Evgeny Kafelnikov is a famous Russian tennis player who was the first Russian to lead the world tennis rating. After Kafelnikov, world-class athletes appeared in Russia, and tennis came to life in our country.
Childhood, education and development of a tennis player
Evgeny Kafelnikov was born in 1974 in the city of Sochi, Krasnodar Territory. His father, a professional volleyball player, considered it his duty to instill in his son a love of sports. Therefore, at the age of five, little Zhenya was already confidently holding a tennis racket in his hands.
At first, the coach did not pay much attention to the boy, raising other guys who were more promising in his opinion. But at the age of fifteen, Eugene, unexpectedly for everyone, won the European competition for juniors and made the coach look at himself differently.
Already at a young age, Eugene developed his own style of play - the so-called intellectual tennis. In addition, the tennis player had an amazing sense of the ball.
Studying with Evgeny was always in second place after sports, but he still graduated from the Kuban Institute of Physical Education.
Career
At sixteen, the athlete moved to Moscow and Anatoly Lepeshin became his coach for many years. Thanks to Anatoly's coaching skills, iron discipline and his own talent, Evgeny reached the elite of world tennis. He has won Grand Slam tournaments, Davis Cup, Kremlin Cup, Sydney Olympics and many other tournaments.
Having reached sports heights, Evgeny Kafelnikov simply left the sport. He did not throw any farewell parties, but simply stopped performing. A little later, the tennis player played in veteran tournaments, but this is a completely different level of play.
Now Kafelnikov is engaged in administrative work in the Russian Tennis Federation and is restoring his health, which has been shaken during the period of intense games.
Personal life
Due to constant employment, Eugene could not arrange his personal life for a long time. But once he met a pretty girl Masha, the couple began to go to competitions together. Upon learning about Maria's pregnancy, Eugene proposed to her, and the young people got married. The couple had a daughter, Alesya.
But the constant stay at home with young children (Maria already had a child from the singer Christian Ray) had a bad effect on the girl's mental health, and she joined the sect. This became the cause of discord between the spouses, and they soon divorced.
Alesya Kafelnikova is now a model known for her scandalous behavior and addiction to drugs.
Charity
Evgeny Kafelnikov is actively involved in charity work. He sponsors a tennis club in Sochi and also buys equipment for one of the hospitals. In addition, he often transfers money to someone who needs help.
