Tennis is one of the most popular sports in Russia. The main Russian National Tennis Centre [ru] (established in September 2009 in Moscow) is named after Juan Antonio Samaranch. For a long time, as it was not an Olympic sport, tennis held a marginal position in Soviet sports.
Arthur Davydovich McPherson or Macpherson (1870–1920) was the founder and president of the first All-Russian Union of Lawn Tennis Clubs, the forerunner of today's Russian Tennis Federation.[1] In 1903 he organized the first St. Petersburg tennis championship, and four years later he set up the first national tournament. By 1913, the Russian championship was on the international tour and the game was thriving. McPherson also helped establish the country's first Olympic Committee. He was awarded the Order of St. Stanislaus by the monarch for his contribution to the promotion of tennis in Russia. Following the 1917 Revolutions, two in a year – February and October – he was imprisoned and died from typhus in one of Moscow prisons.[2][3]
After his father's death in January 1920, Arthur Macpherson Jr. (1896–1976, Russian: Артур Артурович Макферсон) could reach his career-best quarterfinals at the 1920 Wimbledon Championships, his first GS event and also the first GS event for any Russia-related or ex-Russian tennis player.[4] While the generation of Russian, Russia-related and ex-Russian tennis pioneers, e. g. Lev Urusov (1877–1933), Mikhail Sumarokov-Elston (1893–1970) and his mixed doubles partner Nadezhda Martynova-Danilevskaya (1887–1969) were still alive and active, mostly in the immigration (including the ex-Russian Embassy from the Chatham House building, London), none of the other local sportspeople could think about being welcomed by the international sports community.[1][5]
Men's & women's singles: locals' clay-and-grass ATP / WTA Tour-level titles proportion (from Dec 1970 to Aug 1991)
Grass court (12 titles out of 18: 8 men's titles out of 12 & 4 women's titles out of 5) (66.67%)
Clay court (6 titles out of 18: 5 men's titles out of 12 & 1 women's title out of 5) (33.33%)
During the Soviet era, tennis was on the edge of survival due to its lack of appearance in the Olympic games, cost, and strong association with the Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov (abbr. HGR) royal dynasty.[a] From 1974 to 1984, Soviet tennis players had been forced by the Tennis Federation of the USSR to boycott all the international competitions, except for the Davis Cup, in an unsuccessful attempt of the government to influence apartheid in South Africa.[10] In addition, local men's tennis players were seriously bullied by the other Soviet sportspeople for competing in a 'girlie' sport.[11][12][13] At a certain point, about 80 percent of tennis coaches in the USSR were women.[14]
In 1976, The New York Times reported that while tennis was popular in the USSR, there was a scarcity of equipment, and no tennis clubs.[15]
Men's singles player(s) who won at least one ATP Tour-level tournament on grass
A. Metreveli – 8 (3 x Adelaide ≈ ATP-250, 2 x Beckenham ≈ ATP-250, Melbourne ≈ ATP-250, Sydney ≈ ATP-250, South Orange ≈ ATP-250)
Men's singles player(s) who won at least one ATP Tour-level tournament on clay
A. Chesnokov – 4 (Monte Carlo ATP-1000, Florence ATP-250, Nice ATP-250, Munich ATP-250)
Leila Meskhi's (b. 1968) — 5 WTA Tour-level singles titles by surface (last one of four representing USSR: Feb 1991, WTA Wellington; one representing Georgia: Jan 1995, Hobart International)
Hard court (4 titles) (80%)
Carpet court (1 title) (20%)
Andrei Medvedev's (b. 1974) — 11 ATP Tour-level singles titles by surface (last one of three representing CIS: Aug 1992, ATP Bordeaux; last one of eight representing Ukraine: May 1997, German Open)
Natalia Medvedeva's (b. 1971) — 4 WTA Tour-level singles titles by surface (one representing USSR: Nov 1990, WTA Nashville; one representing CIS: Feb 1992, WTA Linz; last one of two representing Ukraine: Oct 1993, WTA Essen)
Dimitri Poliakov's (b. 1968) — 1 ATP Tour-level singles titles by surface (one representing USSR: Aug 1991, Yugoslav Open)
Clay court (1 title) (100%)
Post USSR
Since the end of the Soviet era, tennis has grown in popularity and Russia has produced many famous tennis players. In recent years, the number of top Russian women players has been considerable, with both Maria Sharapova (of Belarusian origin, Belarusian: Марыя Юр’еўна Шарапава, romanized: Maryja Jur’jeŭna Šarapava) and Dinara Safina (of Tatar origin, [Динара Мөбин кызы Сафина] Error: {{Langx}}: transliteration text not Latin script (pos 9: ӧ) (help)) reaching number one in the WTA rankings. Other Russian women to achieve international success include Anna Chakvetadze, Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anastasia Myskina, Nadia Petrova, Vera Zvonareva and Anna Kournikova. The Russian Federation has won the Fed Cup 4 times, in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008.
Russia also boasts three former number 1 men's players–Safina's older brother Marat Safin (of Tatar origin, Tatar: Марат Мөбин улы Сафин, romanized: Marat Möbin ulı Safin), Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Daniil Medvedev. Russian men currently in the top 10 include Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, the former of whom was a finalist at the 2019 US Open, 2021 Australian Open, 2022 Australian Open. He won the 2021 US Open.[16] Medvedev had briefly reached the number 1 ranking in February 2022, before being overtaken by Novak Djokovic. He reclaimed his first spot again in June 2022.[17] Medvedev was the first player to reach number 1 without being a member of the 'Big Four'; Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal, since February 2004.[18]
Nevertheless, a majority of their projected target audience expects every successful tennis player from Russia to obtain foreign citizenship sooner or later, even if only for the sake of a better travel visa.[19][20]
Championship winners
Grand Slam champions and Olympic champions, and No.1 ATP / WTA tennis players (main events)
Rauza Islanova's children – Marat Safin's (last title: Jan 2005), born 1980, and Dinara Safina's (last title: Jul 2009), born 1986, – 27 ATP / WTA Tour-level singles titles by surface
Hard court (15 titles: 10 Marat's and 5 Dinara's) (55.6%)
Clay court (8 titles: 2 Marat's and 6 Dinara's) (29.6%)
Carpet court (4 titles: 3 Marat's and 1 Dinara's) (14.8%)
Grand Slam singles titles by surface (13 titles for players from the Russian Federation in 25 years: from 1996 to 2021; last updated after the 2021 US Open)
Hard court (7 titles) (54%)
Grass court (1 title) (8%)
Clay court (5 titles) (38%)
Men's & women's singles: locals' clay-and-grass ATP / WTA Tour-level titles proportion (from Jul 1995 to Jun 2024)
Grass court (21 titles out of 88: 6 men's titles out of 33 & 15 women's titles out of 55) (23.9%)
Clay court (67 titles out of 88: 27 men's titles out of 33 & 40 women's titles out of 55) (76.1%)
Top-10 of the most domestically popular inactive tennis players in Russia
1875 (June 13 – May 31, old style; often mistakenly listed as June 12 (Russia Day), thus May 30 (old style), or vice versa): The first mention of tennis in Russian history is found in the diary of the Governor of Moscow, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia.
1888: Foundation of the first tennis club in Russia, the Lakhtinsky Lawn Tennis Club, in the village of Lakhta near St. Petersburg (capital of the Russian Empire).
1900: Foundation of the first tennis club in Moscow (Russian Empire): the Moscow Society of Lawn Tennis Amateurs on Petrovka.
XX Century
1903: The first international tournament is held in Russia – The St. Petersburg Open. For the first time Russian tennis players, George Bray (Russian: Георгий Брей, romanized: Georgy Brei, of British origin) and Ambrosios Petrococino (Russian: Амвросий Петрококино, romanized: Amvrosy Petrokokino, of Greek origin), take part in competitions abroad, in Stockholm.
1907: The first All-Russian lawn tennis competitions, the prototype of the Russian Tennis Championship, are contested.
1908: Establishment of the All-Russian Union of Lawn Tennis Clubs, essentially the first Russian federation of tennis. There are a total of 48 member clubs in the union.
1909: The All-Russian Union of Lawn Tennis Clubs joins the England's Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). The international lawn tennis organization doesn't exist at that time and this step allows Russian tennis players to participate in official international competitions.
1913: The All-Russian Union of Lawn Tennis Clubs, together with the tennis unions of 11 countries, founded the International Lawn Tennis Union (now called the International Tennis Federation, or ITF). It is considered the first Russian organization to participate in the creation of an international sports federation.
1914: The last All-Russian lawn tennis competitions, the prototype of the Russian Tennis Championship, are contested. A total of eight men's singles events (from 1907 to 1914) and five women's singles events were held (from 1909 to 1933). Men's singles champions: George Bray (1907, 1909), [Kniaz] Lev Urusov (1908), and [Graf] Mikhail Sumarokov-Elston (1910-1915). Women's singles champions: Ekaterina Polonskaya (1909), Nadezhda Martynova-Danilevskaya (1910-1912), Liudmila Iznar (1913), and Elizabeth Ryan (1914).
1920: Arthur McPherson Jr. is celebrated as the first Russian tennis player to compete at the Wimbledon Championships.
1926: The first Russian lawn tennis club in exile is created in Paris, France.
1929:
The Russian Lawn Tennis Federation is created in Paris, France to unite Russian tennis players in exile.
1976: The USSR team, captained by Shamil Tarpishchev at the time, refuses to play against the Chile team in the Davis Cup semifinals and is suspended by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) from participating in international competitions for two years.
1977: The Russian SFSR, as part of the USSR, becomes a member of the European Tennis Association (Tennis Europe).
1996: Yevgeny Kafelnikov becomes the first Russian tennis player to win a Slam in singles — French Open in both singles and doubles.
1999: Yevgeny Kafelnikov becomes the first Russian tennis player to achieve No.1 in singles.
2000: Yevgeny Kafelnikov becomes the first Russian tennis player to win an Olympic gold medal in tennis, in singles.
XXI Century
2002: The Russian Tennis Federation (in Moscow, capital of the Russian Federation) is founded, officially re-invented, and renamed (from the All-Russian Tennis Association, previously renamed from the Tennis Federation of the RSFSR, and merged with the leftovers from the Tennis Federation of the USSR).
2008: The General Assembly of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) is held in Moscow, Russian Federation, commemorating the centenary of the Russian Tennis Federation.
2016:
Maria Sharapova, the five-time tennis Grand Slam singles champion, is handed two-year ban (reduced to 15 months de facto) after failing drugs test at the Australian Open in January.
2021: There are only a small number of 7.2 thousand tennis courts in the Russian Federation, including 2.6 thousand indoor courts. In Moscow, there are 783 tennis courts, of which 261 are indoor courts.
2022:
The membership of the Russian Tennis Federation (in Moscow, Russia) in the International Tennis Federation has been suspended.
Top active players by the number of ATP Tour-level singles titles (with 3 and more titles minimum)
Active player Daniil Medvedev's 20 ATP Tour-level singles titles by surface so far (last one of thirteen representing Russia: Sep 2021, US Open; recent one as a neutral athlete: May 2023, Italian Open), born 1996 (in Moscow, now Central Federal District, Russian Federation)
Hard court (18 titles) (90%)
Grass court (1 title) (5%)
Clay court (1 title) (5%)
Active player Andrey Rublev's 16 ATP Tour-level singles titles by surface so far (last one of ten representing Russia: Feb 2022, Open 13; recent one as a neutral athlete: May 2024, Madrid Open), born 1997 (in Moscow, now Central Federal District, Russian Federation)
Hard court (10 titles) (62.5%)
Clay court (6 titles) (37.5%)
Active player Karen Khachanov's 7 ATP Tour-level singles titles by surface so far (last one of four representing Russia: Nov 2018, Paris Masters; recent one as a neutral athlete: Oct 2024, Almaty Open), born 1996 (in Moscow, now Central Federal District, Russian Federation)
Hard court (7 titles) (100%)
Active player Aslan Karatsev's 3 ATP Tour-level singles titles by surface so far (recent one &/or last one of three representing Russia: Jan 2022, Sydney International), born 1993 (in Vladikavkaz, now North Caucasian Federal District, Russian Federation)
Top active players by the number of WTA Tour-level singles titles (with 3 and more titles minimum)
Active player Vera Zvonareva's 12 WTA Tour-level singles titles by surface so far (recent one &/or last one of twelve representing Russia: Jul 2011, Baku Cup), born 1984 (in Moscow, now Central Federal District, Russian Federation)
Hard court (9 titles) (75%)
Grass court (1 title) (8.3%)
Clay court (2 titles) (16.7%)
Active player Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova's 12 WTA Tour-level singles titles by surface so far (recent one &/or last one of twelve representing Russia: May 2018, Internationaux de Strasbourg), born 1991 (in Samara, now Volga Federal District, Russian Federation)
Hard court (9 titles) (75%)
Clay court (3 titles) (25%)
Active player Daria Kasatkina's 8 WTA Tour-level singles titles by surface so far (last one of four representing Russia: Feb 2021, St. Petersburg Trophy; recent one as a neutral athlete: Oct 2024, Ningbo Open), born 1997 (in Tolyatti, now Volga Federal District, Russian Federation)
Hard court (6 titles) (75%)
Grass court (1 title) (12.5%)
Clay court (1 title) (12.5%)
Active player Liudmila Samsonova's 5 WTA Tour-level singles titles by surface so far (one representing Russia: Feb 2021, German Open; recent one as a neutral athlete: Jun 2024, Rosmalen Open), born 1998 (in Olenegorsk, now Northwestern Federal District, Russian Federation)
Hard court (3 titles) (60%)
Grass court (2 titles) (40%)
Active player Diana Shnaider's 4 WTA Tour-level singles titles by surface so far (recent one as a neutral athlete: Nov 2024, Hong Kong Open), born 2004 (in Zhigulevsk, now Volga Federal District, Russian Federation)
Hard court (2 titles) (50%)
Grass court (1 title) (25%)
Clay court (1 title) (25%)
Active player Ekaterina Alexandrova's 4 WTA Tour-level singles titles by surface so far (one representing Russia: Jan 2020, Shenzhen Open; recent one as a neutral athlete: Jun 2023, Rosmalen Open), born 1994 (in Chelyabinsk, now Ural Federal District, Russian Federation)
Hard court (2 titles) (50%)
Grass court (2 titles) (50%)
Active player Elena Vesnina's 3 WTA Tour-level singles titles by surface so far (recent one &/or last one of three representing Russia: Mar 2017, Indian Wells Open), born 1986 (in Lviv, now Ukraine)
– Russian Cup awardees in main nominations: Male / Female Player of the Year
‡ – deceased
Big title winners (GSs, YECs, 1000s, Olympics)
All-time top Russia-related tennis players by the number of ATP / WTA (male/female) tour-level singles titles (plus DBL – MX in parentheses, if applied, and career-high singles ranking); active players – in bold; former countries' players, former competitions, and former players by switching from the Russian Federation or through being associated with the Soviet or Russian tennis by means of country of birth (COB) and/or dual citizenship – in italics
Irina Zvereva if counting her 1993-1994 comeback attempt (because she was already based in Germany), represented the USSR, the CIS and the Russian Federation[42]
Tennis events (1896–2024) and Russia-related Summer Olympics participations In the context of Pierre de Coubertin's idea, participation is more important than winning ("L'important c'est de participer"); Olympic motto from Paris-1924 to Tokyo-2020: Citius, Altius, Fortius ("Faster, Higher, Stronger"); Olympic motto since Paris-2024: Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communiter ("Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together").[53][54]
Future Olympic Games left to 2052 (incl. XL Olympiad), the 60th anniversary of the Unified Team's (±URS → EUN) participation: 7 events
21%
Future Olympic Games left from 2056 (XLI Olympiad) to 2084 (XLVIII Olympiad, the 60th anniversary of the Individual Neutral Athletes' (±ROC → AIN) participation): 8 events
24%
Future Olympic Games left from 2088 (XLIX Olympiad, the 100th anniversary of the Soviet Union's (URS) last participation) to 2120 (LVII Olympiad, the 100th anniversary de jure of the ROC's (±RUS → ROC) participation): 9 events
27%
Future Olympic Games left from 2124 (LVIII Olympiad, the 100th anniversary of the Individual Neutral Athletes (±ROC → AIN) last participation) to 2176 (LXX Olympiad, the 200th anniversary of Montreal-1976 Soviet Union's (URS) participation): 13 events
^Under [the rule of] Alexander II the dominance of the Baltic Germans remained. Mikhail Katkov's employee, Krisjanis Valdemars, in his article "Who Rules Russia: The Russians or the Germans?", collected statistics: "15% of ministers are Germans; 25% members of the State Council; 40% senators; 50% generals; and 60% governors. And since governors run Russia, that is how he answered the question. Since Empresses were German, it was natural that Germans infiltrated into higher administration under their protection. Katkov read the article in amazement and did not believe the numbers. He told his secretary to check them. The results were even more surprising: there were 63% German senators, not 40%! But Katkov published Valdemars' article replacing 'Empresses' with 'high officials'.[9]
^ ab"Теннис" [Tennis]. smsport.ru (in Russian). Moscow, Russian Federation: Contemporary Sports Museum. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
"Tennis in Russia — Page 3". tennisgolfpro.com (in Russian). Russian Tennis Hall of Fame. Retrieved 21 September 2024. The first champion of Russia was Ekaterina Girshfeld (married name Polonskaya). In the following five years (1910-14), the title of the best tennis player in Russia was won three times by Nadezhda Martynova, once by Lyudmila Iznar and once by the famous American, multiple Wimbledon champion in doubles Elizabeth Ryan (in 1914)
^Puzyrev, Denis (18 March 2022). "30 лет изоляции спорта ЮАР из-за апартеида: как он выживал эти годы?" [30 years of South African sport isolation due to apartheid: how did it survive all these years?]. sports.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 29 April 2022. The fact is by that time South Africa had lost its former importance for the United States: due to Perestroika in the USSR, the threat of the communist regime on the continent has gone by itself. In addition, the largest diamond corporation in the world, De Beers, the richest company in South Africa, has joined the ranks of open opponents of apartheid
"Фоменко Борис Иванович" [Fomenko Boris Ivanovich – Historian of Russian Tennis] (in Russian). Contemporary Sports Museum. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
^"Отца Марии Романовой обвиняют в пособничестве Гитлеру" [Maria Romanova's Father Is Accused of Helping Hitler]. Радио Свобода (in Russian). Svoboda (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty). 24 July 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2021. Representatives of the Russian nobility applied to Putin with a letter in which they demand not to grant special status to Maria Romanova due to the open support of her father for Hitler
"Lavish Russian wedding for Tsar's descendant". BBC News. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021. The [Holstein-Gottorp-]Romanov dynasty ruled Russia for more than three centuries before Nicholas II abdicated in early 1917. This paved the way for the Bolshevik revolution and 70 years of Communist rule
Россия – колония США?! Почему молчит телевизор? [Is Russia a [de-facto] Colony of USA?! Why There Is a Silence on [a Local Russian] TV?] (in Russian). Official YouTube Channel: MIkhail Sovetsky. 3 August 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2022 – via YouTube.
Grachev, Ivan; Mardan, Sergei (3 March 2022). "Историк Андрей Фурсов: На кон поставлено все. Если власть дрогнет, и уступит, это будет конец" [Historian Andrei Fursov [ru]: Everything is at stake. If the government falters and gives in, it will be the end]. Komsomolskaya Pravda (in Russian). Retrieved 21 March 2022. Melnik-Botkin [fr], the chief of the French secret services under De Gaulle, once said addressing Russians "to make no mistake, the French will never forgive you for defeating Napoleon 200 years ago". I am deeply convinced that the European Union will never forgive Russia for defeating Hitler. Because all of Europe fell to Hitler
Beresnev, Valery (5 May 2021). "Андрей Фурсов: "Ковидоистерия оказалась психоударом, который должен был обеспечить перезапуск Истории"" [Andrei Fursov: "Covid-hysteria turned out to be a psycho-shock, which was supposed to ensure the restart of History"]. Business Online [ru] (in Russian). Kazan. Retrieved 21 March 2022. The plot had to be implemented in the form of a two-way plan: at first, Hitler destroys the British Empire, and then Stalin destroys Hitler, after which the exhausted Stalinist USSR becomes, well, a very junior partner of the United States as the master of Western Europe and the former colonial empires of Great Britain and France. It did not work out
The most common "Russophobia" term usually includes the centuries-long "existential hatred or fear towards [Russians]" as one: e. g. Sergeyev, Sergey (2013). "How is Russian Russophobia possible?". Issues of Nationalism (in Russian). 1 (13): 66–85. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
^"Слагаемые успеха / Быть мамой Андрея Рублева" [Components of success / Being the mother of Andrey Rublev]. FIS (Fizkultura i sport) (in Russian). 20 June 2018. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021. What is considered a [rare] phenomenon for the whole world seems a common thing for the country. The success of women in raising male champions in Russia did not surprise or will not surprise anyone: we have no less female coaches than male coaches, and in the USSR this profession was occupied by women at 80%
^"Тиньков рассказал о сорвавшемся контракте с Шараповой: "Агент ее отговорил, чтобы с русскими не связываться"" [Tinkov spoke about the failed contract with Sharapova: "The agent talked her out of it in order to not become involved with Russians"]. sport24.ru (in Russian). Moscow: Sport24. 18 April 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2024. She had a post-doping scandal. Russia, doping, all that, and someone advised her against something. They are all afraid of that in America, although it was a complete nonsense - we are a private bank, and they associated us with Russia
"Реклама Банка Империал. Все 18 роликов. В HD качестве 50 FPS" [Bank Imperial advertising. All 18 videos. In HD quality 50 FPS]. YouTube (in Russian). 11 August 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2024. The history of the creation of these commercials is interesting. For the bank's advertising campaign, they hired the then-unknown director Timur Bekmambetov. He later became famous for his films "Dozor" ("Day" and "Night")
^Fedyakov, Evgeny (11 October 2021). ""Вопрос о том, чтобы снова не проводить турнир, даже не рассматривался"" [The issue of not holding the [Kremlin Cup] tournament again was not even considered.]. kommersant.ru (in Russian). Kommersant. Retrieved 17 October 2021. For example, there aren't enough courts. There is a total of 7.2 thousand of them in Russia, including 2.6 thousand indoors. And in Moscow it is, respectively, 783 and 261.
^"Belits-Geiman Semyon Viktorovich". smsport.ru (in Russian). Contemporary Sports Museum. Retrieved 31 August 2024. Cousin of the famous Soviet tennis player Semyon Pavlovich Belits-Geiman
^"Sharapova: "Alcaraz es increíble, lo que más me fascina de él es su espíritu de lucha"". puntodebreak.com (in Spanish). Punto de Break. 8 June 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023. At the moment I don't see my heir on the horizon. There are excellent players with different styles. The formula for success is not easy to achieve, you need a perfect balance between the game, commitments with sponsors and free time
^Dadygin, Sergey (2 November 2020). "Теннисистка Надежда Петрова: "Меня пригласили быть свидетелем на свадьбе Овечкина. Но я туда не попала"" [Tennis Player Nadezhda Petrova: "I was invited to be a witness at Ovechkin's wedding. But I didn't get there"]. eg.ru (in Russian). Moscow: Express Gazeta. Retrieved 14 July 2023. – And Dinara Safina, as they say, an affair with coach Željko Krajan helped in her time to become the number racket of the world. – When Dinarka was training with Krajan, she was like a machine. The energy from her was enormous, hormones were playing. I remember, that year Safina was simply "eating" me on the court. But the Dutchman Glen Schaap suppressed her. Energetic vampire. By the way, I also worked with him. Glen was likable, but very bossy. I couldn't stand his negativity
^Shvets, Єvgen (26 July 2009). "Андрей Медведев: "Ельцин за смену гражданства предлагал баснословный контракт и квартиру возле Кремля"" [Andrei Medvedev: "Yeltsin Had Been Offering [Me] a Mind-Blowing Contract and an Apartment Near the [Moscow] Kremlin for the Switch of Citizenship"]. LB.ua. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2021. My mother [Svetlana] influenced my decision, she has managed to convince [me], a 20-year-old boy, not quite familiar with the situation, that I was born in Kyiv, and this country is called Ukraine these days, all of my friends are here, my home is here, and it would be unwise to relocate
^"Николоз Басилашвили: В России мне комфортно" [Nikoloz Basilashvili: "I Feel Comfortable In Russia"]. bezformata.com (in Russian). Russia: Bez Formata. 2012-06-25. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
^ ab"Ксения Первак: Переезд в Казахстан был ошибкой" [Ksenia Pervak: Moving To Kazakhstan Was a Mistake]. sovsport.ru (in Russian). Sovetsky Sport. 15 October 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2024. "The Bogomolov surname is not in the American registers," says Alex. And he speaks convincingly, without an accent, and more interestingly than many domestic athletes
^"Знаменитые теннисные левши" [Famous Lefties in Tennis]. tennis-i-com (in Russian). Alexander Ivanitsky Tennis Encyclopedia. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
^"Мартынова-Данилевская Надежда Викторовна (1887–1969)". museum.tennis-russia.ru (in Russian). RTF Museum. Retrieved 26 June 2024. Nadezhda Viktorovna died in May 1969 at the age of 84 in the New York suburb of Spring Valley [thus making her year of birth 1884 or 1885]
"ДМИТРИЕВА Анна Владимировна (1940-2024)". biograph.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 14 July 2024. Her father was Vladimir Vladimirovich Dmitriev, the chief artist of the Moscow Art Theatre. Her mother was a famous actress. Her stepfather was Kirill Vladimirovich Molchanov, a composer. Her half-brother was Vladimir Kirillovich Molchanov, a famous author and TV presenter
^ abLifantsev, Dmitry. "Татьяна Тарасова увела мужа у беременной двойней теннисистки" [Tatyana Tarasova stole the husband of a tennis player who was pregnant with twins]. eg.ru (in Russian). Russian Federation: Express Gazeta. Retrieved 13 August 2024. Until recently, Tarasova didn't even mention she was Khomenkov's [track and field athlete Vasili Khomenkov who was Leonid Khomenkov [ru]'s son] wife. It wasn't until an interview for her 70th birthday that she said she went to the registry office three times, including Vasili. But she didn't want to talk about him, saying he died tragically, and that topic was off-limits for her
^Kuptsov, Stas (27 March 2019). "Наше первое золото Игр – в фигурке. Это была летняя Олимпиада (да-да), во времена Российской империи" [Our first gold of the Games was in figure skating. It was the Summer Olympics (oh, yes!), during the Russian Empire period]. sports.ru (in Russian). Russian Federation. Retrieved 17 August 2024. Kolya had an older sister, Lena, whom he loved very much. She also often skated in the park, and when she saw the branded skates, she fell in love with them. By a strong-willed decision, the brother gave her the right skate. He skated on the left, pushing off with his right foot. This helped him master skating on the left skate so dexterously that in the future he performed all the most difficult tricks on it, since the left leg was much stronger and more agile than the right one. A year later, his sister was also given skates, and Kolya could skate fully again
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