* News from : https://tinyurl.com/y9nbzt4d
'The Colonel' Mikhail Youzhny Set For A Final Salute In St. Petersburg
Sep 17, 2018 By Andrew Elchenholz
The Russian finished 13 straight seasons in the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings
Mikhail Youzhny’s career might not be defined by a single shot. The Russian
never had a forehand like Juan Martin del Potro’s in his repertoire, and his
one-handed backhand was never as devastating as Stan Wawrinka’s. But if
nothing else, the Russian became synonymous with his victory salute, placing
his racquet on his head after winning a match in tribute to his late father.
And in a way, that’s fitting. The 36-year-old, nicnkamed ‘The Colonel’,
has been a soldier on the ATP World Tour for nearly two decades, cementing
his status as a consummate professional years ago, and flourishing in an era
featuring some of the best players in tennis history. Youzhny will hang up
his racquets after competing at this week’s St. Petersburg Open, completing
a workmanlike career that saw him climb as high as No. 8 in the ATP Rankings.
“I can say I had a great career. I never thought I could play until 2018 and
I can play at a high level,” Youzhny told ATPWorldTour.com. “I was one of
the youngest guys from my age who went into the Top 100 and from all the
times, I was at a high level. All the time I can say I was a professional,
that’s why I maybe stayed later in the tennis career.”
Youzhny never stopped looking for ways to win. Whether it was on the court
with his fighting spirit, or off of it, working as hard as possible day-in
and day-out.
Typically, he’d spend his offseason in Thailand. But prior to the 2018
campaign, he spent four weeks in Marbella, Spain with his physio and doctor
before returning to Moscow, where he resides.
“I didn’t have good results, I didn’t have too many wins, but I still
practised, I still felt I can play, I can maybe have good results. But after
Roland Garros, after Antalya, after Wimbledon, it was too many close matches
for me that I lost, five sets, four sets, three sets with a close tie-break,”
Youzhny said. “Even during the matches I could not play consistently really
good and for me it was a little tough, too much up and down and it was tough
for me to recover and for me I need recovery to be 100 per cent ready for the
next match. This is one side. The second side, I think in my head about my
kids, family, everything. I don’t want my kids now to live my life. I think
now it’s time for me to live my kids’ life.”
Most Match Wins In History By A Russian
Player Record