What has your life been like so far, tennis-wise and generally?
Both tennis-life and generally, my life is a big adventure (this is how I feel it). These adventures are not always pleasant and comfortable. Sometimes me and my family are happy, other times we are in difficult conditions, but we are definitely never bored. The same is about tennis: I am not a kind of “wonder kid”, I have not won something big (like Junior Grand Slam) being a junior. But I like being a tennis player – I mean, a competitive junior tennis player. This is exactly where I want to be, and what I want to do.
Why did you have to flee Ukraine?
I was 10 years old so this is what I remember: I knew that something is happened. Dad and mom told that our family company is destroyed by police. Then dad was shown by TV, several TV channels made reports about him. I did not really care a lot, it was just odd to see my dad on TV. Then one night dad came at home late, near midnight, and asked everybody to switch off cellphones, and pack the most necessary things. I should leave my pets, a cat and home rat. Later my grandma brought the cat to us in Croatia, and she (cat, not grandma) lived with us for 5 years here. Sadly, the rat died soon after we ran away. Dad said that we must be ready in 30 minutes. Then we sat in the car and drove all the night through. My mom cried all the way, I was really disappointed cause I felt I was going to miss the Ukrainian Under 10 Tennis Masters, where I should have played the following week. Dad said that my tennis is priority anyway, and I calmed down. Then we lost our way and were stopped by Russian soldiers and Russian panzer (tank)! It was in Transnistria, our GPS made a mistake and led us to a kind of prohibited zone. Early morning we came to Kishinev and slept in a terrible hotel with huge cockroaches. Next day we moved to a better hotel, and from that time it was a kind of normal.
You can read the full story on my web site: http://sashkatennis.com/sashka-story/
Why did you and your family decide to settle in Croatia?
It was almost accidentally and decided by a coin! I remembered that moment very clearly. Moldova was very close to Ukraine, and it was dangerous for us to stay there. The problem was that we, except for my father, did not have Schengen visas, so there was a very limited number of countries we could go together, and just two of them had tennis traditions: Croatia & Serbia. Dad tossed a coin and Croatia won! So we moved to Croatia. As far as I know, initially dad and mom wanted to go further, but then they decided to stay in Croatia.
You are 16 years old right now, what do you see as your potential in the upcoming years, and in your whole career?
I want to own the world! I want to be a pro & win all big tournaments like Grand Slams and the Olympic Games. Most of all, I want my whole life to be connected with tennis. I can’t imagine my life outside or without tennis.
Who are your idols in life and in tennis?
My idols are my dad Denis and grandma Inna. They both live a complex life, but they never give up, keep fighting, believe in their ideas and principles. As for tennis, I like several current players and “legends”, like Kerber, Federer or Henin, but I can’t call them idols. To be an idol to someone, you need to know the person very well. Their life, their beliefs, what they are doing when out of public attention. These big players are a kind of professional inspiration for me, but not idols.
How would you describe your game?
I am a universal player. Well, a little bit defensive . I am not a “crazy hard hitter”, I like to set up and play the points, because I can make good spins, slices, drop shots. I prefer clay courts, of course!
Do you follow pro tennis? To what extent and who are your favorite players?
Yep. I will probably play my first pro match on $15k tournament in Tucepi, Croatia, this weekend (Sashka won the first qualifying round 6-0 6-2). I also watch all big tournaments if they are broadcasted on Eurosport or local Croatian channels. I also had a Tennis TV subscription before, but it is too expensive for us now. My favorite players are Roger Federer and Angelique Kerber. I also closely follow players of my generation who already started to achieve some results in pro tour, like Nastya Potapova, Dayana Yastremska, or Katarina Zavatska.
If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
I would like to cut out 2016 year from my and my family’s life, so we could have 2017 immediately after 2015.
