“Bronze with Kirilenko is just a different feeling.” Petrova recalls Wimbledon and the Olympics

The new Wimbledon winners will be determined this weekend. This season, the tournament has become one of the most outrageous: according to the decision of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Russian and Belarusian players were not allowed to participate. In response, the men’s and women’s tennis associations (ATP and WTA) stripped Wimbledon of ranking points.

Who is the favourite? Has Wimbledon 2022 become an exhibition tournament? Where do tennis players find so many white things and where do they put them? On the eve of the decisive matches, we discussed these questions and others with the ex-third racket of the planet Nadezhda Petrova.

Do you follow Wimbledon now?

– Due to the new coaching role for me and active training with the kids at my school, there is less time. But at the same time, I will definitely follow. There are a lot of athletes that I know personally, it’s also interesting to see new names.

— Who do you personally support in the women’s and men’s tournaments?

– In the female grid, I supported Serena [Уильямс], but she lost in the first round. I would like her to play well, but apparently that’s all. The longer she delays the moment and does not announce her departure, the worse it is. It is unlikely that she will be able to return, there has been a very long break. Now I support Ons Jaber from Tunisia. She plays good tennis, cuts, shortens like a real grass player.

And on the men’s side, it’s interesting to see how the rivalry between Nadal and Djokovic will develop further.

– There are not the first two classification numbers in the men’s grid. Is Djokovic the undisputed favorite of this company?

– In the men’s grid, there is Nadal, who won, and we must not forget that. England’s Norrie can play well, it’s his home tournament. I wouldn’t say there is a clear favorite.

– And women ?

– Again, I like the way Zhaber plays the most. I will follow her, I really want her to show herself on this “helmet” – it will be just great for tennis if there is a new winner in such a prestigious tournament.

– Now Wimbledon 2022 is, in fact, an exhibition tournament with a large prize fund. Do you think he might lose his status in the future?

Players don’t think so. It’s another Grand Slam. One of the most prestigious.

“What usually comes out of Wimbledon?”

“First of all, it’s a tradition. Fewer and fewer tournaments use grass. Grass is a difficult surface, a few drops of rain and it becomes very slippery to play on. In addition, the lawn requires care and before caring for it, you need to grow it taking into account weather conditions.

Wimbledon is, of course, a long history and rules that remain unchanged from year to year. For example, all athletes play only in white. It looks very nice and looks contrasty on the grass.

And, of course, it’s excitement, bright emotions, communication with movie stars and the music industry. One of the memorable moments is the arrival of the Royal Family and the Queen herself. This year, Kate Middleton and Prince William also participated in the tournament.

– How many white items does a tennis top 10 player bring to a two-week Wimbledon?

“We don’t take anything with us, at Wimbledon they give out a collection of white things. It changes four times a year, and just before Wimbledon they bring out the white collection. Basically players give most of those things to people. charities.

– On these grounds you won the bronze of the Olympics in tandem with Maria Kirilenko. How different were Wimbledon and the 2012 Olympics in terms of organization and atmosphere?

– Bronze with Maria Kirilenko is just a different feeling. A lot of people go to Wimbledon. There weren’t that many spectators at the Olympics and the side backdrops were bright (and we’re used to green).

On the training warm-up grounds, it was possible to train in different clothes. In matches they played in the form of the color of the Russian flag. In general, we knew the territory of the tournament well, it was quite comfortable. People came, cheered with flags, these are memorable moments.

– Do you communicate with any of the tennis players you played with at the same time?

– With a lot of. For example, with Martina Navratilova, Conchita Martinez, Elena Dokic, Bethany Mattek-Sands, Maria Kirilenko, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Dinara Safina. There are even reflections to discuss projects for the common education of children and the exchange of experiences within the framework of the school. I think that by the start of the school year I will be able to tell you more about it.

– The other day Kuznetsova celebrated another birthday. She is not announcing her retirement, but she has not participated in tournaments for a long time. Will he come back?

– Sveta has chosen a very interesting position. In recent years, she appears, plays several tournaments, then does not perform for several months. On the one hand, it is good and important that you decide when enough is enough, and you feel it is enough. It can be helpful for someone not to put pressure on themselves, to see how the body will cope. Maybe you want to play more.

And about birthdays – an interesting fact, because tournaments have always been associated with them. For example, Kirilenko is the end of the Australian Open, Kuznetsova at Wimbledon, I have Roland Garros, and so we remembered it.

Have you thought about coming back?

– At first I wanted to give myself time to recover, because there were injuries, then other priorities just appeared. I realized that I wanted to continue my tennis career as a coach. There is a great desire to instill the love of tennis in the younger generation, to engage in the sports development of children and to identify talents.

– Tell us about school. Why did you decide to stay in Russia, when I understand there were options?

– I lived in America. I first came here when I was 13. I spent many years in Florida, trained there, after finishing my career I returned to Russia. For a long time I couldn’t get used to food and food culture in general. We are always different, and not only in this. I really lacked sincerity in communication. But they don’t get along as well as we do. My parents and my daughter were born in Moscow.

With my current school partner, we trained in the same group as the children, then we decided to open a school in Moscow, it is called Nadezhda Petrova Tennis School. Tennis is something I know very well. I will continue to work in this field in order to transmit my experience to young tennis players, and of course it is important for me to raise future stars, and now I have put all my efforts, energy and resources in that direction. .

We are working on the launch of the website and the visual identity, we are preparing a press conference in September on the occasion of the official opening of the school, we are developing additional areas, for example educational conferences and master classes in Russian cities. At the same time, I personally lead training at the school.

– Is it difficult to find yourself as a coach?

– We can say that we have a family Olympic atmosphere, since my father, an honored coach of the USSR, raised more than one Olympic champion and now also works with the children of my school. In the future, we plan to expand the coaching staff, as many training groups are formed, with an average of eight people per group, and the number of students is increasing rapidly. A very large part of my life has been devoted to tennis, and of course, I find myself enjoying the role of coach. Now I can’t imagine myself outside of this sport.