The world’s oldest tennis player from Ukraine – 97 and still playing

KHARKIV, UKRAINE, JULY 16 (Reuters) – For 97-year-old Ukrainian Leonid Stanislavsky, who has played amateur tennis for more than half a century, it is impossible to find a worthy opponent in his age group.

It has not prevented him from participating in the World and European Championships for the Elderly and competing for younger competitors, even though he is not moving on the field as fast as before.

Stanislavskyi was 30 when his colleague, the then Soviet champion in gymnastics, introduced him to tennis. Since then, he has practiced three times a week in his hometown of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine.

“It’s a stylish sport. It’s good exercise. It’s a beautiful game. And there’s one more thing you can play in tennis, regardless of age,” he told Reuters.

As the world’s oldest tennis player, Guinness World Record holder Stanislavskyi has practiced hard training before the 2021 World Championship of Senior Seniors, which will be held in October in Mallorca, Spain.

For the first time, the International Tennis Association has introduced the over-20s age group in the 2021 tournament after Stanislavskyi sent a written request to the association to add a new class.

“When I was 95, I felt a lot better than I do now,” said Stanislavskyi, who moves at his own pace, trying to get back to every shot. “It’s even hard to walk when you’re 97 years old.

“People under the age of 70 say, ‘Thank God I lived for another year.’ “People in their 70s and 90s say, ‘Thank God I lived for another month.’ I count every day and say, ‘Thank God I lived another day.'”

Stanislavskyi said the secret of his longevity was a mixture of good genes and regular sports.

He starts each morning with gymnastics and a bunch of push-ups and retreats. In addition to tennis, Stanislavskyi is a passionate fan of swimming and skiing and dreams of doing skydiving.

He says his ultimate goal is to live to be 100 and take on Roger Federer.

Edited by Mike Collett-White

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