World Monitor Mag, Industrial Overview WM_November_2018_WEB_Version | Page 66

SPORT
Tennis in Kazakhstan
is getting bigger
Rodion Lukashov,
Orange and Green Balls Winner
Loud victories of professionals, new
tennis centers, the mass development of
children's tennis – all this is due to the
work of the Tennis Federation of the
Republic of Kazakhstan and individual
tennis clubs, such as Gorky Tennis Park.
For the development of this sport you need more than
financial support, you need a genuine love for playing
tennis. Eleven years have passed since the beginning
when the Tennis Federation of Kazakhstan (FTC) was
headed Bulat Utemuratov. He immediately determined
the general direction of the work – to make tennis in
Kazakhstan a mass and accessible sport. In 2007,
the federation developed a long-term development
strategy for tennis, approved by the head of state and
approved by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
Karina Lavrova,
Green ball
The strategy primarily involved the creation of
necessary infrastructure – the construction of tennis
centers with courts for children in all regions of
Kazakhstan. After 11 years, the number of courts
has quadrupled – from 60 to 244. This year, tennis
centers opened in Almaty, Aktobe, Petropavlovsk and
Shymkent. In 2019, it is planned to open new tennis
centers in Karaganda, Astana and Aktau.
Special attention should be paid to the project ‘Team
Kazakhstan’, which gave Kazakhstanis a chance to
gain a foothold among the best players. The strongest
juniors from all regions of Kazakhstan at the age of
16 are selected to the academy and fall under the full
financial support of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation,
which includes training with the best coaches of
Kazakhstan, five meals a day, accommodation at the
Tennis Team Hotel, as well as trips to Republican and
international competitions.
For example, graduates of the Team Kazakhstan
Academy Dmitry Popko, Timur Khabibulin, Denis
Evseev, Gozal Aynitdinova and Zhibek Kulambaeva are
already full-fledged members of our national team in
the Davis Cup and the Federation Cup.
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