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Thursday, September 28
Kafelnikov takes gold, makes Russian history
Reuters
SYDNEY, Australia -- Just three weeks ago Yevgeny
Kafelnikov was not even sure he should be playing in the
Olympic tennis tournament, never mind winning it.
"I was thinking it's probably not worth it for me to come
here the way I was playing then," Kafelnikov said in Sydney on
Thursday after winning OLympic gold.
Now, after beating Germany's Tommy Haas in a hard-fought
final 7-6, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, he reflected on his mood in early
September after losing to Slovakia's Dominik Hrbaty in straight
sets in the third round of the U.S. Open.
"I was really down on myself after that loss and had all
kind of thoughts, but I had never said to anyone that I'm
pulling out."
Nevertheless, his words in New York were interpreted quite
differently in Moscow, bringing a storm of criticism back home
from Russian Olympic chief Vitaly Smirnov as well as the media.
"You can make millions of dollars or commute in a private
jet, but when it comes to giving your best for your country, he
takes a back seat to many of our true sports heroes," Smirnov
said when he thought Kafelnikov was pulling out of the
Olympics.
On Thursday Kafelnikov was being hailed as a national hero
for winning Russia's first ever Olympic gold medal in tennis.
"This medal means so much to me, it would have been a real
tragedy for me if I had lost this match," the 26-year-old Sochi
native told a packed post-match news conference, fondly holding
his Olympic hardware.
"Before the tournament I said that I would trade all my
other titles, except the two Grand Slams, for it, but now I
don't have to. I can keep all my titles as well as the gold
medal."
Kafelnikov said he did not come here thinking about medals.
"Before the tournament I thought that I wasn't going to
even challenge for any medals," he said.
"I was just hoping to participate in the Olympics, just to
have the record of competing here. And to win the gold medal is
beyond all my expectations.
"I'm really, really proud of myself, I'm really proud of my
country. To have won two Grand Slams plus the Olympic gold --
it means my career is not going to be forgotten in my country."
Kafelnikov also said that Russia is taking over in tennis.
"It has been a very sensational year for Russian tennis,"
he said.
"Marat Safin winning the U.S. Open, playing well, winning a
big number of tournaments, plus on top of that I won the
Olympic gold -- tennis fans in Russia can't wish anything more
than we already accomplished.
"And Elena Dementieva winning a silver medal here also made
women's tennis come to the top of the game together with the
men's. That makes tennis a very special sport in our country."
Kafelnikov said bad feelings with some of Russia's sports
officials are all but forgotten by now.
"I really enjoyed my time here, staying in the Olympic
village with the rest of our athletes," he said.
"And tonight I'm going to the SuperDome to cheer our team
as they take on the U.S. in basketball."
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