PROport picked up a geographical atlas and tried to put the most important points on the colorful career map of a 24-year-old tennis player, one of the heroines of last season
LINZ (AUSTRIA). Until the fall of 2005, Petrova wandered hopelessly curved trail Anna Kournikova and was the only tennis player in the top ten who did not take a single title in singles. It was said that in the game and in physical data it is in no way inferior to the trendsetters of speed and athletic tennis - Davenport, the sisters Williams, Sharapova ... But big victories with incredible constancy circumvented Nadia. For seven years, she performed at 130 tournaments, and none of these attempts were successful. Before Petrova loomed the prospect of a trip to a psychoanalyst, when everything had miraculously changed. Having achieved success in a small tournament in Linz, she suddenly became almost the most winning Russian woman in the WTA tour. Last year, Nadezhda became a champion five times. Only the first racket of the world Henin-Ardenne did it more often.
CAIRO (EGYPT). The foundations of his tennis Petrova happened to build in Cairo. Her parents - former hammer thief Viktor Petrov and Nadezhda Kolesnikova-Ilyina, medalist of the 1976 Olympics in relay racing - were offered to train Egyptian athletes. But life in a point of the globe so unsuitable for women’s sports did not hurt the young tennis player. “I, too, at first was afraid of harsh local customs, but in reality everything turned out not to be so scary, and I have no regrets about the time I spent there,” Nadia defends the city of her childhood. - Cairo has excellent conditions for training: you can play all year round, the courts are in good condition, there are a lot of tennis clubs, almost every week there are some competitions. For the level at which I was, it was just heaven. And in women's sports in Egypt there really is no taboo. Many locals send their children, including girls, to sports clubs. ”
PARIS, FRANCE). Last year, Petrova arrived at the Dream Roland Garros tournament with a reputation as the princess of the soil and the main favorite of the women's net. Nadia knows how to win in Paris - in 1998, she was already a champion among juniors, and then twice reached the adult semifinals. But last year, in the first round, she whistled to lose to the little-known Japanese Akiko Morigami and grumbled the whole match under her breath that “it was necessary to withdraw from the competition altogether”. “I then got in excellent shape, finally felt confident, but literally before the start I got a nasty injury in training,” Nadezhda winces from her memories. - I had to be treated all summer, and then compensate for the lack of gaming experience. In short, almost half the season went down the drain. " However, Petrova did not take advantage of a great shopping opportunity in Paris, which opened because of an early departure from Roland Garros. “Shopping is a good stress reliever, but off the court I prefer to spend less time on my feet,” Nadia sighs. - Therefore, I prefer to relax and recover from injuries outside the city, in nature. No wonder one of my hobbies is fishing. ”
GOLD COST, QUINSLAND (AUSTRALIA). If you look at any of the matches of Nadezhda, you will almost certainly find on it some kind of bandage imposed by the doctor. Her adult career so far passes under the sad motto "not a year without sick leave." For example, the Gold Coast tournament spoiled her seasons three times already, and in 2002, after a trip to this Australian resort, she had to be treated for seven months. “I guess I really have a very unpleasant tendency to injury,” Petrova nods. “Either because of my high growth, or because of the frequent change of coaches, I don’t know.” Tired of health problems, a tennis player during last year’s Kremlin Cup even agreed to such a radical method of therapy as a bath with ice balls. “Recovery with the help of contrasting temperatures was recommended by my new physiotherapist,” Petrov still shouts from the cold. - With the help of this doctor, I’m just going to get rid of all my injuries. And really - after the ice bath the pain left. But do not think that I am prone to such experiments. "I agree to shock therapy only if I understand why this is necessary and I believe that this will help me."
PETERMARITSBURG (South Africa). The current trainer and sparring partner of Petrova, Roger Anderson, hails from the former capital of the Zulus empire, but in the tennis world this does not surprise anyone today. Martina Navratilova’s protégé works in tandem with a longtime friend Nadina, Ukrainian Tatyana Matokhnyuk. The tennis player chose this strange duet after setting a WTA tour record last season, having replaced four coaches. “It’s very difficult for me to choose the right specialist because of my nature,” Petrova complains. - On the one hand, in my life I’m used to being a leader and I will never be silent if I don’t agree with something. I can even raise my voice. On the other hand, I do not like to be alone. I need a professional whom I can trust. During tournaments I need psychological support. For some girls, this role is assumed by the parents. But I completely refuse to give up the coach. Any tennis player needs a look from the outside and qualified advice in which direction to move. "
TBILISI, GEORGIA). This season, Nadia will celebrate the tenth anniversary of her first professional victory. This happened in 1997 at the ITF tournament in Tbilisi. “Tennis then acted as my nanny,” Petrova recalls. - My parents sent me to the sport not because they were athletes, but rather so that the child was at work. I will not say that at first I liked it very much, but now I am grateful to my father and mother for the fact that they made me study then. ” Over time, Nadia turned into a real fan of sports (“when I check into a hotel, the first thing I turn on the sports channel”), but she has not become a slave to the coaching techniques and statistical calculations. “I can say for sure that there is no point in studying statistics in women's tennis,” Petrova argues from the height of his 6th line in the world ranking. - The whole game is quite predictable, there is not much variety. And today I have enough experience to just go out to the match and quickly pick up tactics for any opponent. ”
KRAKOW (POLAND). Of all the opportunities to get into tennis, Petrova chose the most non-trivial, finding the Polish sponsor Andrzej Glinsky and a training place in Krakow. In the late 90s, the conditions there were not much better than Moscow, so the main explanation for this decision was the proximity of the Polish residence to the transport arteries of Europe. For a player who makes 20-30 flights a year, this is a very powerful argument. In addition, Nadia had a special, almost mystical attitude to air transport, which even now was not shaken by either moving to Amsterdam, nor returning to Moscow, nor the intention to plan her calendar in a more gentle way. “You know, a lot of things occur to me on the plane,” the tennis player reveals her personal secrets. - It seems that you are not on earth, and earthly problems do not bother you anymore. You start thinking about all sorts of things. At such moments, I sometimes start to cry, just like that. "
MOSCOW, RUSSIA). “I left Russia quite small, and it’s hard for me to feel mine in today's Moscow,” Nadia reacts skeptically to attempts to call her a Muscovite. - The names of most metropolitan areas do not tell me anything at all. In addition, I feel uneasy from the metropolis: the hustle and bustle of cars in the streets. The first time my dad drove me around Moscow by car, I always took a book or a magazine with me - it was just scary to look at the road. ” Integration into Russian reality today worries Petrov no less than tennis: “I reviewed almost all of the Soviet film classics that passed me as a child. Now, I think it's time to switch to modern Russian films. In general, cinema is my passion. I love the echoing dark halls with huge screens and get out there as soon as possible. ”
AMELIA-ISLAND (USA). Unlike most Russian tennis players who call the Kremlin Cup their favorite tournament, Petrova prefers less pathos competitions. “I really like the Amelia Island tournament,” Nadia admits. - There is a peculiar coating of courts - green clay, but a very pleasant atmosphere. In between matches at Amelia, tennis players sunbathe or bathe. And most of the fans are vacationers or senior citizens who relax on local beaches. ” Petrova is sensitive to the fact that on the other side of the sideline of the court. At one time, she criticized the Moscow style of pain, and New York. “I am impressed by the impartiality of the public,” she explains. “When the fans don’t take sides ahead of time, but enjoy every rally and give everyone their due.”
LIEZH (BELGIUM). Relations with the Russian team is the most difficult page in Petrova’s career. When you talk to her about this topic, her voice even changes. Nadia opened the account of her performances in the Federation Cup back in 2001, but she played in only seven games during this time, without having a hand in either the first championship of 2004 or the second title in 2005. The lack of Petrova in the composition of the coaches attributed either to her injuries, or the reluctance to adjust the personal tournament schedule to team interests, then the lack of stability and flaws in the character of the tennis player. It seemed that all the old grievances and misunderstandings should have been resolved last spring, when, after a long break, Nadezhda finally appeared on the team during a duel with the Belgians. But, alas, that trip to Liege confused everything even more.
BEIJING, CHINA). On the Liège ground, Petrova immediately lost to Henin-Ardenne, and the next day, Maria Kirilenko suddenly appeared on the court instead of her. According to the indignant trainers, Petrova not only disappointed with her game, but also refused to continue speaking due to fatigue. “The day before I had three heavy tournaments in America,” Nadezhda said. - Acclimatization affected, forces and emotions were running out. But no one brought open claims to me after that match. Therefore, I see no reason not to resume playing for the national team in 2007. " So far, Petrova is included in the extended list of the team for the new cycle of the Federation Cup. But an unused chance in Liège and insulting coaches can complicate her way to the national team, and, therefore, to the 2008 Olympics. However, she, it seems, doesn’t really want to go there. Indeed, in Beijing, Nadia will have to represent the whole country, and the people of her character - nomads - are primarily accustomed to being responsible for themselves.
Text: Oleg Shamonaev, PROsport
Photo: Pavel Samokhvalov
Key dates in Petrova's career
October 7, 1996. The first professional tournament of the 14-year-old Nadi in Cyprus.
October 5, 1997. First ITF title at the tournament in Tbilisi (Georgia).
November 2, 1997. Ends the season at 589th place in the world ranking, after which he moves to Krakow and begins to train under the supervision of former Polish national team player Vitold Meres.
June 7, 1998. Victory in the singles junior "Roland Garros" in Paris.
July 13, 1998. 16-year-old Nadia makes her debut in the WTA series at the tournament in Warsaw (Poland).
July 23, 1999. Debut in the Federation Cup in Bratislava (Slovakia).
June 23, 2001. First WTA doubles title at the tournament in Hertogenbosch (Holland).
January 5, 2002. He gets a leg injury in the Gold Coast (Australia), after which he does not perform for seven and a half months.
June 5, 2003. The first for the 21-year-old Nadi semi-final of the Grand Slam - at the Roland Garros in Paris (France).
January 10, 2004. He is injured in the finals of the tournament in the Gold Coast (Australia).
January 5, 2005. Withdrew from a tournament in the Gold Coast (Australia) due to injury.
June 2, 2005. Second unsuccessful semi-final of Roland Garros in Paris.
August 18, 2005. Removed from category 1 tournament in Toronto (Canada) due to injury.
October 30, 2005. 23-year-old Nadia wins her first single WTA title at the 2nd category tournament in Linz (Austria) and decides to part with the Dutch coach Glen Schap, with whom she has been collaborating for almost five years.
November 8, 2005. For the first time included in the list of 8 participants in the WTA Championship final tournament in Los Angeles (USA).
March 5, 2006. Receives the main prize - a Harley Davidson motorcycle - at the tournament in Doha (Qatar).
April 9, 2006. He wins his favorite tournament in Amelia Island (USA).
April 23, 2006. Returns to the Russian team after a break of two and a half years.
May 15, 2006. It occupies the highest position for itself - the third - in the world ranking and becomes the first Russian racket for two weeks.
May 21, 2006. On the eve of the "Roland Garros" is injured and misses two months.
October 8, 2006. The red Porsche wins the tournament in Stuttgart.
October 13, 2006. Removed from the Kremlin Cup doubles tournament in Moscow due to injury, but in singles reaches the finals, where she is inferior to Anna Chakvetadze.
January 6, 2007. Together with Dmitry Tursunov, he wins for Russia the first Hopman Cup in Perth (Australia).