Yevgeny Kafelnikov

Born: February 18, 1974 in Sochi (Krasnodar Krai in Soviet Union)
Height: 1.90 m
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

Евгений Александрович Кафельников… When you enter the Top 100 for the first time and you’re lucky enough to face the two best players in the world, people typically expect you to win a handful of games in a set and gain valuable experience – Kafelnikov had other ideas. The 19-year-old Russian first stunned Michael Stich [2] in Lyon ’93 (“Zhenya”‘s main-level event no. 12), and a few months later, he was just two points away from eliminating Pete Sampras [1] in the second round of the Australian Open ’94 making his debut in this Slam. At the time, Sampras was the reigning Wimbledon and US Open champion, widely considered the favorite to achieve the Grand Slam. Yet the blonde youngster from Sochi wasn’t intimidated.
Kafelnikov didn’t have a massive serve or overwhelming groundstrokes, he wasn’t a serve-and-volleyer either, so how could he come so close to defeating the two best players in the world as a virtual unknown? The following years proved these matches were no fluke. Kafelnikov developed into one of the most versatile players of the 1990s.
In just his second full ATP season (1995), Kafelnikov won titles on three different surfaces: carpet (Milan), clay (Gstaad), and hard court (Long Island), he also reached the Wimbledon quarterfinal on grass. His adaptability to different conditions set him apart from his peers, including his friend (from the times of the Soviet Union collapse) Andrei Medvedev and Thomas Enqvist – two other highly gifted tall players born in 1974, both with game-styles resembling Kafelnikov’s. Medvedev’s future had seemed brighter when both post-Soviets were 20, as he defeated Kafelnikov in the Monte Carlo semifinal and Hamburg final, but Kafelnikov’s tactical intelligence and versatility as well as a tendency to choose unconventional solutions at key moments, allowed him to flourish when the other guys faltered in the late 90s. When both, Medvedev & Enqvist, at the decade’s inception were expected to threaten the most dominant players of the 90s (Sampras and Agassi), Kafelnikov was actually obscure for an average tennis fan.
As an offensive baseliner, the Russian lacked the explosive power of No. 1 players like Ivan Lendl or Andre Agassi. His nickname “Kalashnikov” was exaggerated, operating on the baseline he couldn’t blow off the court his opponents like Enqvist. His game was more reminiscent of Jimmy Connors – precise and methodical. He excelled at spreading the ball across the court, finishing points with down-the-line shots or attacking the net off opponent’s shorter balls. Though not a natural at the net, Kafelnikov had solid volleys off both wings and knew when to approach. His doubles expertise added a layer of strategic depth to his singles game (he participated in 224 doubles main-level events).
Kafelnikov “the Stakhanovist” was the last top player to regularly compete in both singles and doubles at the same tournaments, famously winning Roland Garros ’96 in both categories. His passion for playing tournaments almost every week, paid off in 1999 when, despite a seven-match ATP losing streak (!), he achieved the No. 1 ranking – a milestone mainly driven by his Australian Open ’99 title. Reflecting on this accomplishment, Kafelnikov said: “I think it’s the ultimate goal for every professional tennis player, to be able to reach that pinnacle. That’s what we play for. It’s one of the most enjoyable accomplishments of my career.” One year later in Melbourne he played his third and last major final.
Wearing Russian coat of arms was always a source of pride for Kafelnikov. He earned a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and helped Russia clinch the Davis Cup ’02, though by then, Marat Safin was the team’s primary force. In the semifinals of that edition against Argentina, Kafelnikov enjoyed one of the most impressive comebacks of the decade overcoming Gaston Gaudio. In the years 1994-95, Kafelnikov led Russia to the Davis Cup finals, playing singles and doubles (alongside Andrey Olhovskiy). Kafelnikov and Safin represented Russia in three consecutive World Team Cup finals (2000-02).
One curious aspect of Kafelnikov’s career is his lack of success at Masters 1000 events (known as Mercedes Super 9 during his time). Despite reaching five finals at this level (Hamburg ’94, Paris ’96, Stuttgart ’98, Montreal ’99, Paris ’01) and the ATP Finals championship match in 1997 (Hannover), he never claimed a title in this tier. It’s an unusual record for a player who won two Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal. Kafelnikov admitted that after the Davis Cup triumph, he was fulfilled with his career. Nevertheless he continued in 2003, but in each of the first three Slams he was eliminated after five-setters in early rounds – he understood that physically he reached his limits, and not having any serious injury decided to quit at the end of that year even though his ranking was good enough to guarantee him being seeded in smaller ATP events of 2004. Quite surprisingly he chose St. Petersburg as his farewell event, not Moscow where he triumphed five times in the years 1997-2001 being undefeated in 28 consecutive matches in the Russian capital.
Trivia: Kafelnikov played five Bo3 matches that featured three tie-break sets – and won them all. It’s quite intriguing that Kafelnikov’s toughest opponent beside Sampras (H2H 2-11) was someone who achieved incomparably less: Dominik Hrbatý (H2H 4-9). Kafelnikov recalled: “Dominik’s game was such a solid game that he had every answer to all my shots. If I was hitting the ball hard, the ball was coming back twice as hard. That stuff was driving me nuts.” 

Career record: 609–306 [ 297 events ]
Career titles: 26
Highest ranking: No. 1
Best GS results:
Australian Open (champion 1999; runner-up 2000; quarterfinal 2001)
Roland Garros (champion 1996; semifinal 1995; quarterfinal 1997, 00-01)
Wimbledon (quarterfinal 1995)
US Open (semifinal 1999 & 2001)
Olympic Gold medallist 2000
Davis Cup champion 2002