Mikhail Youzhny: "It's nice to come back to St. Petersburg, where one of my favorite tournaments took place"
Mikhail Youzhny, captain of one of the teams at “North Palmyra Trophies 2024”, shared his opinion on the format of the upcoming competition and assessed the opponents' coach, Serbian Janko Tipsarevic.
Mikhail, you are returning to St. Petersburg again. You have a strong connection to this city and this tournament. Here you retired from your professional career, having played your last official match. What are your expectations for the team tournament “North Palmyra Trophies”?
It is a pleasure to come back to St. Petersburg. I have mixed feelings at this stage, as well as emotions, but, of course, St. Petersburg Open was one of my favorite tournaments. So, to return to the same arena, to the very same court where I played my last match will be very exciting.
You are a two-time Davis Cup champion with the Russian national team and you know first-hand what it is like to play as part of a team. What can you tell us about your experience of performing at tournaments?
When I used to play, there were tournaments, but they were all a part of my professional career, a part of tours, so I wouldn’t focus on them. Having finished my career, I competed in a couple of tournaments: one in Mallorca, another one – in London. It was really nice to play with the same players that we used to compete against on the court.
You are a strategist. You will lead one of the teams at “North Palmyra Trophies”. Are you already thinking about the player formation? Have you studied the format of the tournament, and what can you say about it?
It's hard to say anything about the balance of forces. Everyone will arrive in a different condition, it's the off-season after all. I have studied the format — it’s interesting and it’s something new, so I think it will make matches more entertaining.
Your opponent is the captain of the opposing team, Janko Tipsarevic, with whom you have met many times on the court on the professional tour. Is he a serious competitor?
You could say that Janko and I went through our entire tennis career in parallel, and even crossed paths as juniors. So, of course, it will be nice to see each other again, talk, and play. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen each other for ages. What can I say about him as a tennis player, coach and captain? He’s always been a tough opponent at all stages.
Mikhail, you are returning to St. Petersburg again. You have a strong connection to this city and this tournament. Here you retired from your professional career, having played your last official match. What are your expectations for the team tournament “North Palmyra Trophies”?
It is a pleasure to come back to St. Petersburg. I have mixed feelings at this stage, as well as emotions, but, of course, St. Petersburg Open was one of my favorite tournaments. So, to return to the same arena, to the very same court where I played my last match will be very exciting.
You are a two-time Davis Cup champion with the Russian national team and you know first-hand what it is like to play as part of a team. What can you tell us about your experience of performing at tournaments?
When I used to play, there were tournaments, but they were all a part of my professional career, a part of tours, so I wouldn’t focus on them. Having finished my career, I competed in a couple of tournaments: one in Mallorca, another one – in London. It was really nice to play with the same players that we used to compete against on the court.
You are a strategist. You will lead one of the teams at “North Palmyra Trophies”. Are you already thinking about the player formation? Have you studied the format of the tournament, and what can you say about it?
It's hard to say anything about the balance of forces. Everyone will arrive in a different condition, it's the off-season after all. I have studied the format — it’s interesting and it’s something new, so I think it will make matches more entertaining.
Your opponent is the captain of the opposing team, Janko Tipsarevic, with whom you have met many times on the court on the professional tour. Is he a serious competitor?
You could say that Janko and I went through our entire tennis career in parallel, and even crossed paths as juniors. So, of course, it will be nice to see each other again, talk, and play. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen each other for ages. What can I say about him as a tennis player, coach and captain? He’s always been a tough opponent at all stages.
