Alexander Volkov

Born: March 3, 1967 in Kaliningrad (Kaliningrad Oblast in Soviet Union)
Died: October 19, 2019
Height: 1.87 m
Plays: Left-handed (two-handed backhand)

Александр Владимирович Волков – the only one among the best players born in the 1960s, introduced to my website, who is no longer alive…
“He was a tough player to play. He could have played terribly, but if he was on and he was feeling the ball well, he was tough to play on grass because he took the ball very early. He was not a great server and not a great volleyer. He wasn’t great at any stroke in particular, but he had a very good all-court game if he was on. He played very unconventionally… if you didn’t play your best and he was playing well, it was that little fraction of one ball here, one point there that could have made the difference.” Michael Stich said on Volkov shortly after the Russian passed away; the player who almost defeated Stich in their fourth-round match at Wimbledon ’91. Stich needed a miracle to win, serving a curved second serve ace on the line at 1:3, 30/40 in the 5th set, before ultimately triumphing in the tournament and becoming an unexpected champion. Volkov came to prominence at Wimbledon four years before when ranked 503 (!) and without any main-level wins, he advanced to the fourth round as a qualifier. It was revealed that as a teenager he’d played two-handed from both sides and switched to a one-handed forehand at the age of 18. He explained: “My coaches told me that against the best players I had to hit the ball with one hand or I wouldn’t have a chance. They were right. Until this tournament, though, I haven’t done so well.”
“Tricky” is the key to Volkov’s playing style. He was a less consistent version of Marcelo Ríos; with a similar ease they were executing all the basic shots. Unlike the Chilean, however, the Russian wasn’t fond of running. It was quite amusing to watch him especially on grass; while most players used serve-and-volley tactics and hit their approaching volleys within the service boxes, Volkov often volleyed behind the boxes. His movement toward the net was more a few quick steps than actual running. As Stich noted, when Volkov had a good day, he was a threat to all the top players. He defeated Pete Sampras twice, moreover scored wins over Ivan Lendl, Jim Courier, and Andre Agassi (in their only meeting). The only top player who consistently had Volkov’s number was Boris Becker, who defeated him ten times without ever being close to losing (twice in the indoor finals: 1989 and 1992), although five of those matches went to deciding third sets. Volkov had the most puzzling record – facing multiple Grand Slam champions – against Stefan Edberg (3-4 H2H, with two dramatic defeats); as they met for the second time, the Swede was the favorite to win the US Open ’90 title after an impressive summer on US hardcourts, but the Russian blew him off the court in the first round. “It’s much freer, it’s because Mr. Gorbachev came,” said Volkov after the biggest upset of 1990, commenting on the geopolitical situation at the time. “I can play anywhere I want to, with someone along or on my own. I can keep all my prize money; I just have to pay taxes. Mikhail Gorbachev came and everything became more open.” Dissolution of the Soviet Union occurred the following year, in December. The years 1993-94 were the best for Volkov: in 1993, he reached the semifinals of two big tournaments on hardcourts (Indian Wells and the US Open); in 1994, he significantly contributed to Russia advancing to the Davis Cup final, where he suffered what could be considered the most bitter defeat of his career to Edberg. It’s difficult to determine Volkov’s most significant title among the modest three he collected. I would argue that his maiden title holds special importance because he defeated three potential Top 10 players, whereas his other two triumphs involved defeating only one such player each. He spent his entire life in Калининград, a unique Russian exclave city, which had been established by Baltic tribes (Twangste) in the High Middle Ages, and belonged to either Germany (KönigsBerg) or Poland (Królewiec) for centuries before World War II.
Trivia: as a Top 20 player, Volkov saved match points to defeat two tennis legends in their final matches. First, in Atlanta ’92, Volkov survived against fifteen years older Guillermo Vilas, 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-3. A year later, he did the same against eleven years older Björn Borg, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(7) in Moscow. Interestingly, Volkov had also defeated fifteen years older Jimmy Connors in Wembley ’89, saving a match point with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(6)!! The American was ranked higher during their only meeting while Vilas and Borg were ranked very low, and it was super surprising that Volkov needed MP-down tie-breaks to outlast them. There’s no other player born in the 60s/70s, overcoming three legends of the 70s in the latter stages of their careers. Volkov faced the fourth titan of the 70s John McEnroe twice, losing both matches in straights… Throughout his career, Volkov was loyal to the racquet of the German brand Völkl. After retirement, he played a substantial role in helping Marat Safin become the best player in the world as his coach. “We always talked well, lived in the same room, played together. He was part of my life in tennis. Five years ago we performed at a tournament. In the evening we sat down to dinner, I ordered a bottle of wine asking him to drink by the glass, to which he replied: <I don’t want, because I won’t be able to stop later.>” – said Andrey Chesnokov after Volkov’s unexpected death at the age of 52, giving a clue about the cause of decease.

Career record: 304–256 [ 240 events ]
Career titles: 3
Highest ranking: No. 14
Best GS results:
US Open (semifinal 1993; quarterfinal 1992)