Famous as the first freely-elected leader of Russia, Boris Yeltsin stood by his country for better or worse – in politics as well as his favorite pastime, tennis. But last week, the world lost one of its most well-known modern leaders and tennis lost one of its biggest fans. Yeltsin died of heart failure in Moscow at the age of 76.
Yeltsin’s beaming smile and white mane were a familiar sight at most Russian Davis Cup and Fed Cup home events, including the victories of both the women’s and men’s Russian teams in 2004 and 2006, respectively.
Credited with making tennis available and appealing to the masses, he fostered staunch support of the game by providing funding to clubs and leagues and for the construction of more public courts.
It wasn’t until 1996 that a Russian man won a Grand Slam – that was Yevgeny Kafelnikov at Roland Garros. But after that the Russian Revolution seemed to be in full force, with the likes of the Anna Kournikova and Marat Safin making constant headlines for both their tennis and off-court activities. Russians continued to make waves on the court as Anastasia Myskina, Maria Sharapova, and Sveltlana Kuznetsova took home majors, making them a fixture on magazine covers.
Yeltsin has been credited for part of that success, promoting the game not only through his legislative connections but also by sheer publicity. He was a fixture at Russian events and stormed the court to congratulate players when the country captured its second Davis Cup in December. And who could forget him the French Open last year, when he leaned over from his seat to shake hands with Maria Sharapova and get her autograph on his hat?
Shamil Tarpishchev, the man at the center of the Russian teams’ victories, paid due credit to the former Russian President.
"In large part due to him tennis has become what it is today – not only one of the most popular sports in Russia, along with soccer and ice hockey, but also the most successful," he told Reuters.
“We were very fortunate to have him around for all these years. He was one of our most loyal fans," he said. "While we all mourn his death, I'm sure Russian tennis will not only survive but will become even more successful in years to come."
Playing in Barcelona when the news first broke, Nikolay Davydenko echoed Tarpishchev’s sentiments.
“I think he is the first guy to make tennis [popular] in Russia. He did like everything because he liked tennis and played tennis and he pushed the Russian Federation to get good results for the players and for Davis Cup. He was the No.1 fan of Davis Cup. Always he was in Moscow to see some matches. He didn’t feel good [physically] but he still came to see,” Davydenko told Tennis.com.
“He was already old and feeling not great. It was pretty tough but it is still surprising that he is [dead] now.”
Russian tennis will certainly continue to build on its legacy, but it will have to do so without one of its most recognized and faithful followers.