Tennis. Eduard Dubrov and Vladimir Volchkov left their posts as captains of the women's and men's national teams of Belarus. Exclusive! Vladimir Volchkov: Tennis will move along the path of optimization

​Head coach tennis team Vladimir Volchkov told the site about how he and Max Mirny covered up Belarusian sport and why, on instructions from the president in 2007, it was not possible to open the academy, and also - what is the reason for the success of veteran players in world tennis.

Vladimir Volchkov. Photo: Vadim Zamirovsky, TUT.BY

— Before the match between Belarus and Sweden in the Davis Cup in 2007, at a meeting with the players of the national team, Lukashenko first voiced the idea of ​​​​creating a National Tennis Academy. He offered to head it to one of the active tennis players. Have you given any indication that you are interested in pursuing this career?

— I didn’t just submit, but talked about this topic with Mikhail Yakovlevich Pavlov ( Mayor of Minsk from 2000 to 2009. — Editor's note), who then headed the federation, and with the Minister of Sports [Alexander Grigorov]. They heard me, offered me the position of head coach and decent wages. However, if we are doing a great public service, the resource cannot be limited to scholarships for one person. He will either hurt his forehead or do nothing. And as for the academy... I admit, there was one meeting with a very powerful person. Probably, then I was not able to express my thoughts correctly, or maybe I was let down. Don't know. I heard over and over again, they say, you go, and we’ll sort it out now. I didn’t want to be a “wedding general,” so I left.

— And then Shakutin, who was awarded the federation in 2012, returned you. And in 2013, the president again set the task of creating an academy.

- Yes, this time everything was clear. Here's man number one. He called me. And the academy itself is not only Volchkov, but a team of 15 coaches. There are also people in the tennis federation, the Tennis Development Fund, the Republican Center for Tennis Education and other schools. This machine is designed for one task and allows players of the national team and reserve to have good conditions for training at home and traveling to international competitions. Can we do better? Definitely. I can provide a list of what the academy needs. This is our own biochemical analyzer so that athletes do not have to go to the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Sports at 8.30 am on Monday, because they already have training at 10.00 am. We need the equipment that our former physical training coach Abdul Sillah had and which was no longer available when he left. There are several more items on this list, but the academy has already reached the average level of equipment. Our job is to help tennis players jump into the world top 100. Then they will reach self-sufficiency.

I think, being in the top 50, a player has at least half a million dollars a year. This is decent capital. It allows the player to invite himself good coach and general physical training trainer. That is, there is no need to walk around with an outstretched hand... And the academy’s base remains at the disposal of the Belarusians, regardless of the situation in the ranking.

— At the age of 23, you were the 25th racket in the world. The leaders of the current men's team Ilya Ivashko (22 years old) and Egor Gerasimov (24 years old) are outside the top hundred ATP tennis players. Meanwhile, in the world top 50 there are now only 6 players under 24 years old and many veterans. Does this justify our men's tennis?

- A very correct question. From the category - when a culture of understanding grows big sport in the country. Okay, why has there been a shift in favor of older tennis players? First, the people who peaked 10 years ago were very talented. Even as the influence grows physical qualities in sports, their level allows, after 30 years, to win tournaments in the “ Grand Slam" Can you imagine how they played in their youth? Then a technological revolution occurred in tennis and, as a result, the game slowed down and was given a higher tempo. Light rackets, fast strings, and a slow court appeared. But the sneakers were not made so that giant players with serves at 220 km/h and playing on the fly (as a rule, their shoulders and elbows “fly out”)... They eventually practically disappeared as a class. They were replaced by “ideal machines”. People of a certain anthropometry with a good ratio of muscle component to weight bone tissue. They are explosive, light, resilient, well-coordinated and highly reactive. This selective material is so suited to modern tennis that it has caused the average age of a top 100 player to rise.

- All this is not in our favor due to the 15-year failure, right?

- Exactly. They say don’t throw stones at the past, because later you’ll hit yourself in the head. But, by and large, both Mirny and Volchkov grew up in Soviet system, where we were taught techniques and concepts such as attitude and respect for coaches. And we left here just in time, when everything fell apart... We, who grew up in another world, were covered up for a very long time. It seems like there is something. People hung medals on their chests for Barabanshchikova and Zverev, Mirny and Volchkov. There wasn't a damn thing! Or where did it all go when Volchkov left the stage and Mirny went into a couple?

Today the team is aware of the processes existing in us and in the world, and we concentrate on the quality of what we do. So this is only in three and a half years! We are building our school based on the best traditions of Soviet sports in reality modern life and based on personal experience.

I didn't just say that we need a biochemical analyzer. We need a simulator, which was no longer available when we left Sillah Academy. We must keep up with the times and achieve sporting longevity for our tennis players. Let them make it to the hundred mark not at 18, but at 24. As soon as they stop poking around somewhere in the elite, the possibilities of Belarusian tennis will expand significantly. Why give money to a loser and a thief? One will squander, the other will steal. I personally set up my team for results. Let's start giving - you can ask for more help. This is fair and sporting. Prove your professional worth, but not with words, hanging noodles on the ears of parents of small children, if you are a coach, but with deeds. The country is waiting. Can? This means there is trust and the resource can be increased.

Of course, we have to look to the future to try to guess where tennis will go. My prediction is that there will be big changes in it in the next 5 years. The brains went into our sport. Top players attract more and more powerful physical trainers and doctors.

Roughly speaking, just recently Yegor Gerasimov’s legs were treated, but the problem turned out to be in his back. Due to this injury, he dropped out of tennis for almost 7 months. I don’t know what the person did... Yes, it’s difficult to get a good doctor, because people with regalia bend their fingers, which is what they have the right to do. But our team is working, simple. Maybe we are not up to their level. In general, Alexander Vasilyevich Shakutin personally took control of the situation ( Chairman of the Belarusian tennis federation. — Editor's note). “Okay, if they don’t want to go, we’ll raise our own”, - said Shakutin and selected new specialists for us. They didn’t have time to speed up - they came in the summer and did their job well. Another component in which we have become stronger.

— You played 72 times in the Davis Cup, and Maxim Mirny played his 92nd match in a recent meeting with the Romanians. Have you discussed with him that the hundred is already close?

“Max doesn’t think about it, but he’s inevitably moving towards the anniversary match. Beautiful story It turns out there is nothing to add. We were born to make a fairy tale come true. Maxim is an extraordinary and deeply respected person who deserves to be a legend. He is our example of longevity in men's tennis.

NOT ONE Belarusian insurance community had to share in the glory of the winners. Responsibility for Vladimir’s health in the event of injuries lies with the International Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the insurance companies authorized by it. However, oddly enough, neither the athlete himself nor his managers were going to demand compensation. In the end, the match with the Russians was eventually brought to a victorious end. For information: Vladimir Volchkov’s annual insurance premiums are about $1,400, which, according to the contract, he regularly transfers to APR accounts.

First serious injury Volchkov received it at the age of 14. Then the ankle injury resulted in a plaster cast for the athlete for almost two months. Moreover, it is possible that the latest Minsk incident was an echo of an old incident. The fate of sports heroes in Belarus increasingly depends on international insurance programs. Fame too quickly becomes history, and payments from the ATP will become a completely reliable guarantor of financial stability after the end of a sports career.

REFERENCE

Vladimir VOLCHKOV was born on 04/07/78. In Minsk. Height - 192 cm, weight - 85 kg. Highest Achievement in singles - reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon 2000, winner of the ATP tournament in doubles. Over the years professional career earned about 1.2 million US dollars. Married.

Now the hero of the match with the Russians has fully recovered from his injury, and he underwent a rehabilitation course in Minsk. Belarusian fans will be able to see Volchkov and his colleagues on the national team in about a month: on April 9 - 11, the 1/4 finals of the Davis Cup Belarus - Argentina will take place in Minsk.

As of March 8, 2004, Vladimir Volchkov ranks 179th in the ATP rankings. Moreover, due to injury, he missed exactly a month and “fell” in the ranking by 22 points. And the leader of our team, Maxim Mirny, is now in 29th place on the same list.

MINSK, March 15 – Sputnik. Former captain of the Belarusian men's tennis team Vladimir Volchkov again led the team, the press service of the Belarusian Tennis Federation (BTF) told Sputnik.

In March, the BTF again invited him to lead the team. Among the candidates were also Maxim Mirny, Alexander Shvets, Denis Smolekov.

This week a meeting of the BTF Board Bureau took place. The federation informed that Mirny, Shvey and Smolekov refused the offer for valid reasons. Volchkov agreed to lead the team again, and the bureau members voted unanimously for him.

“The main tasks at the moment (Vladimir Volchkov) considers building business, professional relationships between the players and the ROO “BTF”. A special place in working with the team should be taken patriotic education players. It is also important to prepare the team’s reserves and provide a long bench,” the BTF said.

BTF Chairman Sergei Teterin noted that the team captain has a “huge responsibility.” He noted that the team will play its next match only in September. During this time, the captain must line up new system work and interaction in a team.

“All actions must be carried out with the obligatory understanding of working “for a positive result”, because the matches ahead will be difficult. I want to wish you good luck in the captain’s position,” Teterin noted.

The women's team has a new captain

Together with Volchkov, Eduard Dubrov also left the post of captain of the women's team in February. His place today was taken by Tatyana Puchek, who led the team from 2012 to 2015, when the Belarusians reached the 2nd World Group.

“We congratulate the new captain on his appointment, and I would like to sincerely wish him success in his work in office. The practice of returning captains to positions in the Fed Cup and Davis Cup has examples in both world and Belarusian tennis. I hope that our women’s team with the return of Tatyana Nikolaevna will become a single whole, a united team aimed at achieving the main thing - the highest sporting results!" - Teterin noted.

On April 21-22, Belarus will host the Fed Cup World Group playoff match against Slovakia. The meeting will take place at the Chizhovka Arena.

chibo 17 Feb 2018 11:44

string(5) "chibo" string(17) "17 Feb 2018 11:44" string(464) "

Quote:
Spring exacerbation... nothing new... just a little earlier... look how my speech has become incoherent and incomprehensible... it will disappear for a couple of weeks... and then again as good as new.

Chertovich 17 Feb 2018 01:37

Spring exacerbation... nothing new... just a little earlier... look how my speech has become incoherent and incomprehensible... it will disappear for a couple of weeks... and then again as good as new.

string(8) "Chertovich" string(17) "Feb 17, 2018 01:37" string(186) "Spring exacerbation... nothing new... just a little earlier... look how speaking has become incoherent and incomprehensible... It will disappear for a couple of weeks... and then again as good as new." Array

chibo 17 Feb 2018 00:36

Bring back the shakutin!

string(5) "chibo" string(17) "17 Feb 2018 00:36" string(24) "Bring back Shakutin! " Array

Don Basil 16 Feb 2018 23:59

It’s clear that the cap can’t strengthen the team’s play, but he can easily ruin it! The women's team is a viper and to go there without knowing the ford will doom the business to failure in advance. The cap's job is to create the most comfortable conditions for dollar millionaires to express their best qualities, choose the really strongest at a given time without complicating the microclimate in the team

string(9) "Don Basil" string(17) "16 Feb 2018 23:59" string(492) " charly , again I disagree... without knowing this cuisine, it’s better not to draw conclusions.

It’s clear that the cap can’t strengthen the team’s play, but he can easily ruin it! The women's team is a viper and to go there without knowing the ford will doom the business to failure in advance. The cap's job is to create the most comfortable conditions for dollar millionaires to demonstrate their best qualities, to choose the truly strongest at a given moment in time, without complicating the microclimate in the Array team

charly 16 Feb 2018 23:43

string(6) "charly" string(17) "16 Feb 2018 23:43" string(398) "

Quote:
Vals , I don't agree with you...

I think that you will change your mind when we start to burn with the new cap