Jurij Rodionov (born 16 May 1999) is an Austrian tennis player. Rodionov has a career high ATP singles ranking of 166 achieved on 16 March 2020. He represents Austria in Davis Cup tennis. Rodionov has won three ATP Challenger singles titles: the 2018 Almaty Challenger, the 2020 RBC Tennis Championship of Dallas and the 2020 Challenger at Cuernevaca, Mexico. Jurij sat with Tennis Acumen for an exclusive interview at the 2020 Columbus Challenger.
Tennis Acumen: Jurij, thanks for sitting down with us and sharing your story. How did you get started in tennis, from the very beginning?
Jurij Rodionov: Oh, when I was a little kid I was very active. I always wanted to do sports, jump around and I was running all over my little flat. My parents were not always happy about it. I was making a lot of commotion and I was very loud. So, my parents decided to get me into sports when I was four years old. Originally, I wanted to do football. You call it soccer, yes? But in my hometown, only kids from six years and older were allowed to play. So, I had to make the decision: I could play tennis or basketball. I decided to play tennis. So, yeah, that's how it started.
Tennis Acumen: So, at four years old, you're picking up a racket?
Jurij Rodionov: Yeah, and, obviously, in the summer there are outdoor courts In Austria.
Tennis Acumen: Did you have access to indoor courts, so you could play year-round?
Jurij Rodionov: Yes, we could play all year. Everything was played on clay, indoor and outdoor. I started to play some hard-court tennis when I was eleven, twelve years old. By then I was starting to play international tournaments.
Tennis Acumen: At what point did you realize you love the game. Jurij?
Jurij Rodionov: I have always loved the game. Why? Well maybe so much tennis itself, but there is a lot of moving, running around in this game. That's why I really like tennis because it I always wanted to be in motion, and in tennis, there is not much else you can do except running.
Tennis Acumen: Being in motion. That’s always been part of you.
Jurij Rodionov: Yes, but I realized when I was about fourteen, fifteen, that I was talented and I had potential to become a tennis pro. So, at fourteen, fifteen, I decided to take it more seriously. Just become a pro.
Tennis Acumen: Your parents threw you in there to keep you quiet. ....(to be continued)...
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