the tournament, like two months ago, and I asked her to try to play mixed with me," Karatsev said. "I was asking her if she wants to play mixed...