Archive: shamil-tarpischev
For the last 30 years, dating back to the days of the Soviet Union and the Cold War, Shamil Tarpischev has not been a man to tangle with. The long standing head of the Russian Tennis Federation is well versed with the corridors of power in the Kremlin and has had the ear of men like Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin. But he will now know not to demean the Williams sisters after a stinging rebuke and $25,000 maximum fine from the WTA.
Russia finally managed to cobble together a team to face Italy in next week’s Fed Cup but the four times champions whose players dominated the WTA top 20 just a few years ago, have been reduced to naming 138th-ranked Alexandra Panova as the leading singles player.
The Fed Cup is supposedly the foremost team competition in the female tennis world but while the currently fit top eight players are battling it out in this week’s TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships in Istanbul, next week’s Italy v Russia final in Cagliari, Sardinia is descending into farce.
Russian Fed Cup Captain Shamil Tarpischev has been at his post for eons and has had great success overall, leading his team to four titles since 2004.
The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) have presented the 2012 Golden Achievement Award to Shamil Tarpischev, president of the Russian Tennis Federation.
