Tennis is not as yet so popular in Ukraine as, say, soccer or boxing. But the Davis Cup match between Ukraine and Portugal showed that interest in this elite sport has greatly increased in the past few years. True, Ukrainian fans can so far see Andriy Shevchenko more often on the pitches of Italy than his namesake and friend Medvediev on world courts. Unfortunately, tennis aficionados also failed to see the Davis Cup match versus the national team of Morocco. However, our team’s support group in that African country comprised Anatoly KRZHEVIN, president of Nauka-Sport Inc.
“Mr. Krzhevin, your office windows overlook a splendid view of the heart of our tennis, Ukraine’s central court. What is now the situation in Ukrainian tennis?”
“I must point out that the Tennis Federation (FTU), together with the Infosport Corporation, is making tremendous strides to develop and popularize this sport in Ukraine. I want to thank all those who help our federation and Infosport, among them Utel, Shustov, UMC, and many others. I have traveled and seen a lot, so I can say for certain: tournaments under the aegis of FTU and Infosport are of a very high level. Of course, if we take a broader look at the state of affairs in tennis, I must say as a trainer that it is painful for me to see that children are paid too little attention today. What is of vital importance for Ukrainian sports, children’s sports schools, have disintegrated in the post-Soviet period and will not recover their strength very soon. We are, of course, working in this direction and doing our best to revive the structure without which we will not be able to look into the future, achieve good results, and win recognition with the world sports public. We must make our maximum effort to restore children’s sports schools. There is no other way to win. Those ready to invest in this are taking a very noble step. Do not expect immediate profits. You cannot assess everything from the business angle. You must be kind-hearted. I am sure you will be rewarded for this. Remember the old slogan, ‘The health of the nation is its wealth!’”
“What major tennis competitions can you point out?”
“Undoubtedly, the Davis Cup is the most brilliant tennis event for Ukraine and the whole world. In general, a team game is more emotional and attracts both the spectator and the competitors themselves. A competition for the country, not for yourself only, instills a special spirit in the rhythm of game. You are for the country, and the country is for you. There is an unusual contact with the spectator. Do you remember what kind of atmosphere reigned in the Meridian when we played against Portugal, how the audience supported rookies Andriy Dernovsky and Orest Tereshchuk, how it thanked Andriy Medvediev? It seems in such moments that we are able to overcome everything, all we need is to go confidently and firmly toward the set goal. I would like to note that the February championship was prepared and conducted on the highest possible level. It was a true festival of tennis. Everything was magnificent from beginning to end. In this respect, our Moroccan counterparts have something to learn from Infosport’s sport market studies department. This is the one who can make a true feast out of any sport event.”
“Mr. Krzhevin, just to continue this topic, the February Davis Cup took our national team on to Morocco, where we, unfortunately, lost 3:2. Will you, as an eyewitness, tell us in detail about what happened there?”
“To start with, when the draw decided that the team of Ukraine would play that of Morocco, the press should have already carried information about what kind of team that of Morocco was. The Moroccan team is very strong. Its players hold places between 20 and 30 in the ATR rating. This is No. 1. Secondly, we should not have forgotten we were playing in Morocco itself. So our team, a part of which had been training in and flying from Kyiv (Medvediev joined the team in Munich), was not prepared for the abrupt change of climatic conditions. I will point out that, thanks to our Federation and Herman Benyaminov personally, the team was in Morocco as soon as Monday, leaving the players three days to adapt to the local conditions. But, I am sorry, when it is +5 C in Kyiv and +25 C and a terrible wind there, plus a roaring highway running just next to the court, this could not help but influence the level of our game. Another unusual thing was the Muslim customs of that Oriental country: the call of a mullah for a prayer every four hours. There is one more distracting moment, strange for Europeans. And the most unpleasant piece of news was that Medvediev came with a microinjury. He had sprained his groin; this undoubtedly jeopardized the 100% class of the team’s ability to play.”
“How did your Oriental colleagues receive you?”
“The living quarters were simply superb. The lodging and training conditions absolutely conformed to world standards. Everything was the way it should be. The only thing that did not exactly please us was the court itself. As I have already said, it was situated not so well, and its general appearance also left much to be desired, for example, dirty grandstands. In this respect, we have something to be proud of. Today, Nauka marches in step and time.”
“And the audience, what can you point out in its behavior?”
“The stands were packed. The event evoked tremendous interest. The match was attended by the highest officials. I want to emphasize that children accounted for 70% of the spectators, a great many children and teenagers. The courts have all the necessary conditions for adequate recreation and watching the game. This means great attention is being paid to the popularization of tennis. The word gain is absolutely inappropriate if we are to describe the sales of concessions. Everything is so cheap on the courts. My soul rejoiced when I saw boys and girls tucking away huge candies and sandwiches. They were among the main fans. This is what we lack so badly! Although the federation and Infosport sometimes indulge the audience with free tickets, thus giving our children an opportunity to attend tournaments more often, I would like more attention to be paid to them.”
“We know that even under such less than favorable climatic conditions the team had a chance to win. When exactly did the turning point come, swinging the score in favor of our opponents?”
“The match began unsuccessfully. Medvediev was the first to come out on the court. The five-set game ended with his victory. He played just superbly. Andriy showed the most powerful tennis. We greatly relished the way he played. Afterwards, it was a real treat to accept congratulations from our Oriental colleagues on his excellent play. He set such a pace that we became very confident that we could only go home as victors. Then the young Andriy Dernovsky came onto the court. We must note at once that our opponents were absolutely unequal in this case, so let us leave this fight out. On the second day, when, according to a tradition, doubles play, everything began very successfully for us, and I am glad here to point out the brilliant performance by Rybalko. Our doubles player showed himself to the best of his ability. And everything would perhaps have been fine but for one trying incident. When the pairs were changing, Hishami Arazia and Andriy Medvediev happened to bump into each other accidentally. Medvediev went on without paying any attention, but Arazi turned around and pushed Andriy in the back. Naturally, the audience exploded. The game was stopped. It was a scandal. The judge and the referee intervened. The matter was dealt with but took about 15 minutes. Gradually, everybody calmed down, and Medvediev took his position to serve. But this time the audience went wild, hurling Coca Cola cans, whistles, etc., at Andriy. You can just imagine, their idol was hurt. Medvediev left the court. Captain Yuri Cherepov had to calm him down for about twenty minutes, trying to persuade him to continue playing. As a result, he came out again, but he was already psychologically broken. So we left the court, losing in fact a decisive point.”
“So this is the much-advertised Oriental hospitality! I hope you supported our players.”
“More than that. Well before we left Ukraine, I moved an initiative to form a support group headed by Vitold Fokin. It consisted of quite figures quite prominent in Ukraine and real tennis fans. This magnificent seven, charming and loyal to the team, was next to and emotionally supported the team for three days. After the end of the game, we invited the team to an informal dinner and all of us drove about 90 kilometers away from the city and had a great picnic. I think the players, surrounded by their compatriot fans, finally calmed down and regained their spirits. Let us expect new wins at home. And we have but a very short time to wait. The Kyiv UMC Open ATR Tour International Tournament will take place from August 13 to 20 for all those wishing to see professional tennis. As always, we and the organizers, Infosport and FTU, will do our best to arrange for Kyivans and the guests to our city a true week- long festival of tennis.”
