Yevgeny Kafelnikov is a man who needs no introduction. Olympic champion of the 2000 Games, winner of the Davis Cup in 2002, member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, who remains the record holder among domestic athletes for the number of titles, after a brilliant career found himself in the development of young talents in Russia. We got in touch with Evgeny to find out all the difficulties of the current reality for young Russians, to talk about the level of junior tennis in the country, how his namesake and nephew Evgeny Kafelnikov Jr. is growing and also to find out if we can expect a new generation of top tennis players soon.
— Evgeniy, you supervise young people. Can you tell us what exactly your job is? “My job is to observe how each of them develops: in the right direction or not, what needs to be done to be the best.
—What ages do you supervise? – Mostly – 14-15 years old. I’m still a bit of a 16 year old.
—Do you travel a lot with this type of work? – There were many. From spring to August I was on the road almost all the time. I just wasn’t at home.
—Do you enjoy this kind of work? – The work is hard. You yourself understand that traveling is very difficult now. To get from point A to point B, you need to spend 24 hours. This is a really heavy burden for both me and the children. But I don’t have to play and the children have to play too. To fly to Europe for a children’s tournament, you need to spend almost a day, which is very difficult.
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—Do the boys have time to recover after these flights? – In a different way. Naturally we tried. [добраться] in advance so that when you get to point B you have a few days to recover. Now everything is very difficult.
— How difficult is it for young Russians to make the transition to the professional level? – I have not yet encountered this. The age of 14-15 does not imply such a transition. When you turn 16 or 17, then you can talk about moving from the junior level to the professional level. I do not have the opportunity to observe this now, because at the age I supervise there is no such thing.
— What kind of help does a young tennis player need first? — Qualified personnel and trainers. There is currently a serious shortage.
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—Do your boys know who they work for? – Not yet. Nobody thinks about that anymore. 14-15 years is an age when there is no awareness in the brain of who is helping them and trying to guide them in the right direction.
I’m not going to praise myself, but it seems that children in Europe are more aware. Many of the foreign coaches know me and tell the children about it. They are very respectful and attentive to the hints and subtle points that I talk about.
As for our children, I don’t know… Maybe it’s a matter of education that they think: “The 50-year-old grandfather doesn’t know anything, but I know everything.” This moment is a bit annoying.
— There is a feeling that this is a problem not only for tennis in Russia, but for sport in general. – Unfortunately, yes. Adolescence is a very difficult age. I understand that you have to be patient. However, there are very difficult situations when you just want to give up on everything and ask yourself: why do I need all this? But then another question arises: who, if not me, will do this? This slows me down and gives me a moral boost to continue.
— I can’t help but ask about the appearance of Yevgeny Kafelnikov Jr. among the juniors. Can you tell us about your nephew? — He plays according to the age of 14. There are many boys there, for example, Igor Kunitsyn’s son plays. What can I say? We played and traveled a lot this year, but so far there are no results to be proud of. I understand that this is a difficult process and requires patience and willpower. For now we are just investing in it. Nobody knows what will happen next.
Yevgeny Kafelnikov Jr.
Photo: From the personal archive of Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
—Does your nephew already have an established playing style? – No. I repeat this until the children fully perceive what is being transmitted to them. We need to improve many elements of the game: the technical and physical arsenal. I understand that some children at this age develop faster because the hormonal process is faster, etc.
I have seen guys who play in the same tournaments at the age of 14, already weighing 70-75 kg. And my nephew is barely 50 years old. At this age there is a huge difference in serve, hitting power and much more. Some kind of summary can be given for next year. For now, we hold on, invest and work for the future.
— Do you see the qualities of a great athlete? — It’s too early to talk about it. He wants to play, compete and win. But, perhaps, due to the fact that the brain does not develop as fast as we would like, there is no such desire to work. Everyone should be forced to work. I can’t.
Unfortunately, in Russia at this age everyone thinks that they know everything, that they are smarter than all the adults and that they know what they need. Adolescence is the hardest. You should not miss it, but be there and help. I do that. It is a huge job and it takes energy, both physically and mentally. Not everything is as simple as we would like.
– Do your parents help you? – Naturally. The most important thing here is that any parent or relative tries to be on the same platform as the coach. If the coach says one thing, and the child starts to complain and goes to mom and dad to feel sorry for him, and they feel sorry for him, then this will not lead to anything good. You need strict discipline, you need strength. Not every teenager of this age realizes what it takes.
Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Yevgeny Kafelnikov Jr.
Photo: From the personal archive of Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
— Can you name the most promising young players in Russian tennis? — It is difficult to say anything here. You have to go to the RTT website and check the rating. But I must admit that the level of the juniors is very low, especially among the 14-15 year olds. We have no competition, no leaders who attract everyone else with them. You come to France, Spain, Germany; there is a medium level of boys who play as healthy as possible.
Unfortunately, some of us cannot leave. For example, my nephew has a visa problem again: he is not given a visa for a long-haul flight. You have to lose at least two or three months a year to sort out visa problems. This has a very strong impact. At this age, everything happens at lightning speed. You didn’t see your opponents play for three or four months, and the train left so fast that you couldn’t catch it later. Children are great: they try, but everything is very difficult.
—Has everything become so complicated after Russia’s suspension from international tennis? – Of course, it has become more complicated. Our youngsters cannot participate in any individual or team championships in Europe, etc. The European ranking is having an impact. Everyone else has the opportunity to score points in these tournaments, but our boys do not have the opportunity to compete and be in the mix with the best tennis players. This puts a lot of psychological pressure on them, they understand that. You have to reassure them and say: “Yes, this is how it is now. Until better times.” What are you going to do here? You still need to continue and work.
— It vaguely reminds one of the Soviet Union. “Nobody suspended us then.” I myself played at the European Championships back then, in the late 80s and early 90s, so nothing like that. The situation is really difficult now. In the European rankings, everyone has 12 tournaments, while our guys only have eight. How can we count on leading positions in the rankings if, by definition, we don’t make it to four important tournaments? Tournaments where our guys could play well.
There are many complex and insurmountable barriers standing in our way. But we do not give up and we try to keep tennis alive. Otherwise, why would I sweat? And so did Shamil Anvyarovich Tarpishchev and all his predecessors. Should tennis die in our country? No. We will not allow this.
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—Do the boys themselves realize the situation they are in? – Not at all. Some people understand and get it, others don’t. I can’t say for sure. But they understand that for all the known reasons they can’t participate and go to many tournaments. These are the realities.
Yevgeny Kafelnikov
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, “Championship”
—Do you know how to move up the rating ladder in these realities? – No.
— Given the above, this question may seem abstract, but I will ask it anyway. Can we expect stars like Medvedev, Rublev and Khachanov in the future? “In this situation, it will be very difficult to expect anyone to be able to reach great heights in the near future.” But that is what makes us strong: when nothing is expected, someone can achieve results with hard work and perseverance. We hope that someone can.
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— There is a good bit of a quote: “Tough times give birth to strong people…” Is it applicable to today’s realities? – Of course it can be applied. Even necessary. We need to talk about this kind of proverb that can somehow inspire the kids and instill confidence in them. Therefore, it is necessary to apply this quote.
