Russian domination creates appetite for more
Published
By Sonia Oxley
Moscow - Dasha and Ira skip school to play tennis four hours a day.
They are only 10 and nine respectively, but they have been inspired by the phenomenal success of Russia's women players this year - three out of the four grand slams have been won by Russians - and they are training to be part of the next generation of winners.
Asked what their dream is, the two girls look at each other and chorus: "To become No 1 in the world".
It may not be such an unrealistic goal. Four out of the top eight women's players at the moment are Russian, and a further three are in the top 20.
What is more, Dasha and Ira train at Moscow's Spartak tennis school - the club that bred this year's French Open champion Anastasia Myskina, US and French Open finalist Elena Dementieva, tennis glamour girl Anna Kournikova and 2000 US Open winner Marat Safin.
Driving forehands down the court with power that belies their years, the youngsters are part of a growing number of people taking up tennis in Russia, where the sport is still in its infancy.
Wins this year by Svetlana Kuznetsova in the US Open, Myskina at Roland Garros and Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon and in the WTA Tour Championships have catapulted Russians up the rankings.
When Moscow hosts the semifinals and finals of the Fed Cup from next Wednesday, the Russian team will be hot favourites for further success.
But some say this year has already been too good to be true.
"You've got to be careful with success - this year has been too successful, in my opinion," said Vladimir Lazarev, first vice-president of the Russian Tennis Federation and head of development.
"Next year it will be a lot more difficult for us."
"If we also win the Fed Cup this year in Moscow, then I don't know what we're going to do next year - it's impossible to repeat this result."
"The past year was a pleasant surprise," Lazarev said. "Of course it didn't happen by accident, but was a result of certain changes in Russia over the past 10 years."
The popularity of tennis in Russia is a post-Soviet phenomenon. When ex-president Boris Yeltsin took up the game, so did a lot of people.
"An important thing that changed the mentality was that Boris Yeltsin took a racket in his hand and started playing tennis," said Lazarev. "It became fashionable and prestigious."
Interest in the sport was heightened after Yevgeny Kafelnikov became the first Russian to win a grand slam. His victories at Roland Garros in 1996 and the Australian Open in 1999 paved the way for recent Russian triumphs.
Kournikova, once ranked in the top 10, also raised the sport's profile when her glamorous looks took her on to the pages of glossy magazines and billboards around the world.
The fall of the Soviet Union was key to the development of tennis, opening up the possibility for players to travel abroad for tournaments and to train in countries with warmer climates and better facilities than Russia.
Tennis complexes built during Soviet times tended to be in Ukraine, the Baltic states and Central Asia. Russia itself was left with very few when the Soviet Union broke up in 1992.
The recent surge in popularity has triggered a boom in the number of tennis courts being built across Russia. But even these did not live up to Western standards, said Lazarev.
Because of Russia's climate - some regions endure freezing temperatures for half of the year - new courts are indoors.
"We don't have a single open-air tennis stadium that would meet European standards," Lazarev said.
Despite its size, Russia has far fewer tennis clubs than other much smaller countries. Lazarev said there were 143 clubs, and up to double this figure including amateur clubs. Britain has around 2 500 clubs, while France has about 9 000.
Because of the rising demand for tennis courts, it is becoming more expensive to play. Tennis is already a game for the rich in Moscow, where court hire can cost up to $50 (R300) per hour.
Even the Spartak tennis school, which attracts talented but not necessarily well-off children, may have to re-think.
The school's future has been thrown up in the air after the local government announced it was withdrawing funding.
From January, the school will have to finance itself.
"It's not generally very rich children who come here," said the school's head coach, Igor Volkov. "But from January that may change."
Wealth did not necessarily equal sporting success, said Lazarev.
"Most children who play tennis in Moscow come from well-off families - that's not good for sport. As a rule, children who live more modestly are in better shape and are more active," he said.
Despite the financial worries, Volkov said the school would find a way to coach the most promising children, thus ensuring that this year is likely to be just the start of the nation's tennis successes.