Marchenko Seizing The Moment

The usual suspects were left standing at the business end of this week’s season-opening Qatar ExxonMobil Open. In the final, World No. 5 Rafael Nadal fell to top seed Novak Djokovic, who had beaten World No. 6 Tomas Berdych in the semis.

The fourth semi-finalist? None other than World No. 94 Illya Marchenko. After notching a trio of wins over Top 50 opponents, including a comeback victory against defending champion David Ferrer, Marchenko’s captivating run vaulted him into the spotlight. The Ukrainian’s story of determination and perseverance is equally as intriguing.

“I am from Donetsk and there is a war there,” the 28 year old, who now lives in Slovakia, explained. “It’s not a good situation right now. I haven’t been there for almost two years. It was easy to get residence (in Slovakia) and I have a lot of friends there… My coach (Tibor Toth) is from there. I’m working with him one year already.”

An industrial city in eastern Ukraine, Donetsk is located near the Russian border, which has been a site of great turmoil in the War of Donbass. The conflict originated in early 2014 between separatist forces and goverment loyalists and has prevented Marchenko from returning to his homeland. Despite the issues at home, he says he is focusing fully on his play on the court. His mental approach has not wavered.

“Right now I don’t think about that anymore. I accept the situation what I have and I’m really enjoying living in Slovakia. The people of Slovakia have really welcomed me, and I’m really appreciating everyone. Everyone is really helping me there, so I’m happy and I can focus on my tennis. I have everything to work hard and to get the results.”

Having returned to the semi-finals of an ATP World Tour event for the first time in nearly six years, since St. Petersburg 2010, Marchenko is closing in on his career-high position of World No. 67 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. What started late last year with a run to the second round at the US Open as a qualifier and a title at the Mons Challenger, Marchenko’s surprise result in Doha was in fact anything but an aberration.

“I went to mountains with my fitness coach,” Marchenko said of his off-season training. “Last year it was different. I was with my full team, my tennis coach and my physio. It was a bit kind of investment for me.

“I’m really happy it’s paying off that quick. And that’s it. The rest of the preparation was the same. I was staying at home in Bratislava and I was practising with the same guys. My coach was at every practice with me and I was doing my fitness as usual.

“The way I played this week helped me a lot and I’m gaining confidence match after match.”