Aleksander Dolgopolow

Joao · 30-12-2010 19:22:28

Ołeksandr Dołgopolow (ur. 7 listopada 1988 w Kijowie) – ukraiński tenisista, reprezentant w Pucharze Davisa.

Karierę tenisową rozpoczął w roku 2006. Ma w swoim dorobku pięć zwycięstw w turniejach rangi challenger (wszystkie na nawierzchni ziemnej).

Miejsce zamieszkania: Kijów
Wzrost: 183 cm
Masa ciała: 87 kg
Gra: praworęczna
Trener: Jack Reader
Wygrane turnieje: 0
Australian Open: Ćwierćfinał (2011)
Roland Garros: 3R (2010)
Wimbledon: 2R (2010)
US Open: 1R (2010)

http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%C5%82eks … po%C5%82ow

jaccol55 · 01-01-2011 18:34:01

2010 NEWCOMERS OF THE YEAR

Alexandr Dolgopolov

Inspired by his father, Oleksandar, a former ATP professional and his coach from a young age until 2008, Alexandr Dolgopolov has declared he has the goal of being World No.1. The Ukrainian announced himself as one of the players to watch in 2011 after breaking into the Top 40 (No. 39) of the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings in July, having started the year at World No. 131.

Dolgopolov was strong on his favourite surface clay on the ATP Challenger Tour in Morocco in the first three months of the season, winning the title in Meknes and reaching the finals in Tanger and Marrakech. In May he defeated World No. 13 Fernando Gonzalez to reach the Roland Garros third round and two weeks later reached his first ATP World Tour semi-final in Eastbourne (l. to Llodra). The right hander went on to reach three more quarter-finals in Umag, Moscow and St. Petersburg and finished the season ranked No. 48.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis … -Year.aspx

Serenity · 23-01-2011 00:03:43

AO 2011 - wywiad po zwycięstwie w 3 rundzie

Q. Do you consider this the biggest success of your career so far?
ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Yeah, pretty much. Of course, it's the second week of a slam, you know. Beating Jo, he's a really big player, in five sets. So for sure it's probably the biggest match I've won for now.

Q. What turned it around for you? You were twice a set down.

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, I could see he's pretty tired. His physical form is not probably the best now. In the second set I could come up from a break down, and I was just holding on. He had a really good third set.

I was up a break, and he just started hitting winners. I had to hold on and play consistent, try to make him more tired.

Q. You will now play Soderling. How will you take him down?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, you know, he's a really good player. I'll just have to hold on and try to do my best game, you know, be consistent because he's really good server. On the baseline he's really solid.

I'll have to do my best and give him a fight, and maybe a bit of luck.

Q. Serves very well from the baseline. Can you spot any weaknesses in his game?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, everybody has weaknesses. But I've never played him, so I'll probably see on the match. I'll discuss it with my coach and see how it goes.

Q. What was the plan for this match since the last match at Wimbledon?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: This match I was more fit physically so I could run more. I tried to make him play long rallies, because, you know, Wimbledon I wasn't that fit last year. So I had to risk more myself.

Today it paid off that I played more consistently and made less unforced errors.

Q. We remember Andrei Medvedev talk about how he used to hit with you when you were five, pretending you were his son. What do you remember at that time when your dad was coaching him and you were on the tour?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, I had a good time. I was always around the players' lounge playing with all the stars there. Everybody knew me. I had a good time. I was in the tennis circuit.

I was with Andrei, always cheering for him. A lot of stories I remember from them.

Q. How long did it go on for? How old were you when it started, and how old were you when you had to go to school?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: I think it started, I was about three years old when my father start to coach him. It went on for three, four years. Then they broke up and they got back again at '98. So another year. I was like 10 years old at that stage. So maybe four, five years I traveled. Some I remember, some I don't.

Q. When did you decide to be a professional tennis player?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, I was just practicing, you know, and my father is a coach, so it just went there. Probably at 10 years old I started, like, practicing professionally. Less school and more into tennis.

Q. How tough is it for you?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, this year I got a lot stronger physically. I worked out consistently in the preparation for the year. So I'm feeling a lot better. I don't have to risk that much as I did last year. Feeling good, feeling solid, so I can really get my game up with the level because I don't need to do, you know, like stupid shots, you know, miss a lot.

So I'm getting more solid, more consistent, of course playing better.

Q. Who was your favorite player 10 years ago?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: 10 years ago? I always like Andrei, how he played. I liked Marcelo Rios' style. Probably those two.

Q. Now?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Now it's tough to say. You know, I'm in the circuit.

Q. Who do you like to watch the most?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Probably Roger, because I like, you know, different shots. It's pretty fun to watch Rafa, as well. He's like totally a different type of player.

But everybody has something in his game that is interesting to watch. But I'm not into watching tennis a lot, apart from being on tour. I like to, you know, relax and keep away from tennis.

Q. You say you have a lot of stories from the time when you were a kid. Have you got one or two you can share with us?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, there was once when my parents lost me. I was pretty small then. They lost me somewhere on the site. They found me. I was surrounded with all these people. I couldn't read or write. They were taking my autograph. I was just writing letters, like Alex.

Q. Do you like to make some show on the court during the match?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: For sure, I enjoy it on the court. Sometimes I do really good shots. So I like it on the court. I like competing. Even if I'm losing, I'm trying to, you know, be positive on the court. Some players, you look at them, and they're like having a bad time there, they're struggling.

I'm trying to keep away of that. Of course, sometimes you get really pissed if you're playing bad or something. But it's life.

Q. You have hands very fast and you think very quick. Did you do other sports or do you do some different things with your hands?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: No, I think it's just how I am, you know, naturally. I don't do much of different sports. I'm in tennis from three years. Never done anything else. Playing tennis all my life.

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/new … 98519.html

Serenity · 24-01-2011 16:03:09

AO 2011 - wywiad po zwycięstwie w 4 rundzie

Q. There were not too many people looking at you when you were playing four years old in Monte Carlo Country Club with Medvedev and others. What is the memory from there to today?
ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, I had a lot of good times, you know. I was on tour all the time when my father was a coach. Then I started to play myself.

It's a lot of work. Now I'm happy something's paying off and I'm getting my goals together and getting up there.

Q. Why didn't you pick up your father as a coach if he was such a good coach to bring Andrei No. 4 in the world?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Actually, he was coaching me until like 19 years old. Like only a few years he's not coaching me. It was a pretty tough time. We got a bit tired of each other because I always see him. It's pretty tough relationship, like father and coach.

So we decided it's better, and everybody's happy now.

Q. Your current coach is an Australian, Jack Reader. How did you get involved with him and what's he done for your game?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, my manager met us like two years ago. He's done a lot of my physical and mental, you know. I've got a lot more solid, consistent in the game. Maybe not so much in the tennis.

I was playing really well, but he just gave me the right way to play, got my game together.

Q. What are your thoughts on today's game? You've made it to the quarterfinals. What were your expectations and thoughts on today's game?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, I started not really well. I was serving really bad. I mean, with a player like that on the baseline, he's really good. So, I mean, the first set I was struggling, and a break down in the second.

I came back somehow and started to play better and better with every set. I'm really happy I'm through to the quarterfinal.

Q. There was some medical treatment in the third set. Did you notice that and try to make him run a bit more?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Yeah, I think he got something, tape on his leg. I went to the toilet break, so I didn't really see that a lot. I was just trying to stay focused and play my game.

Q. We don't know your next opponent yet. If it's Andy Murray, what sort of match would you expect with Andy Murray?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: For sure a tough match because he stays in the rallies, he really sees the ball good. It's tough to play winners with him. I mean, a tough, physical match. I need to play really solid to beat that kind of player.

Q. You're a cosmopolitan player: Ukrainian with an Australian coach and an Italian manager, Corrado Tschabuschnig. Why do you have an Italian manager?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: There's a lot of nice people in the world, so you just meet them all over.

I'm happy with my team now and I'm doing well.

Q. Is he here?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: He's not here now. He's been on the other slams, but not here now. Maybe he'll come for my match if I win another one.

Q. When you were very young and when you were touring with your father, what are the players that you remember meeting?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, for sure Thomas Muster was playing with me like the most, and Marc Rosset; they were playing the most with me. But I met pretty much all the players.

When there's a kid on tour, all the players try to play with him. I had a nice time.

Q. Anyone you liked in particular?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, I don't really remember it much, you know, because the first time we were traveling, I was like three, four, five years old, yeah.

And the second time I was like 10 years old. I was practicing already. I remember a few players. But not really much.

Q. Is this the best win of your career?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Yeah, for sure. I think it's like two matches in a row I win five setters. I feel well physically and really happy I got some wins against those kind of players, you know.

Q. If it is Andy Murray that you play next, what do you like about his game? What is going to be tough for you?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, for sure he doesn't give you any cheap points. I just watched the first set. He had like two unforced errors. It's really tough to play him. He has a good serve.

If you start to play slow, he starts to bring up the rhythm and play winners. If you risk too much, you miss. He's an uncomfortable player to play.

Q. Did you expect a little bit more from the world No. 4?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Not really. He was playing, I mean, well. I was just trying to stay in there. Probably I was doing good on the return, so that helped me win the match. Because he was serving well, and I was returning a lot, like 215. I saw the speed sometimes. I was guessing well reading the serve.

I can't say he played bad or something else. I was just trying to play my game.

Q. On the ATP website, I saw one of your hobbies is computer programming.

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Yeah, that used to be. But now I don't have any time to do that. We did one game. We actually finished it. I mean, the game is done, but we didn't have time. I'm not into it now anymore.

Q. What was the game?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: It was an online game, a Russian game. I was into it because I used to play them. But then I tried to make my own. We didn't really finish it.

Q. What sort of game was it?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: It's like an office game. You know, you have your character and you like evolve him. You have fights there. Just like an online life.

Q. You will play in the coming weeks in Buenos Aires and Acapulco if I am not wrong. Why these tournaments, and what do you expect from both cities, both tournaments?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, I'm more comfortable on clay because still sometimes my legs hurt, and I don't want to be staying on hard too much. I'm used to clay more. I think I can do good results there.

You know, I have a bit of a problem. I need visas. I'm not sure I'll make all the tournaments I want, but I'll try to go there.

Q. Who else is in the same management company with you with Tschabuschnig? Because you are the strongest, but there are more.

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: There's Viktor Troicki is pretty good, then Marcel Granollers, Igor Kunitsyn. Quite a few players. Ivan Dodig.

Q. What do you think about this new generation of players, Tomic, Nishikori, Berankis?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: I played pretty much all of them, and I think they're all pretty good. I think they're all going to be top 50 players. They all have good games. Everyone has something. They just need to grow up and get their game more consistent.

Q. Some of us know your father, but we don't know your mother. Where is she and what does she do?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: She just helps my sister studying, doing nothing much. Just family.

Q. Where?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: In Kiev. She used to be a gymnast.

Q. You seem very relaxed. Do nerves come into play now?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Not really. I started pretty bad today, but I can't say it was the nerves or something. I just was not in the match. My body wasn't listening to me.

I mean, I'm trying to get used to playing. That's my goal, you know, to be top 20, top 10. You need to beat those kind of players to be there, so...

Of course, sometimes you have nerves. Like on the match points I didn't play too good, but I was too close. So, I mean, that's normal, I think.

Q. You played Andy Murray in the Davis Cup a few years ago. What do you remember about that match?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: I remember I was expecting more.

Q. More from you or more from him?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: No, more from him, because he played not too fast. I thought he has a really big pace. I didn't play those kind of players in real life. I just saw it on TV. TV makes it look much faster.

When I came out there, I just realized I'm playing faster, hitting the shots, but I make too much unforced and he was just overplaying me. I wasn't consistent enough to even win a set.

Q. Do you like playing counter punchers like him?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, I mean, you have to play everybody. I just try to do my game and make him struggle with the shots, break some rhythm.

But he's, for sure, a tough player to play.

Q. Do you see similarities between his and your game? The way you talk about his game, it sounds as though you're talking about your own.

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Yeah, it's a bit similar. I think he's also trying to play uncomfortable for the player, first of all. For sure he can hit some winners. So it's pretty close game, I think.

Q. What would you say is your best quality as a tennis player, and what as a human person?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Sorry. I don't really understand the question.

Q. What is the best quality of yours as a tennis player? Outside of the tennis court, what is your best quality as a person?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: On the tennis court, probably I play relaxed. You know, I enjoy the tennis. I don't get tight too much. I play really freely. Sometimes it pays off. I have fun. I try to fight every point, do the right things.

Q. In terms of strokes?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Strokes, I try to also do all the strokes, play different shots. I can't say I have a best shot because sometimes I play winners from everywhere, and sometimes I also struggle and you can't really explain it.

One match I serve 15, 20 aces, and today I served 23% in the first set. I'm trying to make my game more consistent.

And off the court, probably I try to be honest with all people.

Q. If you could beat the No. 4 in the world, do you feel confident you can beat the No. 5 in the next round?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, I think every match is different. I'm very happy I won today. But, I mean, the day after tomorrow is going to be like a completely different match.

I need to, you know, forget about this match and go into the next round. I mean, it's a good run, and you can make it even better.

Q. You say you try to be honest. Were you surprised when you got a letter from the Tennis Integrity Unit or not?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: I wasn't really surprised because I knew some guys, you know, like Russian guys, they got those letters. They were asked some questions. I wasn't really surprised of that. I just had a few questions to answer, so...

Q. Tipsarevic the other day said that these letters come mostly to the Russian players and eastern European countries and he thinks it's not fair. Do you agree with that?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: I don't know. I don't ask the other players do they get them or not. It's really like each player's business what he gets. If it's like that, probably those countries are more poor. Maybe more players are involved in some kind of something. I'm not really informed to comment that.

Q. You've been out here since December 5. Have you been in Adelaide training?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Yeah, I've been for like 10 days in Adelaide. Then I came to Melbourne to practice with the Aussie guys playing in the playoffs.

Q. Then Brisbane obviously, and Sydney.

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Then I went to Brisbane a week before the tournament.

Q. Do you think that's helped you, that extra time to get used to surface?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Yeah, for sure, because I don't really like the heat. I got used to it more here.

Q. When you're not playing tennis, what do you like to do?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Not really, I don't like to watch sports. I don't even watch TV when I'm off the court. I just like to relax with my friends, drive my car.

Q. Which is what?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: A Subaru.

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/new … 47183.html

jaccol55 · 24-01-2011 16:48:32

Art and Craft

Playing tennis in the air. That’s what it can look like when Alexandr Dolgopolov has it all going, as he did for most of his upset win over No. 4 seed Robin Soderling today. We like to say that certain players have “all the shots,” but Dolgopolov has them all and a few of his own invention. There’s the head high crosscourt backhand that he seems to take directly in front of his body. There’s the whip forehand he hits while hopping in the air. There’s the slice backhand that’s spiced with a little extra sidespin. Plus, there's the usual array of threaded passing shots, sharp returns to the corners, and easy forehand winners. If Lleyton Hewitt had studied ballet—a comical thought if there ever was one—he might have moved and played something like Dolgopolov.

The Ukrainian is the last, and thus far the best, member of the ATP’s Aussie Open youth movement. Dimitrov, Berankis, and Tomic have come and gone. Raonic is playing as I write this. Meanwhile, Dolgopolov, at 22 the elder statesman among these whippersnappers, is through to the quarterfinals. Just when it looked like the top seeds had rendered themselves unbeatable, one of them, Robin Soderling, has been beaten, convincingly. Dolgopolov nicked and sliced and cut and hooked the No. 4 seed until the towering giant finally toppled over.

We’ve been hearing a lot about Dolgopolov’s youth at this event. His father worked as fellow Ukrainian Andrei Medvedev’s coach, and he toted little Oleksandr (he recently Westernized his name) around the world with him. In his post-match interview today, Jim Courier said he had hit with Dolgopolov when he was very little. The kid never missed, Courier said, which was “very annoying.” In his press conference, Dolgopolov said with a smile that his father had coached him until he was 19, at which point they “got tired of each other.” Now he works with Aussie coach Jack Reeder, and he’s been training Down Under since the first week in December.

I’ve mentioned it here before, but I also remember watching Dolgopolov when he was a junior. I was doing a story on Donald Young in 2005 or 2006, so I went to the Orange Bowl and watched the various junior Slam events that year. In those days, Dolgopolov was one of the smaller kids, with a thatch of hair that fell over his forehead. He was all touch, all funk and junk and spin, with the thought process of a Baby Santoro—in other words, more catnip for tennis writers. The problem was, he didn’t seem to enjoy tennis. Half the matches I watched, he appeared to tank, including one horrible performance at junior Wimbledon, in which he seemed to be losing to spite himself, or to spite someone else. I can remember thinking that having enough talent that you didn’t need to work at the game was more curse than blessing. I couldn’t imagine ever seeing the kid at the pro level.

Now he’s backed up that native talent and creativity with the pro fundamentals. He can put the ball away from both sides and defend the baseline. Dolgopolov says it was a matter of organization more than anything else. “He’s done a lot for my physical and mental [game],” Dolgopolov says of Reeder. “I’ve got a lot more solid and consistent. He gave me the right way to play, got my game together.” Leave it to an Aussie to show a kid the right way to play tennis; it’s in the blood down here. Dolgopolov has also cut out one of his (less than pernicious) distractions from tennis, computer programming. He and a friend created an “office game” where you can have “fights.” Now Dolgopolov says he’s “not into it,” and that he mostly likes to just drive his car around. Understandable: It is a Subaru.

For the moment, we’ll have to make do with Dolgopolov’s creativity on a tennis court. That should be plenty. He’s got the athletic genes that are standard now: His father was a tennis player and his mother a gymnast. It makes for a graceful combination. I’m on the Dolgopolov bandwagon again, the way I was back in ’05. Of the young guys I’ve seen here, he’s been the most enjoyable to watch. His five-setter with Soderling today was never a chore to sit through.

The loose and versatile Dolgopolov made it seem, as they say, so easy. His shots, with their occult spins, curved around and away from Soderling, who was constantly one step out of position (“I didn’t play good enough to win,” was the Sod’s simple but accurate assessment afterward). It’s good to know that a kid with the talent to make it look easy ended up working hard enough to get the most out of that potential. Now he'll play another player of similar talent who has worked hard to exploit it, Andy Murray, in the quarters. It should be a pleasure to watch them craft each other into the ground. Though judging by Murray's current form, it will be a tough one to win.

Whatever happens, it's good to see a new face in the big press room, one of a few who have made their debuts there this week. Today Dolgopolov sat in the interview room looking up, a half-smile of amazement on his face as reporters kept filing in. With a young player, it’s a getting to know you process. Journalists cast about for any scrap of information, from what car he drives to the type of computer game he designed to his mother’s whereabouts (she does “nothing much” according to Dolgopolov; I hope that quote doesn’t get back to mom).

In this casting about, we got a memorable quote from him. Someone noted that he's Ukrainian, but he has an Italian manager and an Aussie coach. How did that come about?

“There’s a lot of nice people in the world, so you just meet them all over,” was the answer.

That has nothing to do with tennis or the appealing way that Alexandr Dolgopolov plays it. But’s it’s a nice thought to finish on, nonetheless. I hope the world, and the world of tennis, continues to seem so nice to him.

http://blogs.tennis.com/thewrap/2011/01 … craft.html

Serenity · 26-01-2011 16:33:43

AO 2011 - wywiad po porażce w ćwierćfinale

Q. What was the experience like out there in a quarterfinal of a Grand Slam tournament?
ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: It was a really good match, you know. Andy played really well. I was trying to keep up. I think I was showing a pretty good match. I mean, he was just more solid for me today. He played better.

Q. You play very flamboyant and entertaining tennis, which is terrific. Is consistency something you have to work on?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Yeah, for sure. I mean, you always want to get more consistent.

But, you know, today, I mean, just hitting with him on the baseline was just suicidal to lose three easy sets. I had to go for the balls and I think I was playing the right tactic.

When I get better in the physics and I play better, I'll get more of those balls and maybe there will be a tighter match.

Q. Did it give you a feeling of how much you have to make up on the top players?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Yeah, for sure. I think I'm playing better tactically in the important moments. But I still need to practice and get better to beat these kind of players more.

Q. You played Rafa a few months ago. How would you see Andy's chances against him?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: I don't know. It will be a tough match. They're both really good. They like to play on the baseline. So it's always fun to watch their matches.

Q. Who would you pick?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: I don't know actually. It's too tough. I didn't really see Rafa now play much. But they're both good. I think if they play, it will be an interesting match.

Q. What was the difference between beating Soderling and losing to Andy? What did you find more difficult about playing Murray?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: For sure, he's more solid at this day, and he didn't give me much of easy points. You know, I had to take it away myself.

And with Robin, I mean, he made some errors, and I really needed to just stay in the point to win it. It's a bit different game. It was tougher today for me.

Q. Are you amazed at what you've done?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Yeah, for sure, I'm really happy that the year started this way. Really happy that I am playing this way. I'm really looking forwards towards the next tournaments. I'm confident now and I think I can do good.

Q. Have you heard from a lot of people like your parents?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Yeah, my parents are watching all the time, cheering for me. They're really happy. A lot of my friends as well. So it's really nice.

Q. I think your name used to be Dolgopolov, Jr.

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: That's because my father played tennis and he had the same name. I just took it away because I think it's too long to pronounce (smiling).

Q. When did you get rid of that part?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: I think it was somewhere in the summer.

Q. Last summer?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Yeah.

Q. What do you expect about the next tournament in Buenos Aires, especially with another surface?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Well, first I would be really happy to get there because I need to make three visas for every country for one week, so that's pretty tough. Maybe I'll have to miss the first one in Brazil and go Buenos Aires, then Acapulco if I make it.

I'm happy to get on clay court and continue the year.

Q. It would be your first visit to Buenos Aires?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Yes, to Buenos Aires it will be the first time.

Q. What part of your game do you think you've improved on during this tournament?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: For sure I'm more consistent, you know. I've changed my tactics to last year. I'm feeling more fit and better physically.

Towards the tournament, I got more confident. You know, changing the things in the first matches that were maybe not going well. Played really well, I think.

Q. At one stage during the match you looked up to the coach's box, and your coach wasn't there.

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Yeah, he went to the toilet, he told me. They were giving him a hard time getting back because they were saying, You don't have a box pass. He's like, Look, it's coach Dolgopolov. Yeah, he wasn't there for a few games.

Q. Is that disconcerting when you look up for a bit of inspiration from a coach and he's not there?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Not really. You just look up to see someone like cheer for you, and it makes you feel better. But if he's not there, he went somewhere for his business. I mean, it's not like a tragedy or anything.

Q. You showed a lot of good sportsmanship when you were beaten by great shots. Is that how you always respond, in that way?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: He overplayed me a lot of times, my good shots. So what can you do?

Q. There was one shot, an overhead, and Murray played it down the line. Maybe one of the shots of the tournament.

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Yeah, he just went for it because, I mean, my overhead was disgusting actually. You know, it was pretty tough. I missed a lot of today easy balls next to the net because I was trying to hit them without a bounce, the overheads. The ball was coming out from the roof to the right side. I missed a few. He missed one overhead as well. He did a lot of good shots.

Q. Is he smart as a tennis player?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: Yeah, for sure, he's one of the smartest players. He tries to break your game. He plays really smart tactically. He doesn't give away a lot. You need to make him do the mistakes.

Q. You told us before the match that you like to drive, that you drive a Subaru. With your winnings, does this mean a new car?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: No, I'm still with the Subaru. I like it. I enjoy it.

Q. A few players have said the courts have been slower in the last two days because it's been colder. Did you find it that way?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: I don't know if it's from the cold. I felt it really with Robin, playing on center court, that it's much slower. I don't know if that's the weather or the arena also.

But it was slower on the arena for me, tougher to make winners.

Q. The third set you played some amazing tennis, then Andy got a jump on you in the fourth set. Did it take you by surprise or were you a bit let down after the third set?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: I think maybe I lost a bit of concentration because he was making me move a lot more than my other opponents. I was covering too much court today. That makes you lose sometimes like a few games, you just lose concentration. He played really well, made a few winners. He made the ball like really deep.

I just went back, tried to come back, but it was like two breaks. Too tough.

Q. What do you take away from this tournament?

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV: First of all confidence, that I can play with these players. I'm really happy that, you know, I got some goals together. I had a goal to do the second week. I'm happy I could do it, even though it was with pretty strong guys.

Yeah, mostly that and a lot of game experience.

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/new … 17298.html

DUN I LOVE · 31-01-2011 10:13:41

Australian Open 2011 - pierwszy ćwierćfinał wielkoszlemowy.

Aleksader Dolgopolov był jedną z rewelacji pierwszego tegorocznego turnieju wielkoszlemowego. Ukrainiec w drodze do "ćwiartki" pokonał takich graczy jak Jo-Wilfried Tsonga czy Robin Soderling.

Urodzony w Kijowie zawodnik od dziś może pochwalić się także nowym, rekordowym rankingiem. Olek jest 32 tenisistą świata.

jaccol55 · 09-02-2011 15:49:11

Rozmowa z października:

Q&A WITH ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV

Q: You have increased your ranking nearly 100 spots from the beginning of the year, what would you consider the primary reason for your success this season?
A: First of all, being almost injury free during the whole season. [This is] one of the first injury-free years I’ve had in my career. Plus, I got a lot of confidence last year and now I am playing much more solid in all aspects of my game.

Q: Which victory on the ATP World Tour or at Grand Slam level has meant the most to you this year?
A: It was probably at Roland Garros [in the] first-round against Arnaud Clement. It was my first Grand Slam main draw, as well as my first five-set match, and an important victory, which helped me reach the third-round afterwards.

Q: After sustaining good results on all three major surfaces, what would you consider your favourite surface?
A: My favorite surface for now is the clay, because I have spent 80 per cent of my time playing on it. But not because of [my] results, because of the way I move and I feel a lot more at home on clay, but soon that can change.

Q: Who would you say has been your toughest opponent on the season and why?
A: I think it was the match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga [at Wimbledon] because I had to finish it injured, and we had a really tough match. The movement on grass was new for me, so I was working a lot to play well there.

Q: How has your life changed back home with your new found success?
A: It didn’t change at all, [because] tennis is not popular in [the] Ukraine, so I’m the same person I was before at home. Same friends, same stuff to do, no additional things because of the success.

Q: Describe how your coach, Jack Reader, has influenced the success in your career?
A: Well he helped me a lot in the game; he helped me improve my head and made me play without injuries. That is very important. First of all we are good friends; it is not a mere coach-player relationship. So I’m happy with it!

Q: What are some of your ranking goals for the end of 2010, and what are you looking to accomplish in 2011?
A: For now the goal in 2010 is to stay in the Top 50 at the end of the year, because now I have some health issues that don’t let me be in top form. Now I already feel a lot better than during the US tournaments. For 2011 the goal is to get [to the] Top 20 and stay there solid, playing good in the Slams and the ATP [World Tour Masters] 1000 [events].

Q: Describe how a typical day of practice would unfold for you?
A: I wake up around 8 am, [I have] breakfast, [a] 30-40 minute break, warm up, two hours of practice, shower, lunch, one hour sleep, a snack, two [more] hours practice, a bit of gym, stretching or some running, dinner, and finally relax.

Q: You’ve lost to David Ferrer on two occasions this summer, talk about the challenges of playing the Spaniard, and what you’ll need to do in the future in order to defeat him?
A: First of all I will need to get healthy. Both matches I played I didn’t feel [in] top form with my health, and you have to stay 100 per cent concentrated to beat David [because] he is really solid and fights to the last points of the match. But it was a good experience to play two times with him; I hope next year I can do better against players of this level.

Q: Some of your fans call you “Dolgo,” is that a nickname that you prefer?
A: Well probably they call me that the most, so that’s what I prefer. But actually I have no problem if someone calls me another nickname.

Story reproduced with permission from TennisConnected.com

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis … rview.aspx

DUN I LOVE · 09-02-2011 23:44:47

THE CONSTANT ENTERTAINER

Alexandr Dolgopolov beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Robin Soderling en route to his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the Australian Open.

As a child, Andre Agassi, Boris Becker and Andrei Medvedev were his play mates. So for Alexandr Dolgopolov Jr., it was always going to be a natural progression to the ATP World Tour.

There is something about Alexandr Dolgopolov Jr. Maybe it is the way his blond pony tail flops as he bounces around the court like the Energizer Bunny. Or could it be his balls? He can hit them early or late, big and hard, fast with spin or off-pace with slice. Dolgopolov plays with a sly, cheeky smile that seems to say ‘catch me if you can’. And the way he jerks his opponents about the court is almost like he is giving them the middle finger.

"Sascha was always travelling with his father and Andrei. So, he was used to being around the top players all the time."
Without a doubt, Dolgopolov’s style is not for the tennis purist. This 22 year old from the Ukraine is definitely new school. His look and game could have very well been created by an Xbox engineer; serve powered by a hard drive add-on and groundstrokes fired by two analog triggers. All said, he is fast-paced and fun to watch. Plus, the players have given him a great nickname, the 'Dog'. Whether he is called that because his family name is hard to pronounce, or because he plays like a dog, nobody knows for sure. One thing that is certain, this kid has star power.

Some players are easy to define; baseliners, all-court, serve and volley. Not the 'Dog'. His tennis would fall under a different category, something like Slash and Burn. Or on an off day, Crash and Burn. If Dolgopolov’s tennis could talk, it might say to an opposing player, “what have you done lately?” And there is that little matter of his shot selection. At first glance it seems insane.
“Normally it depends how comfortable I am feeling in the match,” explains Dolgopolov. “I try to play unpredictable, and make my opponents uncomfortable.”
Even Andy Roddick commented on it after their match in Brisbane.
"I knew that he was aggressive to the point of psychosis," Roddick said to much laughter in a post match press conference.

Dolgopolov rarely gets excited about his great shots. He does not beat his chest, pump his fist, or scream out loud. At best you might catch him toss a wink up at his coach. Or acknowledge the applause of the crowd with a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin. The "Dog" is cool. The James Bond type of cool.
We should have seen him coming. The signs were there all last year. Three set losses to Radek Stepanek, Richard Gasquet and Tomas Berdych. And a five-set thriller which he lost 10-8 to Tsonga at Wimbledon. Then there were wins over Mardy Fish, Fernando Gonzalez, Mikhail Youzhny and Nicolas Almagro. But it was a straight sets loss to Rafael Nadal in Madrid that made the boys in the locker room sit-up straight and pay attention. Dolgopolov did not just play Nadal, but he appeared to tease him. Playing up on the baseline, he went toe-to-toe with Rafa whacking the 'Raging Bull' with inside-out forehands and taunting him with countless drop shots and lobs. For a couple of hours, it looked like Rafa was being controlled by a joystick and not by a 21 year old who's highest ranking to date was World No. 62.

You could say that Alexandr Jr. was born to play tennis. His father, Oleksandr Dolgopolov Sr. (note spelling change at the request of the son) was an excellent player himself on the Soviet national team and then went on to coach Andrei Medvedev to stardom. His mother, Elena, was a medal winning gymnast. Alexandr Jr., called Sascha by his family and close friends, spent more time on the court than in the cradle. At the age of three, the player's lounge on the ATP World Tour was his living room.
“I spent almost one year training under his (Alexandr's) father,” says Max Mirnyi. “His father was a very strict coach, extremely disciplined. And he made sure to teach all the strokes and shots of tennis. Sascha was always on the courts dragging the racquet behind him running after balls. He began to develop at a very young age.”

"If Dolgopolov's father is a clean cut ... then coach Jack Reader is a love-life bohemian."
“Sascha was always travelling with his father and Andrei (Medvedev),” says Orest Tereshchuk, Ukraine’s Davis Cup captain. “So, he was used to being around the top players all the time. And I don’t think he is or has ever been shy of them. He is very comfortable at the top of the game.”
If father wanted son to follow the rules and regulations of a strict training regime, he was in for a spot of trouble. Not only did Alexandr Jr. not want to think inside of the box, but he wanted to be nowhere near it.
“My father is the type of coach that knows very much about tennis,” says Dolgopolov. “He can see how every player should play to get to his maximum potential. He likes results, not effort or anything else. And he does everything he can so results are positive. And he is very disciplined.”
'The Dog' did not want any part of that leash, so he broke free and went it alone. And then along came Jack.

If Dolgopolov’s father is a clean cut, shirt tucked in, strict disciplinarian carrying a stopwatch and a jump rope, then coach Jack Reader is a love-life bohemian with waves of unruly brown hair travelling with a carton of cigarettes and a case of beer. Upon meeting Jack you could almost hear Olexsandr Sr. shout, “Oh my God!”
It seems everybody loves Reader. Check out his Facebook page after Dolgopolov’s great run at the Australian Open and there are well wishes and congratulations in Italian, German, Russian, English and Australian. On the ATP World Tour, Reader can be found after work at the pub nearest the official hotel where you can bet that he is already on a friendly first name basis with everyone from the janitor to the bar maid to the bum on the street.

"Never a dull moment with those two."
So just how did Jack hook up with the 'Dog'? In a strange twist of irony, it began before Dolgopolov was even borne. Twenty-five years ago, Reader left Australia and moved to Europe where he played the pro circuit and club tennis in Germany and Italy. Those that knew Jack back then said he played his tennis matches with one hand on his racquet and the other hand on the ladies. But Reader’s time in Italy gave him more than just the dolce vita, he also formed a relationship with Corrado Tschabuschnig, who would go on to form Topseed Management Company and would many years later become Dolgopolov’s agent.
“In 2005, Jack tells me about this kid with amazing talent,” says Tschabuschnig. “It was a junior named Dolgopolov. It was not long until we signed him. Then in 2009, Dolgopolov split with his father and needed someone. Immediately, I thought of Jack.”

If you thought that Reader is all fun and games, you would be mistaken, super social and self-deprecating yes, careless no. Like a horse whisperer who is trying to soothe a wild mustang, Reader found that in order to get his young charge on track he needed to listen first.
“Jack is very smart as a coach,” claims Dolgopolov. “He is someone who respects your point of view, even though he has his own. He is very communicative, but when we talk tennis he prefers to talk less and listen more. But when he says something it is the right stuff.”
While many coaches attempt to stamp their influence on players right away, Reader took his time and used a ‘players don’t care what you know, unless that they know that you care’ approach. Instantly the two men clicked. The ATP World Tour was about to become “Jack and Sascha’s Excellent Adventure”.
At l'Aéroport Nice Côte d'Azur, France, Jack and Sascha are at the check-in counter waiting for their boarding passes for the flight to Paris. The airline agent stares at Jack and then at Dolgopolov, and back again. Then after consulting with a colleague, he asks them if they have proof that they are a couple. Jack flashes a big sheepish smile, Dolgopolov cringes. The story goes that in an effort to save money on airfare, Reader found a special two-for-one promotional fare on the internet. Just one catch, it was for gay couples only.
“Never a dull moment with those two,” laughs Mirnyi, who witnessed the entire scene.
Jack and Dolgopolov have become much more than just coach and player. They even continue to share a room on the tour.

"He can do practically everything with the ball. His game is very rich. He has many ways to win the point and he is not afraid to go for it."
“There are often a few minutes here and there when we can talk about his matches, or such,” says Reader. “We don’t have big sit down long talks, but rather we communicate bit-by-bit throughout the day. I like being with Sascha. He is a good kid. A real good kid.”
It is the middle of nowhere between Kiev and Moscow and Jack and Alexandr are lost. Instead of flying to Moscow they decided to drive. It should’ve only taken somewhere between twelve to fifteen hours to get there.
“We thought it would be a good chance to slow down a bit,” says Reader. “Talk about things; you know, things about life and not just tennis. And see the country side.”
Well, they certainly got what they wished for. While Dolgopolov has tricked out his Subaru SUV with the latest toys, with Reader sharing the driving a GPS might have been a good idea. Eventually, they made it in time for the President’s Cup.

As last year was ending and this year about to begin, Reader invited Dolgopolov to where else? The beach. In order to get acclimatized to the intense heat of Australia, Dolgopolov cut his holidays in the Ukraine short and travelled to Brisbane. There was plenty of fishing, swimming and surfing, and oh yes, some tennis. As Jack continued to put Alexandr the person first, and the tennis player second, there was a method to his supposed madness. Get Dolgopolov healthy and happy.
“He battled injuries for much of the last two years,” says Reader. “Not big ones, mind you, but little niggles that were constantly interrupting him. And when Sascha is happy and excited to go out and play, then he can do some amazing things on the court.”

"I am so proud of my son. I don’t have enough words to express the joy of how I feel."
Robin Soderling would soon find out in the round of sixteen at the Australian Open. In a match that looked more like a drive-by shooting than a game played by gentlemen, Dolgopolov frustrated the World No. 4 with a barrage of quick strike serves and ballistic forehands. But it was that other stroke that irritated Soderling the most. Technically it is called a slice backhand, but it looks more like something a Sensei would teach in a martial arts class. Aesthetically pleasing no, incredibly effective, yes.
“He can do practically everything with the ball,” says Claudio Pistolesi, Soderling’s coach. “His game is very rich. He has many ways to win the point and he is not afraid to go for it. He has amazing acceleration. He plays very fast and it can be uncomfortable to play against him. Jack (Reader) brought so much to his game, taught him how to mix it up more. But also Jack provided stability. That is easy to say, but tough to do. He (Reader) showed a lot of patience with him.”
“I am not surprised by his performance at the Australian Open,” claims Tereshchuk. “Having seen him play so much over the years, I know what he is capable of doing on a tennis court. He is a very special player.”

It has been nearly 20 years since Olexsandr Sr. looked on proudly as his little Sascha played with the world’s best players while entertaining everyone who passed by. Now it is happening all over again.
“I am so proud of my son,” says Olexsandr Sr. overcome with emotion over the telephone from Kiev. “I don’t have enough words to express the joy of how I feel.”
Of all the things that Dolgopolov’s father gave his son over the years, maybe it was the freedom to let Alexandr Jr. go out on his own that was the greatest gift of all. For he can rest assured that Reader will watch his son’s back, and that all those lessons that he tried to instill in his son were not in vain nor forgotten.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/DEUCE- … polov.aspx

DUN I LOVE · 15-02-2011 10:57:56

Finał w ATP Costa do Sauipe

Jest to pierwszy w karierze finał turnieju ATP w wykonaniu młodego Ukraińca. Dolgopolov przegrał mecz o tytuł z Nicolasem Almagro. Dzięki temu osiągnięciu Olek znalazł się wśród 30 najlepszych tenisistów świata. 14.02.2011 roku został sklasyfikowany na 29 miejscu rankingu ATP.

Joao · 21-02-2011 17:17:16

21.02.2011

Najwyższa pozycja w karierze: 26

jaccol55 · 28-02-2011 15:49:46

28.02.2011

Najwyższa pozycja w karierze: 23

jaccol55 · 04-04-2011 15:12:59

04.04.2011

Najwyższy ranking w karierze: 21

DUN I LOVE · 18-04-2011 15:30:39

18.04.2011 - DOG w Top-20!

Najwyższa pozycja w karierze: 20

Chyba będzie dalej szedł w górę.

FEDEER · 19-04-2011 14:57:17

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0AXyjMVkKY

Serwis z treningu w IW.

jaccol55 · 28-05-2011 15:04:21

Getting to know Alexandr Dolgopolov

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Alexandr Dolgopolov of the Ukraine might just be the front-runner for the ATP award for most-improved player this season. Relatively unknown prior to the Australian Open, "Dolgo" stood out in Melbourne when he upset two seeds in a row, first Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and then Robin Soderling, both in five sets, before folding to the future finalist, Andy Murray.

Those exploits propelled him up the rankings from no.50 to no.32, making him a player to watch and leading to the nickname "The Dog" because of his ability to cover the court like a dog hell-bent on chasing the ball. The Ukrainian's new fans have even changed the words of the song "Who let the dogs out?" to "Who let the Dolg out?"

So, is Dolgopolov embarrassed or flattered to be compared to a dog? "It doesn't bother me," he says with a smile. "I actually think it's rather funny."

"The talent of a Federer"

Dolgopolov's game is based on quick switches from defence to offence, a quick-motion service, surprise changes in rhythm and superb drop shots.

After Melbourne, those tactics took him to the final in Costa do Sauipe (l. Almagro) and to the semifinals in Acapulco (l. Ferrer). However, his rise was then slowed by a bout of pancreatitis during the North American leg.

"We lost some momentum in the US," his coach, the Australian Jack Reader, said. "But we had to deal with his health before getting back to business. We're back on track now. Alex can go higher in the rankings. He has the talent of a Federer, I'm sure of it; he just needs to be more consistent."

Following in the footsteps of Medvedev

Reader first spotted Dolgopolov's talent back in 2005, when he was 17 years old, at a Challenger tournament in Modena, but at the time the Ukrainian was being coached by his father Oleksandar Dolgopolov, a former tennis pro who coached Andrei Medvedev all the way to no.4 in the world.

"My father made me the player I am today," acknowledges the younger Dolgopolov. At the time, "Dolgo" was still a child but very much part of Medvedev's happy entourage. "I have great memories of that time. I'd watch Medvedev practice and I'd cheer for him from the stands. He's still close to our family and I hope to reach the same heights he did."

Perhaps at Roland Garros, where Medvedev was a finalist in 1999? It is probably too soon to hope for such results, but we know that this racecar enthusiast is on the fast track to success.

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/ … 27461.html

Ogłoszenie

#1 30-12-2010 19:22:28

Aleksander Dolgopolow

#2 01-01-2011 18:34:01

Re: Aleksander Dolgopolow

#3 23-01-2011 00:03:43

Re: Aleksander Dolgopolow

#4 24-01-2011 16:03:09

Re: Aleksander Dolgopolow

#5 24-01-2011 16:48:32

Re: Aleksander Dolgopolow

#6 26-01-2011 16:33:43

Re: Aleksander Dolgopolow

#7 31-01-2011 10:13:41

Re: Aleksander Dolgopolow

#8 09-02-2011 15:49:11

Re: Aleksander Dolgopolow

#9 09-02-2011 23:44:47

Re: Aleksander Dolgopolow

#10 15-02-2011 10:57:56

Re: Aleksander Dolgopolow

#11 21-02-2011 17:17:16

Re: Aleksander Dolgopolow

#12 28-02-2011 15:49:46

Re: Aleksander Dolgopolow

#13 04-04-2011 15:12:59

Re: Aleksander Dolgopolow

#14 18-04-2011 15:30:39

Re: Aleksander Dolgopolow

#15 19-04-2011 14:57:17

Re: Aleksander Dolgopolow

#16 28-05-2011 15:04:21

Re: Aleksander Dolgopolow

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