"Gives me energy and confidence" says Aslan Karatsev after winning in Sydney

Semifinals carry a lot of points and if the Russian loses early at the event he could be looking at a very big drop in the rankings which would prove troublesome for the upcoming events and seedings. One way to avoid that is by winning other events which is what he did in Sydney. The performance against Andy Murray in the final was great and he admitted it gives him energy and confidence:

"Definitely it gives [me] energy [and] confidence, especially when I was supposed to play ATP Cup. I didn't- So to start the year with the title and I [can] arrive to Melbourne already winning matches, a tournament, it's for sure giving [me] some confidence."

The Russian began the year with a positive COVID diagnosis which left him unable to compete at the ATP Cup. It also derailed his preparation for the new season so this trophy is a significant one. Murray paid tribute to Karatasev for what he has been able to do at this event and his career and the Russian paid tribute to Murray as well. He said:

"First of all, congrats to Andy. Big effort to come back, to play unbelievable this week. I want to congratulate also your team. Thank you very much to my team, we are doing an amazing job. Thank you very much to everybody here for coming to support, it was an unbelievable atmosphere in a difficult situation. It's a difficult time to make this tournament happen, so thank you to everyone."