Spartak Tennis Club, also known as Shiryaevka, is a tennis training ground located near Sokolniki Park in Moscow, Russia. Built in 1979, it formerly formed part of the Spartak sports society. [1] It has 15 outdoor clay courts, which remain open for four months during the year, and two indoor courts. [2] The club is known for training a number of top Russian tennis players who have gone on to win Grand Slam titles. [3] [4] [5] Competition for places at the academy was high as of 2013 due to its rigorous training program. [6]
Marat Mubinovich Safin is a Russian retired world No. 1 tennis player and former politician. He achieved the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world No. 1 singles ranking on 20 November 2000. Safin is also the older brother of former WTA world No. 1 player Dinara Safina. They are the only brother-sister tandem in tennis history who have both achieved No. 1 rankings. Safin began his professional tennis career in 1997, and held the No. 1 ranking for a total of 9 weeks between November 2000 and April 2001. He won his first Grand Slam title at the 2000 US Open, defeating Pete Sampras in the final, and won the 2005 Australian Open, defeating Lleyton Hewitt in the final. Safin helped lead Russia to Davis Cup victories in 2002 and 2006. Despite his dislike of grass courts, he became the first Russian man to reach the semifinals of Wimbledon at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, where he lost to Roger Federer. At the time of his retirement in November 2009, he was ranked world No. 61. In 2011, he became a member of the State Duma representing the United Russia party. In 2016, he became the first Russian tennis player inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Georgi Aleksandrovich Yartsev was a Russian football coach and player. He was the head coach of the Russia national team between 2003 and 2005.
Football Club Zenit, also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925, the club plays in the Russian Premier League. Zenit are the reigning champions of the Russian Premier League. Previously they won the 2007, 2010, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21 and the 2021–22 seasons of the Russian Premier League, as well as the 2007–08 UEFA Cup and the 2008 UEFA Super Cup. The club is owned and sponsored by the Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom. The team play its home matches at the Gazprom Arena. In March 2022, the club was expelled from all European and international club competitions by FIFA and the UEFA due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In addition, the European Club Association suspended the team.
Association football is the most popular sport in Russia, beating ice hockey by a huge margin. Men's football is overseen by the Russian Football Union, having the Russian Premier League as the first tier of the Russian football league system, with the Russian Football National League being the second tier.
The Russian Premier League, also written as Russian Premier Liga, is the top division professional association football league in Russia. It was established at the end of 2001 as the Russian Football Premier League and was rebranded with its current name in 2018. From 1992 through 2001, the top level of the Russian football league system was the Russian Football Championship.
FC Rostov is a Russian professional football club based in Rostov-on-Don, Rostov Oblast. The club are members of the Russian Premier League, and play at the Rostov Arena. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Club Association suspended the team.
Andrei Eduardovich Chesnokov is a former professional tennis player from Russia.
The Dubai Tennis Championships or Dubai Open is a professional tennis tournament owned and organized by Dubai Duty Free and held annually in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on outdoor hardcourts.
Spartak is an international fitness and sports society that unites some countries of the former Soviet Union. In the Soviet era, the Spartak sports society was supported by the Komsomol. Since 1991, Spartak has operated under the sponsorship of the food worker's union ("Pischevik").
Alex Raphael Meschini, simply known as Alex, is a Brazilian football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the current assistant manager of Corinthians.
Otkritie Bank Arena, also known as Spartak Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium north-west of Moscow, Russia. The venue is used mostly for football matches, hosting the home matches of Spartak Moscow.
Igor Vladimirovich Denisov is a Russian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Roman Nikolayevich Shirokov is a Russian international football official and a former player.
Rauza Muhamedzhanovna Islanova is a prominent Russian tennis coach and former tennis player.
Jano Ananidze is a Georgian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Chertanovo Sport and Education Center, also known as Chertanovo Football Academy or Chertanovo Football School - is a Russian youth football academy based in Moscow, Russia.
Quincy Anton Promes is a Dutch professional footballer and convicted criminal who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for Russian Premier League club Spartak Moscow. He used to represent the Netherlands national team at the international level.
The Russian Cup is an annual major national Russian sports award given to tennis players, coaches, companies and other organizations and people that contributed to the development of this sport in Russia. The cup was established in 1994 by then-Vice President of the Russian Tennis Federation Dmitry Vikharev and the President of IC Arman. It was organized by Anatoly Gusev in the following two years, and after his death in 1996 his wife Lyudmila Guseva and businessman Alexander Cherkasov continued its organization.
Elena Andreyevna Rybakina is a Kazakhstani professional tennis player. She is the reigning champion at Wimbledon and the first Kazakhstani player to win a title at a major. She is also the first to be ranked in the world's top 10, with a career-high singles ranking of world No. 3 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), and is the current Kazakhstani No. 1 player in women's singles. Rybakina has reached thirteen other finals on the WTA Tour, winning four further titles, including two WTA 1000 titles at the 2023 Indian Wells Open and the 2023 Italian Open.