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Tennis double

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MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti Sports commentator Mikhail Smirnov). -- In the world of tennis the Grand Slam is the biggest achievement for a player. Very few have captured it by winning the Australian, U.S. and French Opens, and the grand father of them all - Wimbledon.

The President of the Russian Tennis Federation Shamil Tarpishchev has a chance to accomplish a feat in the same vein. This season his men's Davis Cup and Women's Federation Cup teams may accomplish a historic first by winning them both. The ladies triumphed over their French hosts in Paris, bringing the goal closer.

Now it's the men's turn. Later this week they go into action in a semi-final against the Croatians in Split. Just like in Paris, Tarpishchev will have to show his coaching skills by selecting the right players to face their hosts. As was the case in Paris with the women, the men won't have a leader. But the difference is that in the Federation Cup it was known well in advance that Maria Sharapova would not be playing, whereas in Split Tarpishchev faced the last-minute knowledge of how serious Marat Safin's left knee injury really was, causing him to make a serious decision on who would replace Russia's Number One. The biggest question is whether Nikolai Davidenko, Igor Andreyev, Mikhail Yuzhny, and Dmitry Tursunov can fill the void, especially against the strong Croatians on their home court.

Tarpishchev has said on many occasions that defeating the Croatians is a formidable task even with Safin. In his absence, the Russian team will have to dig deep and overcome what seems to be insurmountable odds.

But sports are sports and anything can happen. All the players in the line-up for this crucial match have repeatedly shown that they are up to the task even without their leader, as was the case in this year's quarterfinals against the French. One big doubt remains and that is whether there will be enough time for the team's training. The team will gather in Croatia after regular ATP tournaments where three of the Russians reached the finals only to lose. Fortunately, Andreyev played in nearby Bucharest. However, Tursunov and Yuzhny were halfway around the world in Beijing contesting for the doubles title. The point is whether Tarpishchev can help them overcome the mental and physical strain in the time left.

With victory in Split, the Russians would compete in the Davis Cup Finals against the winner of the Argentine-Slovakian match. For Tarpishchev this magic double is but two steps away.

With such a victory Tarpishchev would rightfully claim and deserve this high honor because of his selfless devotion and promotion of the sport he loves. He never tires of traveling to the remotest corners of his native land, always on the lookout for a future Grand Slam champion. An example of his ability is witnessed by his choices in Khanty-Mansiysk and Chelyabinsk.

His openness and a sense of humor are engaging to all he comes in contact with. Despite his extremely busy schedule he never refuses to give an interview. This time he said with a smile that "now the makeup of our team is such that we don't have to do anything for the next five years, and we'll still be successful. But I want to see Russian tennis being a world leader for generations to come". He claims that the key to success are very expensive professional tennis academies. However, not many are willing to step forward and fund the effort. If this does not happen in three years, the Russian Captain is going to retire, he said. He does not want to experience a decline in Russian tennis.

Let's not talk about it now. He is not leaving yet - together with his new proteges he is ready to conquer yet another summit.

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