Hey, Australian Open TV viewers: The crowd's loud clapping and mid-match chatter you hear on the telecasts are not real. It's similar to what was done for broadcasts from the U.S. Open in September, when fans were barred throughout the tournament because of the coronavirus pandemic. Aslan Karatsev is a 27-year-old Russian who is ranked 114th and needed to go through three rounds of qualifying just to get into the main draw at the Australian Open. The last man to get to the round of eight in his first Grand Slam appearance was Alex Radulescu at Wimbledon in 1996. And not since Patrick McEnroe — John's brother — in 1991 has a man ranked as low as 114th made it to the Australian Open quarterfinals.

Source: Fox News February 14, 2021 19:41 UTC