Harcourt #2

Transcript

[music] Hello everyone. The weekly tennis show Hardcore is on air. I am still with you , Anya Vasilyeva, in the company of two Olympic champions, Elena Dementyeva and Evgeny Kafelnikov. We ended our last episode with such warm memories of Elena Dementieva's Olympic gold medals in Beijing, which served as a kind of bridge to the beginning of today's program. And, namely, to Evgeniy’s gold. We have reason to celebrate, because exactly 25 years have passed since that victory in Sydney. Evgeniy, congratulations. As it actually happened a long time ago, but in fact, and before we begin to develop this topic, I would like to note one big plus. We made our first release just a week ago. And the most interesting thing is how many positive comments and responses there were on the YouTube channel. What a wonderful, erudite presenter Anya is, what a Lena she is! If only Lena hadn't been seen for 100 years, she would have gone on air more often. And, probably, this is the biggest positive thing that , at least, I received. And the number of likes we received is worth a lot. And in fact, we will continue because there are viewers who like it and who enjoy it. This is true. We were really pleased. Thank you all very much. Keep up the good work, friends. Yeah, don't stop, yeah. Well, don't change the subject to us, because we really want to remember and discuss your gold. Listen, I will definitely tell you about the Olympic gold, but there was another point that I think deserves a lot of attention. Just a couple of days ago, just so you don’t think about it, Andryukha Chesnokov called me and said: “Hi, Zhenyok, how are you?” I say: "Andryukh, everything is great." He says: “Do you remember, exactly 30 years ago today, you and I beat the Germans 3:2 in the Davis Cup semi-final in 1995.” I say: "Oh my God, Andryukha, nine match goals in general, you got a medal or an order from Boris Nikolayevich for that match, I don't remember what he got, yes, he says: "Can you imagine what a date it is?" I say: "Thank you for reminding me." Yes, it was very nice. It turns out to be practically a double score, yes. 20,205 years have passed since the victory in Sydney, yes. And here is the Davis Cup, which also left a huge, positive impression for us, for the spectators, who I remember the day when in ninety-five we played against two leading tennis players in Germany. These are Boris Becker and Mikhail Shtik. Two legends in general and the Olympic. Well, there were definitely at least 15,000 spectators , yes, and all this was such a celebration. Andrey gave them the decisive match where there 13:1, something like that. Eh, nine match goals was already quiet. Well, it was simply unforgettable. Well, on to Sydney Are we going back? Let's go back to Sydney. We want to hear all about this victory. Evgeny, what are your memories? How did you get through this tournament? Were you nervous? Did you expect that this whole Sydney Olympics was truly unforgettable, and the emotions, well, it's hard to describe, because I missed my first Olympics in Atlanta in '96 . For objective reasons, I was actually tired, although I was in very good physical shape. It was, ah, July of '96. After winning Ralgoros, well, I was simply exhausted, physically drained. That's why I missed it. But I knew at the Sydney Olympics that it would probably be my last Olympics in my career, so I couldn't miss it. Although my results were so positive, well, I did n't have any drive to go there specifically to win or show a good result, and I I went just to participate. And then, when I got there, won one match, won the second match, I somehow began to believe in myself a little and understand that I need to take advantage of the opportunity. A chance comes once in a lifetime. And Lenoki and I already talked about this in our last program on this topic that a chance comes once, and you must always take it. And fortunately, I took advantage of my opportunity. By the way, Elena, you literally won silver the day before Evgeniy's victory . Did you go to the match, did you cheer for Evgeniy? We always went, but Zhenya hardly watched. We already understood his attitude towards women's tennis. In fact, at the Sydney Olympics, I didn't spend the night in the village. I was in the Olympic Village all day, from morning until evening . Yes, that's where the Russian House is, all the athletes are there. I saw them there and went to the matches, of course, yes, but I spent the night in the hotel, fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, I don't know. Well, that's how it is. And you You know, I seem to remember you arriving there really late for some reason. I know why I remember that. We were playing in Tashkent. You're probably from some tournament, because I remember very well that in the first few days there were a lot of tennis players, little training time, and they didn't even let us practice any extra time. And one of the leaders, yes, of our delegation, told us: " Just sign up under Zhenya's name, because he won't be there as soon as he arrives." And Nastya and I signed up, Nastya Myskina, we signed up for an evening training session. So, we had some extra half hour, happy, and then suddenly you, well, you immediately splash off the court, well, like, and I thought you'd invite us there together for at least half the court, but no such luck . You weren't talking to us then , that's not true. You only started talking after some Olympic achievements. So. Well, no. Our first meeting, how did we even get along? Did you meet? No. In 1999, you came to Australia with your mother, that was the year I won. That's where I saw you for the first time. You played well in the second round against Davinport, I think, 300 or Martino Hingis. No, not against Davinport, I think it was. Okay , you have a better memory. Well, unfortunately, you lost in the second round . But that's when we met in 1999 and that's it . And our friendship is still in the form it is now. And do you also remember, I don't know, I really remember it in the brochure, and before the start of the Olympic Games, it was written what medals we were expecting from whom. I don't know, these are just my memories, and it was written there that for some reason we weren't expecting medals from tennis. I don't know why, but you took part, but Anna Kournikova couldn't come. We There were still beginners then, there was little hope for us . Yes. And why did they doubt you? Why did n't they count on you? It's also some kind of paradox. Although Marat literally moved on in two weeks. Yes. Not only did he win the tournament in Tashkent, the President of Uzbekistan gave him a plane, he flew to Bangkok and then from Bangkok he flew to Sydney. That is, yes, we both arrived at a bad time there, well, not with a reserve, like everyone else arrives there 4, 5 days in advance for acclimatization. We literally arrived there the day before the match. Well, it turned out as it happened, yes. I am in no way upset that I left that Olympics with a gold medal. Uh, that's all wonderful, of course, but we are interested in something else. How did they celebrate, what happened, what kind of holiday was it, what kind of stories are there? There was no story. Yeah, well, I just don't believe it. Absolutely no story at all It was. I won, and there was the awards ceremony half an hour later , everything, everything was civilized. Then after that, Vitaly Georgievich Smirnov, the president of our Olympic Committee, Vyarych Shamilin, also a member of the International Olympic Committee, was at the Russian House. Naturally, there was a banquet there, lasting an hour. Well, after the banquet, at 11:00 PM, I got on a plane and flew to Europe for the next tournament. Everything was somehow boring, the taxi driver, so we didn't even remember such a thing. Unfortunately, with my colleagues, who wanted to celebrate with champagne, well, there was no opportunity. But then, after the Olympic Games, when I met them, there was an Olympians' Ball in the Kremlin, and we all celebrated a little together, seeing who was there. Modest, right? Listen, you know what's interesting? From 2004 to 2012, they awarded rating points, then they abolished it all. Do you think this should be done at all? It shouldn't be. Is everyone for the Olympic tournament, or am I absolutely for it? Well, because this is a tournament where everyone gives their all and almost all the top players play. That is, I am absolutely in favor of awarding ranking points . Well, there were very big debates, you remember, there were some for it, some were against it. The argument was that not everyone can get there and take part. The federation doesn't send some people, yes, to the Olympics. And there were some nuances, yes, because of which, but, of course, it is a full-fledged tournament with the strongest players. I also think there should have been ranking points. And what do you think about five-set matches? The last time they played was in 2016 in Rio, then they cancelled that too, now we play men's finals best of three sets. What do you think? Well, I hold, uh, I have my own, maybe, I don't even know, radical opinion on this matter. I think I am absolutely sure that the matches Five-set matches should be played at such a high level. Like it or not, it's the final match of a major tournament. A major tournament. Back in my day, when I was playing, and all the Masters tournaments, not the Super Nine, they played, the finals were played over five sets. And, perhaps, this was its own highlight, because, well, in any case, spectators want to come and watch, uh, a match that lasts more than two hours and so on. There are tons of great examples of amazing five-set matches played at such important tournaments as the Olympic Games and at Masters tournaments, and everyone was very happy. It's bad when a match goes by quickly, there's 61, 62, or 626, it's all over within an hour, and spectators pay a lot of money for tickets and in the end don't get what they expected. Five-set matches are precisely the very argument men make for why they pay you more money. That's not why I think they always prove a five-set match in them. It becomes clear who the opponent is, which opponent is stronger, because, well, objectively speaking, in a three-set match, you can lose two sets, basically, to anyone. Well, I am deeply convinced that in a five-set match, the stronger athlete will always win. You see, a weak opponent cannot beat a strong one in five-set matches. That's why, when we talked about Siner, Alcaraz and Djokovic in our last issue, yes, despite the fact that Novak, as they say, uh, great is up all the time, I wo n't even, actually, discuss it, yes, yes, but still, even he now cannot compete in five-set matches with such, uh, players as Alcaraz and Siner, because they, well, by definition are now stronger, yes, and there is practically no chance, yes, precisely in the physical pyrzhi of a fifth match. Well, you do n't have to look far for an example. We remember what Siner and Alcaraz played a brilliant match at Ragoros. But I think that everyone who paid for a ticket, when they came to the stadium, in no way regretted the show they saw from these two tennis players. But I have a little quiz for you, friends. Are you prepared? Yes, of course. Well, more likely for Evgeniy. But, Elena, I invite you to take part too. How will this test be conducted? A memory test. We took an interview with Evgeniy on ESPN, and selected some quotes from it, yes, and some of these quotes were blurred. And your task is to remember what you said then. Or is Elena's task, I will only guess. Yes, and Elena needs to guess, right? Let's see how well Elena knows Evgeniy. Let's go. Let's go. So, the first quote. And before the tournament, I said that I would give for this, but now there is no need. I can keep all my titles, and also A gold medal. What would you give, Evgeniy, for this? You've simply stumped me now. What options could you give? Well, a Grand Slam tournament, probably for an Olympic medal, probably. Maybe for the first position in the rankings. No. And here you have the answer before your eyes. Everything except two Slams. Yeah. Yeah . Yeah. Moving on. Good. Next quote. And Elena Dementieva's silver medal also brought women's tennis to first place along with men's. What does this make tennis? Attractive. Attractive. Elena, yours before, see how you used to be better in this matter. Somehow over the years we've had a bad influence on you. I don't even know, I know how critical Zhenya is of our women's performances. And my quote is mine. No, this is your quote, Evgeniy. Of course, this is your interview. The answer is on the screen. This makes tennis a very special sport in our country. Well, basically, everything is correct. Very attractive. Next quote. And before the tournament, I thought that I would n't even be able to get past the first round, that I wouldn't even come. Wow, that's so radical. So you really thought you wouldn't come? Well, no, if it's the Olympic theme, yes, yes. I think I had those thoughts, yes. I thought I would n't come. Well, why did I have those thoughts? Well, who the hell knows. Things didn't work out in Tashkent either, yes, things didn't work out there either , yes, my form wasn't athletic, it wasn't at a sufficient level, so here's the answer, I'm not even going to fight for any medals. Elena was closer, yes, it turns out. Well, and the last quote. And I'm very, very proud of myself. I'm truly proud of my country. To win two Grand Slam tournaments plus Olympic gold. That means my career has been a success. Well, it's just beginning. It has been a success. Cool. So, the answer is that my career will not be forgotten in my country. Wow, that's true. Yes, we are not We forget, we remember every day, every day. Yes, we are proud of you. You are our first Olympic champion. Thank you. The number one racket in the world, and you are the first Grand Slam winner. So we are very pleased to share these memories with you today. Thank you very much. Thank you. I support you, friends. Well, and you, if you support us, then be sure to like this video, subscribe to our channel and leave your kind comment. We really appreciate positive ones. Yes, negative ones too. Any, any. We read everything. We are very pleased and very curious to know your opinion. Well, here we go. This week, we move on to Beijing. We start in Beijing, yes. Medvedev beat Zverevo for the fifth time in a row, and the head-to-head score is now 14:7. Yeah. And can we say that Zverev is back? First of all, yes. Medvedev or what? Or about Zverev. Medvedev. Medvedev is out. And Zverev is Medvedev's client. We We can call him that . Well, based on this number of matches, no clear conclusion can be made. It is possible to make a conclusion. And based on what number, for example, 214, like I have with Sampros. Yes. Okay. Yes. I lost twice 14 times, but at the same time I have 8:0 in Santaro, and someone, on the contrary, 0:8. Are you hinting at Marat? My colleague, someone has a university. Yes, yes. Marat, unfortunately, has 0 there, I don’t know, 0.5 or 0.6. And why was it uncomfortable to play with Sampros? Yes, not only Zhenya, probably not only me. Yes, alone. Yes. In fact, my generation considers Sampros one of, if not the greatest, yes, but if you take the criteria for winning Grand Slam tournaments, of course, there are new ones, but Sampros himself certainly left his contribution to the history of tennis . Well, his game was unique. Power, serve, forehand, physical attributes, he moved well, therefore That's why I felt uncomfortable playing him. And still, about Medvedev and Zverev. What can we say about that match? Elena, did you watch it? I think, I think, in general, we need to talk about the positive things now, well, about Medvedev. Now I'm getting accused again of speaking badly about Daniil. I'm speaking purely, well, objectively, I think. I think the fact that he's already won three matches in a row at the moment suggests that, really, maybe, how can we talk about his confidence, which is gradually returning to him. Look, he reached the semi-finals in the next match. In my opinion, who is he up against? Either Domino's or Mosettirner Tin, with whom he actually played. We remember that match. That's why it will be possible to really say that if he beats him and reaches the final, yes, we can say that he really could have a successful end to the season , which is what we're hoping for. Yeah. Absolutely. Well, yes, three matches in a row, I don't know when was the last time he won three matches in a row this season. Well, no, well, a victory over Sasha is a very significant victory for self-confidence. Moreover, he won there 63, the score was confident. Confident, yes, he played calmly, yes, he didn't succumb to his emotional swings that are inherent in his game. Yes, yes. And despite the fact that Sasha tried there and there were many trips to the net, yes, and in general it was a good, interesting game, he still outplayed him, you could say, in all respects. A big plus, yes. And a big plus is that he didn't lose a single one of his serves. Although Zverev had breakpoints and in the first set he won a game there from 0 to 0 with the score 3:1 in the first set and in the second set. So what couldn't be said about how Medvedev has been playing lately? He was there at every opportunity, when he had a chance there to serve to the ma when serving for the match, he lost that serve and then gave the match away. So, yes, we can say that somehow, maybe, he has become psychologically stable and, maybe, the surface they play on is really very comfortable for him. Now the ball doesn't bounce as fast or as slowly. Well, and then, you know, a new team, a new coach - these are also emotions, you kind of feed off of that, and enthusiasm, and I do n't know, maybe. So, tell me, how many new coaches have you had in your career who helped you? And I know, I haven't had that many. I understand that it's practically impossible to change something in the game during the season. We understand that perfectly. But here, at this level, it seems to me that some small nuances can play, you know, a decisive role in your condition, in your game. But what would seem to be the same thing said by another person, you begin to perceive, and you've been told this for many years, and it just became for You're in the background, you know? And I think this is a very positive result. Uh, we know how often tennis players change their coaches after the first bad performance, so it's good that things are going quite well for them so far, and well, we'll see how Daniil performs and root for him. You know what I'd like to ask? Maybe working with Thomas Johansson really does have a positive effect on Dana? By the way, you, Evgeny, played him 14 times, 14 matches, and the score was 5:9, not in your favor. I'm very sorry. Listen, you can't even imagine how much I hate all these social networks. Well, in my stupidity, literally three days ago, I went onto our beloved Twitter and entered my last name. And what do you think came out? I'm guessing it's not good. Very bad, in short. Anyway, there was a poll. Some very famous journalist said: "But you have statistics when a player who is, uh, lower rated, uh, beats a player who is higher rated. Someone brought him there for six matches in a row, and then I lost eight times in a row to Johansson, who was ranked lower than me in every match. How so? What's so uncomfortable about it? These statistics just completely threw me off track. But he was a very unpleasant player for me. I actually had two of those that caused me a lot of discomfort. This was Johansson and this was Dominik Horbaty. Horbats, yes. They just drove me crazy, because, well, no matter how hard I hit, the ball came back twice as strong. This is the style of play that happens. What you're trying to do, I think, is called cockroachitis. Well, that's how we say it in tennis, that's what they said when I was a kid. The only, uh, moments when I could, when I could do something with them, when I, well, after serving, went to the net, came up with something, but I didn’t have enough physical strength to do this for three, four, five sets after serving and going out to the net. It's a huge energy-consuming tennis, which, well, which I haven't practiced. But every time I stayed on the back line, they just made a cutlet out of me. Therefore, these two tennis players, uh, took away from me so many potential titles during my career that it is impossible to even imagine, yes, and nerve cells. That's for sure. Elena, were there any tennis players that you really didn’t like playing against? This is super inconvenient. No, I don’t have any memories of not being with someone. On the contrary, there were tennis players with whom I enjoyed playing, including the siren Williams, although many were genuinely afraid of her. I always found it very interesting with her, and I could say I looked forward to these meetings. Well, it’s always unpleasant, not just unpleasant, but difficult to play with your own people, and because you know them well and, well, some personal relationships probably still affect the game. It’s very difficult to abstract yourself from this, it’s difficult to tune yourself in. Well, that's why we are professionals, because we still enter the game, we forget, the fight begins, yes. But Zhenya, I think, also agrees with me . It's never easy to play with your own people . No, well, I was a little lucky, I guess, which is not true of you, as there were n’t many of your own kind. There was only Marat in my time, Misha Yuzhny. Basically, two players who, well, played in the starting lineup on a regular basis. And at our final championship, out of ten, eight were Russian, so you understand that at each tournament we regularly met each other in one or two matches. And, of course, it was quite a challenge. Actually, well, not long ago I also looked at the statistics, that's all. We actually had six girls in the top ten there in the mid-2000s , but this indicated that women's tennis in Russia was actually at the peak of its popularity and girls were generally taken into account. And, probably, due to this baggage, all those who are playing now are playing at this moment. Is it really possible to reach the same level now, so that Russian tennis players can make us proud in the same way? You know, there should be healthy competition here. And where does it come from? Where is it supposed to come from? First of all , well, Lena won’t let me lie. Everything, of course, is transformed from junior tennis and then happens gradually. At one time, girls, I am sure, competed with each other in children's and youth competitions, they knew each other from childhood to adolescence, and one pulled the other along with her, and so on. There was such a chain that helped develop tennis. Now, it’s probably becoming much more difficult, because, well, competition is objectively falling a little , but this is all happening, you know, with such circles. Sooner or later, all this will return, and maybe in 5 or 10 years, tennis players will appear again who will be trying to pull each other up. Well, it seems to me that you are talking more about boys , because the competition among girls is very high and in general the level of children's tennis in Russia is very high. Yes, we really do speed up the training process. We want everything at once, faster. We have always performed well with children and we still do. We have a lot of good results, because if you remember, just recently we had Alina Korneeva, the first junior in the world. This is a very big achievement. She played on the same team as Mira Andreeva, yes, and now she is also trying to make it onto the tour. That's why there are a lot of good girls, and there has always been competition. Of course, things may not be that way with the guys now . You know this better because your nephew, yes, plays and Yes, and they, unfortunately, have no one to grow up with, you know. There are no real stars now who can perform well there at the European Championships. Well, by definition, they can’t see now how their opponents, potential opponents, are developing, how they play in tournaments, what matches they’re playing, where their level is. But they are great, they try, they do their best, they squeeze out the maximum, they go to competitions whenever possible. But this is a very large, large amount of work. And I am, in principle, very proud of how our juniors are currently coping with this situation. Not easy, of course. Well, our First Red ambassadors found themselves in a difficult situation. Let's talk about their results this week. And Sasha Bublik, after the title we were so happy about, was immediately eliminated in the first round. What's happened? Predictable. Well, it's impossible to maintain the level throughout each week. Well, it had to happen sooner or later . Well, it's a pity that this is for such a big tournament, where, realistically, we said in our previous issue that he has a chance to get to the final tournament, but, of course, he spoiled this situation a little for himself with this result and the loss in the first round , but at the same time, the next one will be the Shanghai thousandth. If he plays well there, then why not? Therefore, there is no need to make a tragedy out of this. somewhere, well, no, well, the end of the season is always like this, yes, fatigue is already accumulating, some micro-injuries and there really are a lot of unpredictable results here. We see how often, yes, the favorites lose. And, well, the season is quite long, so to stay in peak form for 10 months there is practically impossible. There will definitely be some declines. And, as a rule, they happen at the end of the year. Yes. The most important thing is that the slump isn't too deep, because we need to remobilize, recover, and prepare for the tournament in Shanghai. And, apparently, Sasha, yes, he decided to somehow save this energy. Or was it Monarin who was super motivated to beat him? By the way, you know, an interesting fact is that Monarina doesn’t know the opponent he will be playing against before the match. That is, he even directly swears at journalists; he doesn’t want to hear or see anything. Here he comes out to the core and finds out. I wanted to say, I don't believe it. It’s simply not possible, because when you’re walking and there are nets on every corner, someone will definitely come up to you in the locker room, give you advice, tell you something, yes, it’s simply impossible. No, well, here, even from practice, you’re just playing against an opponent, and you don’t know how to prepare for him, but that ca n’t happen. Yes, only Siren Williams could afford such a thing . Well, she came, and in the first round she said: "Who am I playing with? But even then it was more for show. It was more for show." No, well, because, well, you play smart, you need to practice the day before , there, receive a cross serve, there, work on some elements that you need to play in this match. Therefore, Adrian is being disingenuous in this way. I think he just doesn't look far ahead on the net. That's another question. But who he is playing next match with, I think he definitely knows, yes. How did you watch it? Did you look far enough on the grid? How did you orient yourself? Yes, I looked far, I looked right away. Yes. Right here. How far is it, Zhenya, until the final, with whom is the final game? No, I didn’t want to see either Johansson or Harbaty on my way. And what about myself? And what about evil? I'm just fine, fine. And how could it be that these two always played the same tournaments with me? What kind of obsession was this, anyway ? You arrive at the tournament and see that Dominik Horbaty and Thomas Johansson are registered. Dominik Horbaty, Thomas Johansson. In general, he says, they followed me around like crazy , just to earn those bonus points and beat me. By the way, earlier, if we talk about rating , earlier for a victory over a high-ranking player you were awarded rating points. Yes, this is absolutely true, I am absolutely convinced. That's because now, if you imagine that you win against Alcaraz or Siner, it's not... But it's a huge, titanic effort. I do n’t understand at all how it’s possible to beat Alcaraz and Siner now. And if someone does this, then they should deservedly receive rating points for it. Sasha Bublik beat Sinera. I should have given him those 50 bonus points back in my day. It was a very decent win over the number two ranked player in the world. But in our women's tour, on the contrary, it was called a bonus giver, because, as a rule, seeded players would arrive, could literally be the first to fail in their very first game, and thereby give away these 100 extra points, well, let's say, to a very weak or average player. And this has always been highly condemned among us . And on the contrary, they wanted to leave as quickly as possible. Well, probably in the ATP too, because I also had losses like that, which I lost to players who they thought I shouldn’t have lost to. And, probably, this also somehow triggered them to take such a step. But I am absolutely sure that if you really beat players who are number one in the world, number two, or even in the top five, it is a huge amount of work, a huge amount of work. Many people, during their sports careers, cannot beat the players there who are in the top five. But this should be encouraged. No, well, cat nets just come in different types. Sometimes you beat top players, and sometimes, well, that's how the circumstances worked out, yes, that you played there with Luckyludo, someone else came out of Qualifier, and that's a completely different victory. Absolutely the same glasses, yes. You, well, you can't compare it, of course. That's why I've already expressed my opinion more than once that something needs to be changed in the scoring system, because, well, it's radically unfair. And circumstances developed in such a way that our other ambassador, Karankhachanov, also lost to the Frenchman Müller, unfortunately. And so many players complain that the courts are very slow in Beijing. We have a specific court index. Here on your screens you can see how it is calculated. There are, of course, a lot of different parameters, including humidity and altitude, but the main criterion is the number of aces made in the tournament, which, in fact, shows the speed of the court itself. Here's what you can say about this and how much it's the first time I 've heard it, and this is the criterion by which I can evaluate the speed of coverage, because ace can also be different. and due to speed and strength, and there is due to direction. So when you serve the first square as a crooked oblique, like I did, it still counts as a c, but it has nothing to do with the court speed. Therefore, this is the first time I hear that such criteria exist. Well, that's even interesting. Well, Lena, Lena is absolutely right. Uh, then you don't need to have a serve that flies there at 23-30 km/h. You just need to have 190, but at the same time, you need to plasticize it in every corner. No one from you, uh, not even a player with a fantastic return will receive such a serve. Therefore, ah, to determine the speed of coverage in this way, I think that this is, well, in no case necessary. The most important thing, in my opinion, is swords, because theoretically you can do anything with swords. They can be done by applying pressure to the ball. Whatever your imagination allows, that's the kind of pressure you can apply to the ball. Therefore, I can’t guarantee it 100%, but many tournament directors can certainly manipulate the quality of the ball in this way, doing, well, that is, only the diameter of the ball is measured , and the pressure can be different, but the fact is that the courts themselves are trying to make them slower, this actually exists. And many players complain, they don’t like it. Yes. Well, you and I have discussed this many times, I think, that the real Umbledon tournament, which was in the nineties and which became in 2000, well, Lena, yes, Lena, Lena did not play Umbledon in the nineties, but I absolutely remember because, well, you know, as I know, the courts were faster based on the traces that remained. Because when you looked at the last games in the last days of the tournament, you could see this path, yes, it was trodden from the baseline to the net. It was clear how they played here, but now it’s a trampled, large lawn behind the back line. And it’s clear that even going online is becoming less relevant. Although previously for players who played serve-to-the-net, who had a powerful volley game, this was a big advantage, yes, and these were their tournaments, they were waiting for the grass season. The biggest statistic was that not a single Spaniard had ever made it past the first round of the Boulevard tournament. Here is not one. And then Felician Lopez showed up. Well, uh, that says something. I'll tell you honestly, uh, after a serve in the nineties, even before that, the ball didn't bounce higher than the knee after a serve. He was creeping, so everyone tried to go to the net after the serve and finish with a rally, a volley. But I remember this clearly, in 2000, agronomists in Mbledon, they somehow conjured something with the grass, and they made, yes, they made, they made grass that was literally absolutely identical, similar to the game, like on a hardcore court. The ball began to bounce high, and the tennis players began to play on the back line. And this whole highlight of Umboldon, which was previously a serve with a net exit and finishing the rally with a volley, it disappeared, unfortunately. Listen, at least others now have a chance to play there. Otherwise, how can you not arrive in the first circle, yes, the first circle, yes, the first circle, yes. How many How many were there How many such sensations were there, right? This famous court number two, which was called the burial ground of Grave Yard, was where most of these sensational matches took place, where the first, second, third rackets of the world always lost in the first, second, third round. They arrived at Roland with a victory and then immediately suffered a defeat in the first round. No, by the way, I'm not talking about you. No, no, no, I lost to He in ninety-six . Yes, in the first round he was at home. You got to Hemen, right? Well, yes, we played on the center court for five of this match, I played against Hamon, yes, after winning Rolans. Yes. And it happened. Listen, if we were to sum it up like this, what's more important is the court speed or the ball density, and what can you complain about and what can't you? It is certainly a trend that has been going on there for the last 20 years. Ah, and here I am, literally, also on the Internet, interviewing Federer. Eh, didn't you hear where he says that the covering was made in such a way that it somehow evens out the odds and gives the presenters the opportunity to win all the time. That's why I'm also deeply convinced that they've adjusted the coverage to one standard. Yes. standard, so that players with a powerful serve, they are somehow removed, well, it’s easier, yes, in simple words, neutralized, because no one wanted to see Boris Baker there or Pete Sampors, who, uh, in a game on his serve could serve four aces and that’s it, and the game would be over. There is no exoticism at all , no pleasure for the audience. But this is absolutely a scam. I am deeply convinced that there should be a huge number of play styles. There should be players who come to the net after serving, like in my time it was Raftor, Edberg and so on. Now, by definition, there is no such style of players, and therefore everyone starts playing a little monotonously. These are some tough, tough shots on the back line, powerful. Whether this is good or bad is hard for me to say, but I would love to see a contrast in play styles. It's probably the same with girls. No, everything is simpler for us. We basically play the same on all surfaces, so it didn't affect us. Listen, well, this is exactly about girls. Our ambassador Diana Schneider lost to Maya Joint, the 19-year-old Australian tennis player who won the title this year. Here is Elena, what can you say about her? Well, she's having a very good season. Indeed, at 19 years old, she already occupies the thirty-sixth position there, if I’m not mistaken, in the ranking. That is, the indicator is very good. I can't say there's anything special in her game , any impressive shots, but she plays very consistently, plays in the right place, and is improving for a 19-year-old. Standing so high is already a very good indicator. But, for example, in Diana Schneider’s first match, which I watched in Beijing, it seemed to me that as soon as Diana played her powerful tennis, the Australian couldn’t keep up. Here, probably, there are no more forced mistakes that Diana herself made, so everything was within her power, she could have won this match, but it is clearly showing. We were just discussing this, a new collaboration with the coach. It's very difficult to take a coach during the season and change something because he wants to bring something to your game, yes, but it's very difficult to change it during a tournament. That is, the best, optimal option is when you start working during the pre-season. Everything else, well, we probably only know one wizard, you and I, yes, who can change the game in three ways like that. This is Patricktaglu, right? Well, here is the only person who can instill confidence in Siren Williams in a day. change your technique in 2 days, yes, and, well, it's simple, if anyone hasn't read it, the book "Coach," I highly recommend it, yes, it's an amazing story, but basically, of course, everyone needs time. Everyone needs time to work, to change something, and especially when you change people who already have an established technique and who have their own vision of the game, it is very difficult to do, it is extremely difficult to do. Well, we hope that Diana will continue her collaboration with Sasha Bazhin and that they will work together in the preseason and that we will see the results next season. Do you think she is ready to listen to the mentor and his, well, comments, some nuances? Because, well, I already said, uh, that, for example, if we take, roughly speaking, Daniil, yes, with his new team, I find it very hard to believe that he will listen perfectly, ideally, to everything that his mentor Ronan and or Thomas tell him. Because, well, a person who has already achieved great success in this life, well, I mean, in sports life, it is very, very difficult to put him on a new track, on new flights. Well, these are not new rails, you know, these are some minimal nuances that can also help. Agree. They play at such a level that you can’t change anything globally. But something so elusive at first glance can also affect, you know, the game, yes. What I’m getting at is that, let’s say, they saw some nuance in the game and told him: “Danil, you need to do this.” We think this needs to be done. He says: "Let's go to hell." Things didn't even get going. You know how Marat says: "Andrey, what are you talking about? Get out there and finish the ball." But this skill is not there. If you've been playing on the back line for many, many years, and you haven't gone out there, it's very difficult for you to overcome yourself. And especially in a tournament, when you have stress, pressure, you want to win, and you’re already used to winning in a different way. No, not everything is so simple, not everything is clear-cut, unconditional. This is a huge, titanic effort that he will need to undertake. I really, really hope that Daniil will cope, that he will have a good preseason and that his results in 2026 will be much better than they were this year at the Grand Slam tournaments, because, well, not getting past the second round for a player of his status, well, what’s so special about that ? Well, the person is simply in a slump. No, well, I’m saying that the recession needs to be overcome. The recession must be overcome, and it will be overcome. Uh, I'm just stating a fact. I am stating a fact and that he certainly has potential, and he must do it. We all know this. We also have our own nineteen-year-old young talent, Mira Andreeva, who, by the way, will play with Diana Schneider in the final tournament. And so I want to talk about it, about its prospects and what the world needs to do in general to maintain its results and, accordingly, increase them, of course . Yes, Mira is truly a unique girl. She made the transition to adult tennis phenomenally early and phenomenally quickly . And she didn’t just move on, she became a true world-class star . Yes, Roger Federer himself comes to her matches . And, unlike Yevgeny Kafelnikov, he is interested in women's tennis. I am also very interested in watching her play. She plays tennis in a very varied and intelligent manner. And this season, after the pre-season, during which, as she herself put it, she almost died, we see great progress in her presentation, that is, she is also progressing in nature. Eh, well, all the leading experts predicted her victory at the Grand Slam tournament this year. Yes. And so, uh, what do you think, I wonder, Zhenya, your opinion, uh, how good is it, is it always good to have such an early, such a quick entry of nature? the fact that we know of different versions of events, yes, how the careers of the players who got there so early developed, yes, but what do you think in Mira's case, well, I get it. Uh, you mean Martina Hingis, who at 15, well, naturally, Jenifrakoevent, which at 13 years old. Well, and it seems like Maria Sharapa, who won at 17 years old. At 17, Sharapa won Wimbledon. Of course, it's a double-edged sword, for sure. the brain is not yet sufficiently developed. So, in order to have this load, I don’t mean physical now, because, well, physically it’s clear that she’s very well developed, prepared. I know that her trainers are working very hard on her physical condition. She, Lena, was right in noticing that she has improved a lot in that element that is very, very important for a girl. This is the feed. Of course, playing without a serve in women's tennis is very, very difficult. Ah, but psychologically, dealing with this stress, with the constant attention from journalists, from fans who come to your training sessions, try to take a selfie with you, get an autograph, of course, and here she is still a little raw, yes, and all those expectations, which I don’t understand who imposes expectations on her parents, there, the coach, uh, or the fans. Well, for now, there is no need to make this a must. She still needs to mature a little bit by this point. I think that we need to go through this period for another year and then everything will be fine. Well, how does one mature? This means you can play for a year and not aim for the Grand Slam tournaments. How is this ripening? Well, look, she can’t control, yes, this process. When she wins, when she reaches the final, the semi-final, she herself doesn’t know. It's all unpredictable. Yes, we all dream, hope, work, but it will happen when it happens. But again, here are the memoirs of Boris Becker, who won Mbledon at the age of 17, it was eighty-five, I think, right? And he remembers it as the hardest moment in his career. Literally just recently in an interview with her, 2-3 days ago he says this, yes, yes. He says that I couldn’t cope with the pressure, attention, and expectation that suddenly fell upon me . And it was very difficult. He also told me the same thing, he says: “I came to Germany at 17 and simply became, excuse the expression, higher than God. And for the Germans, they had their first German who won the Imbudon tournament, and from that moment on, tennis immediately took off.” And to this day, Boris Becker and Steffigraf are there, two unique athletes in the history of Germany, for whom they still, excuse the expression, constantly pray. Therefore, at such a young age, yes, it is very difficult to cope with this, with this pressure, with this pressure. This is not this, not everyone can go through this. Well, yes, because the results of Andreev’s world, they, of course , inspire many, but at the same time they excite, they do not give rest. I'm watching some kind of crazy race right now. That is, parents want it as quickly as possible , and there are endless comparisons to getting there. But look, where is the world at your age, and you are poking around here, I don’t know, still at the Russian championship. And here it is very important to say that 99, think about it, 99% of all players aged 17, 18, yes, even 19 years old are just taking their first steps on the adult tour. It's very difficult. And the pressures that you will experience, the overloads, I would even say, both physical and psychological, you need to mature for them, you need to be ready for them, because the goal is not to play there as early as possible, but to play there as long as possible, right? And for this, ah, you have to be ready, right? To do this, you have to, I don’t know, feel your body, you have to control your emotions, yes, and you have to, what’s important, enjoy the game. And at 17 years old it’s very difficult to do this, yes. Therefore, if, of course, your brain is not prepared, yes, because, well, how can you explain to a teenager, a young adult, yes, that this is your life, that apart from this, frankly speaking, you don’t know how to do anything ? And many people really have n’t yet matured psychologically enough for this. It takes time. And I understand, I absolutely agree with you when you say that parents are simply odiously, somehow, mischievous with all this drive, that my child should, should, should, this is good, without parents, of course, there is no way out. But Lena was right , it's like really winning the jackpot. That's why your child will play at the level of even the top ten, not to mention that he will win a Grand Slam tournament there or become the number one player in the world. This is a subordinate absolute unit. But this hope must not be taken away from parents under any circumstances. No, well then it’s very individual, you’ll agree. Mira got pregnant, and then we remembered Alina Korneeva, they were on the same team. Alina won, she beat the world at the Australian Junior Championships. She was number one in the junior rankings. This journey takes her a little longer. They've stopped writing and talking about her now, but she's a girl who deserves special attention, because she has everything she needs to play at the highest level. And the game, and the character, and physics, yes. But now she’s probably around 150 in the rankings, approaching the top hundred. It's normal, it's not a failure. She is taking her first steps, she is gaining experience, yes, and all this will come. It's just that this process is very individual. And here, and before, this does not equal better. Here everyone has their own path and their own road. You don't have to go far for an example. Mira has an older sister, Erica, who is 2 years older than her. Well, I know a coach who worked with them, he told me that Erika was three times more talented in the world in all respects. By all accounts. He says: "I hardly understand how the world shot." That is, everyone there was betting on Erica. Well, unfortunately, she can’t do this exact sprint, yes, so that somehow Well, although she also plays at a very high level. She stands first, unfortunately, yes, she now has all these points she defended. By the way, she beat her sister last year at this Asian series. And now, unfortunately, all these points will be lost for her, because, well, she can’t confirm it in any way. But what I'm saying is that not everyone is given this. Who are you counting on? There were also a lot of examples in my career where guys were there at 14, 15-16 years old, winning everything possible, then at 18, everything disappeared, they couldn’t cope with this psychological stress. We still have so many topics to discuss, and I suggest that since we've already touched on the topic of parents, we leave it for the next broadcast. Don't wait. No, let's talk some more. Yes, let's talk some more. And you touched on the topic of parents. And what is the interesting point? And Sasha Zverev, when he played against Dan Medvedev, quarreled with his father more than once. And in general, in principle, this happens often on tour . How do you feel about this? So, Lena, did you often argue with your mother ? Oh, unfortunately, the closest ones get it the most. They are probably some kind of lightning rod for nature. And yes, this has happened. And I also remember how I shouted to my mother that you were smiling. She says, "Oh my god, I'm just squinting. I'm sitting here in the sun, rooting for you." It was ridiculous, it reached the point of absurdity. Well, uh, I don’t know, of course, from the outside, when you see it, it looks terrible, but, understanding the stress that tennis players experience during the game, I don’t want to justify it, yes, but I was in the same situation. I understand that we are losing our temper, we are wrong, but if I had said that to my coach , I would have gotten a kick in the ass after the match and my whole alliance with him, our cooperation would have ended that very minute, because I, well, this is a different generation, Zhenya, you see, we turned out to be dissolute compared to you. I do not in any way welcome such behavior, especially towards a biological father, of course. Well, Sasha is a unique tennis player, but, well, you can’t stoop to that level, yes, like that . And all this is so, uh, thrown out, less often than ink, because all these stories are connected with Russian tennis players. Well, not with Russian tennis players, but with tennis players who speak Mara. Don't know. Do n't know? We'll make you a cut next time . I know. Well, I still have a clip on my phone, like Alena Ostapenko did two years ago on Rolangarus, but my dear, she has clips from Arina Sumolenko. I'm very sorry. No, I really enjoyed their conversations with Tursunov. Now that was good. And in general, I really liked these innovations, yes, when the coach comes and you become witnesses to these unique conversations. unique, of course, about which entire memoirs could be written. We will definitely take care of this. I'd also like to talk about Kokogauf and her magnificent serve and the number of double faults she makes. So she invited a biomechanics specialist to correct this element of her game. Arina Sobalenko also contacted this specialist. they helped her. And in my childhood, when I couldn’t serve, my coach, by the way, Maria Sharapouriadat, put me on one knee, and all summer I just stupidly served the second serve like this . There were no specialists in biomechanics at that time. Now they have appeared. What do you think? Now there are only specialists in everything, in everything, in all directions. Well, by the way, you know, I'm surprised that she chose a serving specialist, because, from my point of view, it would be a good idea for her to somehow reconsider her forehand. She is, of course, physically very well developed, but her body is not at all up to par. There is a one-handed game going on there . And even if a specialist is needed who, yes, from the point of view of, well, like, correct movements, examines her technique, here it seems to me that it is the right hand strike that can put pressure on both the elbow and the shoulder. Right now she's just saving herself with her good physical shape, but there are some significant areas that can be corrected. And her doubles, actually, Anya, I'm surprised, because you say she makes a huge number of doubles, but it doesn't stand out in the game, you know, she wins Grand Slam tournaments with them . And perhaps this is still a moment. And when she does them in the game, is it a psychological problem, yes, or is it double, well, the person just relaxed, right? I can’t say that I associate it specifically with poor presentation. I do n’t know about you, Zhenya. No, well you're absolutely right. Surely there is something somewhere under the consciousness . I also had periods in the game where I could make two or three double serves, but there was no reason to make two or three double faults in a row. You surprised me, two or three doubles. I played without a serve my entire career and nothing happened. By the way, in this photo, it seems to me, they were actually hitting the right hand . In my opinion, they are simply, yes, leading us away. The focus of attention, I think, yes, there is a serve, a serve, but still, the right hand strike - they are definitely disassembling there are absolutely no elements of the serve. Elena, I shared how I adjusted my serve, and how you worked on your serve. I did the same, but nothing helped me, as for me. I am from a knee, and from a sock, you know, from a perch and I don’t know and what I haven’t done, but well, I couldn’t do it, I could n’t do it. Well, Lina had, Lina had a huge number of other, uh, advantages in the game, with which she compensated for this element. It's always like this. There's always a certain balance where somewhere you lose something, which is what Siren Williams was afraid of, right? Because if you were a perfect player, you would win everything, it would be uninteresting if every element of the game was brought to its maximum, so Yes, but this way you sit in suspense every time, yes, to hit that square, yes, the most interesting thing is where the wind will carry the ball now. Yes, yes, yes, that's absolutely how it was, yes. Elena, you touched on the topic of injuries, which is very sensitive. Here's Carls Alcaraz, who almost injured his ankle in his first game. What was that? And, well, basically, judging by the fact that he continued to play and he plays quite well, nothing serious. Nevertheless, he took a ten-minute break. Well, in the replay it didn't look like he had any injury because he was playing on the right in an open stance and when he fell on his back he was clutching his left leg. Well, maybe something pricked, some kind of, I don’t know, micro- damage. If there had been something serious, of course he would not have been able to continue the game, much less play on. Therefore, here, I think, it’s more of a fear, yes, when you’ve already encountered this, you’re just scared, and what if, God forbid, you turn up on the offensive. Yes, there are such people. Well, in a match where you're there because your footwork isn't good enough, the collarstop can get you so bad, but thank God it ended that way. Unfortunately, it ended very badly for Barber Krejcikov, who twisted her ankle in the same way while playing in Beijing on the tychnik. And now , unfortunately, she has withdrawn, and the season is over for her. It's not always the same . That is why injuries are, unfortunately, an integral part of our sport. Well, this picture is from two or three years ago , I don’t remember. It was the twenty-second year and Sasha was out for six months, I think, and couldn’t play. Incidentally, Jens Yin returned to this tournament also after an injury, not to her labia, but to her tennis elbow. She had an operation and returned earlier than the planned rehabilitation period, yes. And yet, she really wanted to perform in front of an audience at home, to please her fans, but, unfortunately, she did it prematurely, and she had to withdraw from the tournament. But how important is it to heal injuries, and what are the most common injuries in tennis? Everyone knows tennis elbow, ankle. What else? Now that's surprising. Everyone says: "Tennis elbow." Not so often. I don't understand what tenislo is at all. It's not that common, I think, even in golf, yes, more so. No, no, I just don't understand. My shoulders hurt, my wrists are falling off, and yes, my back is a constant nuisance. The leg, well, because everyone plays with shock absorbers, so no one has elbows. Apparently, they are putting out something there and everything is fine. Oh, the usual standard is the knee, the shoulder, yes, because, well, the shoulder is objectively for some reason because it's further away, where you have to work at your maximum all the time . The knee is the part of the body that helps you move, right? Miniski, huh? That is, the gait stop too, well, well , mainly, as it seems to me, the shoulder, the back to a lesser extent. Well, I have another great game for you. I don't know how you will cope. I can wish you good luck . Of course, I will give you some advice. And what does the game consist of? Well, Chinese fans are very creative people, and they come up with different nicknames and nicknames for tennis players. And they rely on the consonance with their surnames, on some external data. In general, they have their own logic in how they do it. I will tell you a nickname, and your task is to guess who they called that. The first clue. All active tennis players, except for the last one. Ready? It did n't help us much with that. Well, let's get started. Let's see how it goes. First nickname: chicken. Tsipas. I don't even know. By the way, I would have thought so too, but no. Siner. Why Sinner? Chicken. Chick. Red-haired, small. No. And look, the correct answer. Novak Djokovic. Wow . It is never, ever possible to guess. Do you know what their logic is? Since his days growing up as a competitor to Federer and Nadal. And so he was, uh, a little chick. And plus the sound in the Chinese DJ is just like a chicken. This is deep. You told us based on appearance, and now there’s a whole philosophy here. Yes. We first tested your memory, now we will test your intuition, apparently, because there is no other way . It will be easier here. And the big rich girl? Well, accordingly, it is a woman. This is the simplest of all. Yes, I won't even guess. Ses is big. This is big, Zhenya should say. No, the rich girl. Well, what does the word rich mean? It's big, but its dimensions. Daughter of a billionaire. Ah, Jessica Pegula. Yes, that's absolutely right. That was the easiest part. The simplest, yes. Let's move on. It will get funny from now on . This is a man and his nickname is Long-Armed Monkey. Well, by the way, here you can guess about the long-armed one. Maybe it's Siner, I don't know, but who else has long arms? In nature. Dania Medvedev. Dania Medvedev. Hooray. And the monkey. Why? Because in Chinese folk culture it is a revered animal. eh, is often associated with intelligence, longevity and increased social status. This is how they associate Dan Medvedev. So it's the same high social position. The next riddle. So, for us, a man is a burden to our mother. Mom's burden. With mom's burden only Holga Runa. The Holgar rune is a constant source of trouble. No, Runa. Well, because he travels with his mother all the time . Mom's Buza is there, yes. And Shapovalov? Shapovalov just got married. And what about the wife's burdens already? Listen, there is actually a lot of logic to this, but unfortunately it's not close, yes, but you're not close to Francis, friends, because at the Hopman Cup, in all the matches, he lost all his singles and the entire mix with the siren Williams. You guessed it, right? So, our next one is the god of thunder. Accordingly, this man is Alcaraz. No, is it current or is it already? This is an active Russian tennis player. Ah, a Russian tennis player. Well then it's Andrey. Ah, Karankhachanov. Absolutely right. And for the resemblance to Hemsport. That's how it is . Yes. And Thormen from this Thor. Got it, yes. Well, the last one is inactive. Yes. Briefly, the king. Well, who is this? Zhenya Kafelnikov. There's no need to think about it. I bought us another minute, you understand? Early response. Well, Evgeniy, well almost. Well, as for your option, step over your modesty and agree. No no . Based on the fact that Marat Safin is in China on social media on Instagram , I can suggest that it is him. No, absolutely right, Evgeny. Yes, this is wrong. Look at everything, I'll review it now. No, it needs to be changed. We have one king, one tsar. Friends, I remind you how important it is that you subscribe to our amazing channel right now so you don't miss a single episode of the Hardcore show with Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Elena Dementieva. Oh, and be sure to like this video and comment, comment, and comment again with all your heart. See you soon. Until next time. I thank you all. Bye . [music]