History
Introduction of tennis to Russia
Arthur Davydovich McPherson (1870–1920) was the founder and president of the All-Russian Union of Lawn Tennis Clubs, a predecessor of the Russian Tennis Federation. [1] In 1903, he organized the first St. Petersburg tennis championship; four years later, he arranged the first national tournament. McPherson also helped to establish the country's first Olympic Committee. He was awarded the Order of St. Stanislaus by then–emperor Nicholas II for his contribution to the promotion of tennis in Russia. Following the 1917 Revolution, he was imprisoned, later dying from typhus in a Moscow prison. [2] [3]
After his father's death in January 1920, Arthur McPherson Jr. (1896–1976) reached the quarter finals of the 1920 Wimbledon Championships, becoming the first Russia-affiliated player to compete in a Grand Slam tournament. [4] While some Russian tennis players such as Lev Urusov (1877–1933) and Mikhail Sumarokov-Elston (1893–1970) were still active far away from Russia, many other domestically based athletes did not feel welcome within the international sports community due to Russia's political landscape at the time, particularly during the Russian Revolution. [1] [5] [6]
| Year | Men's Singles | Women's Singles | Men's Doubles | Women's Doubles | Mixed Doubles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | George Walter Bray | — | — | — | — |
| 1908 | Lev Urusov | — | George Walter Bray Walter George Bray | — | — |
| 1909 | George Walter Bray | Ekaterina Polonskaya | George Walter Bray Walter George Bray | — | — |
| 1910 | Mikhail Sumarokov-Elston | Nadezhda Martynova-Danilevskaya | George Walter Bray Walter George Bray | — | — |
| 1911 | Mikhail Sumarokov-Elston | Nadezhda Martynova-Danilevskaya | George Walter Bray Walter George Bray | — | — |
| 1912 | Mikhail Sumarokov-Elston | Nadezhda Martynova-Danilevskaya | Mikhail Sumarokov-Elston Aleksandr Alenitsyn | — | Ekaterina Polonskaya Mikhail Sumarokov-Elston |
| 1913 | Mikhail Sumarokov-Elston | Liudmila Iznar | — | — | Liudmila Iznar Mikhail Sumarokov-Elston |
| 1914 | Mikhail Sumarokov-Elston | Elizabeth Ryan | Arthur A. McPherson Robert A. McPherson | — | — |
In the USSR
During the Soviet era, tennis was not popular due to its lack of appearance in the Olympic Games, cost, and strong association with the Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov dynasty. [a] From 1974 to 1984, Soviet tennis players had been forced by the Tennis Federation of the USSR to boycott all international competitions, except for the Davis Cup, in an unsuccessful attempt by the government to influence apartheid in South Africa. [9] In addition, local men's tennis players were bullied by other Soviet athletes for competing in what they deemed a "feminine" sport. [10] [11] [6]
In 1976, The New York Times reported that while tennis was still popular in the USSR, there was a scarcity of equipment, and no tennis clubs. [12]
Notable USSR players
| Player | Titles | Last competition representing the USSR |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Metreveli | 9 ATP Tour-level singles titles by surface | South Orange Open, August 1974 |
| Olga Morozova | 8 WTA Tour-level singles titles by surface | Kent Championships, June 1976 |
| Andrei Chesnokov | 7 ATP Tour-level singles titles by surface | Canadian Open, July 1991 |
| Leila Meskhi | 5 WTA Tour-level singles titles by surface | WTA Wellington, February 1991 |
| Natasha Zvereva | 4 WTA Tour-level singles titles by surface | Sydney International, January 1990 |
| Natalia Medvedeva | 4 WTA Tour-level singles titles by surface | WTA Nashville, November 1990 |
| Larisa Savchenko | 2 WTA Tour-level singles titles by surface | St. Petersburg Open, September 1991 |
| Dimitri Poliakov | 1 ATP Tour-level single titles by surface | Yugoslav Open, August 1991 |
Post USSR
Since the end of the Soviet era, tennis has become more prominent in Russia. The Russian Federation has won the Fed Cup four times, in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008.
At the Beijing 2008 Olympic Tennis Event, Russia swept the women's tennis podium with Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina, and Vera Zvonareva winning the gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively.
Russia also boasts three former number 1 men's players–Safina's older brother Marat Safin, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Daniil Medvedev. Russian men currently in the top 10 include Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, the former of whom was a finalist at the 2019 US Open, 2021 Australian Open, 2022 Australian Open. He won the 2021 US Open. [13] Medvedev had briefly reached the number 1 ranking in February 2022, before being overtaken by Novak Djokovic. He reclaimed his first spot again in June 2022. [14] Medvedev was the first player to reach number 1 without being a member of the 'Big Four'; Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal, since February 2004. [15]
Championship winners
| Grand Slam Events | Other Accolades | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open (hard court) | French Open (clay court) | Wimbledon (grass court) | US Open (hard court) | Olympic Tennis Event (Medalists) | No. 1s | Year-End Finals (hard court) | Year-End No. 1s | ||
| Men's singles | Y. Kafelnikov 1999 M. Safin 2005 | Yevgeny Kafelnikov 1996 | – | Marat Safin 2000 D. Medvedev 2021 | Andrei Cherkasov 1992 Barcelona (clay court) | bronze | Y. Kafelnikov 1999 M. Safin 2000 D. Medvedev 2022 | Nikolay Davydenko 2009 Daniil Medvedev 2020 | – |
| Y. Kafelnikov 2000 Sydney (hard court) | gold | ||||||||
| Karen Khachanov 2020 Tokyo (hard court) | silver | ||||||||
| Women's singles | M. Sharapova 2008 | Anastasia Myskina 2004 S. Kuznetsova 2009 M. Sharapova 2012&2014 | Maria Sharapova 2004 | Svetlana Kuznetsova 2004 M. Sharapova 2006 | Elena Dementieva 2000 Sydney (hard court) | silver | M. Sharapova 2005 D. Safina 2009 | M. Sharapova 2004 | – |
| Vera Zvonareva 2008 Beijing(hard court) | bronze | ||||||||
| E. Dementieva 2008 Beijing (hard court) | gold | ||||||||
| Dinara Safina 2008 Beijing(hard court) | silver | ||||||||
| M. Sharapova 2012 London (grass court) | silver | ||||||||
