Former Champion Youzhny Ready For St. Petersburg Open

On Sunday, 2004 St. Petersburg Open champion Mikhail Youzhny held a master class in the TRK “Galereya” shopping mall. All the mall guests were welcome to take part in the tournament. The guests then challenged themselves as they tried to return Youznhy’s serve.

Many kids did their best and thoroughly enjoyed the contest held in downtown St. Petersburg. After the event, Youzhny, who was born and lives in Moscow, took time to talk about the mall event, his own children and the St. Petersburg Open, which starts on Monday.

Mikhail, could you share your impressions, please. Did you enjoy the event?
I’d like to thank the organizers of the St. Petersburg Open for such a great event. They laid a court in the shopping center where we could play for five hours. I hope everyone will remember this day and maybe it will become a good tradition in the coming years and such events will be held annually.

Were you surprised to see such a big number of tennis fans here? It was really crowded today.
There are always a lot of people in shopping malls, it doesn’t depend on whether there is a tennis court or not…(smiling). But I’d like to believe this event helped tennis to win over more fans among St. Pete’s citizens.

Did you participate in such events during your childhood?
Absolutely not. In my childhood, tennis was only taking off. We did organize some on-court master classes, but we never brought them beyond the stadiums nor did we have such a vast program for kids and all tennis fans.

Youngsters often visit shopping centers these days. Maybe when they participate in such events they could get inspired to take up tennis?
I hope so. I hope it could influence the kid’s choice and help them make the right decision or just encourage them to go for sports. That’s why I think it was a great idea to build an improvised court here. I believe it will develop and improve year on year.

Mikhail, you have two kids, two boys. Are they in tennis already?
The elder son, Maxim, who is 6 years old, played tennis in a kids group, and my younger son Igor, aged 4, is trying to pick up a racquet and hit the ball.

You come to St. Petersburg Open every year. You like the people here so much or it’s all about the atmosphere?
I do need to charge my batteries and enjoy the atmosphere here and feel really relaxed. I like it here. I do feel this city loves me and so do its dwellers. I really enjoy St. Petersburg on and off court.

The tournament keeps changing and improving year on year. The organizers try to keep up the level and even improve everything. Do you agree?
Absolutely. It has improved a lot over the last couple of years. I think it’s the best in its [ATP World Tour] 250 category and boasts one of the strongest lineups, including three Top 10 players, and all the seeded players are Top 30. It’s a high-level tournament with a superb organization.

Finally, what would you wish to all the tennis fans for this week?
I’d like local people to come to “SIBUR ARENA” after work and kids [to come] after school. And I’d like to see a packed stadium.