| Mikhail Youzhny | |||||
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Birthdate: June 25, 1982 Hometown: Moscow, Russia Status: Pro - 1999 |
Height: 6' 0" Weight: 152 Plays: Right-handed |
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Career Highlights: - Reached the Round of 16 at the 2001 Wimbledon Championships - Reached the round of 16 at the 2001 Tennis Masters Series - Monte Carlo - Semifinalist at the 2001 Copenhagen Open - Member of 2000 and 2001 Russian Davis Cup team - Reached the round of 32 at the 2001 Australian Open - Defeated Franco Squillari (ranked No. 17 at the time), at the 2001 Gold Flake Open - Reached the quarterfinals of the 2000 Kremlin Cup - Reached the round of 16 at the 2000 Heineken Open Shanghai - Reached the round of 16 at the 2000 Heineken Open Hertogenbosch - Won the 2000 Samarkand Challenger in Uzbekistan - Finalist at the 2000 Cherbourg Challenger in France - Semifinalist at the 2000 Fergana Challenger in Uzbekistan - Semifinalist at the 2000 Scheveningen Challenger in The Netherlands - Semifinalist at the 2000 Istanbul Challenger in Turkey Interesting Fact: - Mikhail is a big fan of soccer and "new" Russian folk music. |
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SportsLine.com recently spoke with Mikhail (with some translation through his coach, Boris Sobkin). Here is what he had to say:
SportsLine: There seems to be a lot of good young players from Russia these days, (yourself, Marat Safin, Nikolay Davydenko, Dmitry Tursunov). What do you attribute that to? Mikhail Youzhny: I have good coaching and we have access to better conditions than ever before. All other Russian players left Russia to train, but I stayed in Moscow.
SportsLine: When did you first begin to feel like you had a shot at a pro career? Mikhail Youzhny: When I was starting with Boris seven years ago.
SportsLine: How do you think your game measures up against the best players on tour right now? Mikhail Youzhny: I play and practice now against the top players. I beat (Marat) Safin in practice, but practice is different than playing.
SportsLine: What are your goals for 2001? Mikhail Youzhny: I want to play well and make the top 50. We never plan for ranking, only what to improve in the game.
SportsLine: What has been your high point so far? Mikhail Youzhny: Reaching the semifinal in Copenhagen (February, 2000).
SportsLine: What types of adjustments have you needed to make over the past year as your competition has gotten tougher? Mikhail Youzhny: We have improved all parts (of my game), but the most difficult and biggest improvement was the serve. We will work on it more to make it more consistent and get better placement.
SportsLine: What is the strongest part of your game? Mikhail Youzhny: I don't want everybody to know.
SportsLine: What is the best thing about being a tennis player? Mikhail Youzhny: I like to travel. I like to look around the world and I like to meet people.
SportsLine: Who is your favorite player to watch? Mikhail Youzhny: It was Stefan Edberg, but now there is nobody.
SportsLine: Is there someone you most look forward to playing? Mikhail Youzhny: All players - I look forward to every match.
SportsLine: At this stage, do you still find yourself getting discouraged with your game? Mikhail Youzhny: I want everything to improve. I am never totally satisfied. If we are satisfied we have to quit, even if I am No. 1.
SportsLine: What are your career goals? Mikhail Youzhny: To be No. 1 and to win Grand Slams.
SportsLine: Are you ever intimidated by an opponent? Mikhail Youzhny: No, I want to play against the strong players. I never think about the quality of the players. I never lose before the match.
SportsLine: What are some of the sacrifices you have had to make because of the demands of your schedule? Mikhail Youzhny: There is one main problem: It's difficult for me to stay away from my family. We always come home.
SportsLine: What would you like to pursue after you retire? Mikhail Youzhny: I want to maybe coach, maybe open a tennis club in Moscow. Moscow's facilities do not compare to the rest of the world, that is why most Russian players play somewhere else. There are no saunas, no pools and no fitness (facilities) at the tennis clubs. The tennis courts are in one part of the city, everything else is in another. I want to organize a real, normal tennis club for Moscow. |
