- Title: World's oldest tennis player from Ukraine - 97 and still in the game
- Date: 19th July 2021
- Summary: KHARKIV, UKRAINE (JULY 13, 2021) (REUTERS) GUINNESS WORLD RECORD HOLDER, LEONID STANISLAVSKYI, RETURNING SHOTS DURING TENNIS GAME (FILMED IN SLOW MOTION) STANISLAVKSYI DURING TRAINING SESSION ON TENNIS COURT STANISLAVSKYI'S COMPETITOR DURING TRAINING SESSION SEEN FROM STANISLAVSKYI'S PERSPECTIVE VARIOUS OF STANISLAVSKYI PLAYING TENNIS STANISLAVSKYI RETURNING SHOT SEEN FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE (FILMED IN SLOW MOTION) (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) GUINNESS WORLD RECORD HOLDER AS WORLD'S OLDEST TENNIS PLAYER, LEONID STANISLAVSKYI, SAYING: "My name is Leonid Yakovlevich Stanislavskyi, I am 97 years old. I was born on March 22, 1924." STANISLAVSKYI PLAYING TENNIS SEEN FROM HIS COMPETITOR'S PERSPECTIVE STANISLAVSKYI PLAYING TENNIS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) GUINNESS WORLD RECORD HOLDER AS WORLD'S OLDEST TENNIS PLAYER, LEONID STANISLAVSKYI, SAYING: "It is an elegant type of sport. It is good physical exercise. It is a beautiful game. And there is one more thing about tennis - you can play tennis no matter what age you are. I started play tennis when I was 30 years old. I am now 97 years old and keep playing. Prominent tennis player Roger Federer is 39 or 40 years old, (Novak) Djokovic is 33 or 34 years old, if I am not mistaken, (Rafael) Nadal is also above 30 years old. For professional tennis, it is quite senior age. While I am an amateur and I can play being 97 years old."
- Embargoed: 2nd August 2021 11:39
- Keywords: Guinness world record holder International Tennis Federation Kharkiv Leonid Stanislavskyi Roger Federer championship training
- Location: KHARKIV, UKRAINE
- City: KHARKIV, UKRAINE
- Country: Ukraine
- Topics: Europe,Human Interest/Brights/Odd News,Society/Social Issues,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001EMIB49L
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:For 97-year-old Leonid Stanislavskyi, a Ukrainian who has been playing amateur tennis for over half a century, it is next to impossible to find a worthy adversary in his age group.
That has not stopped him from participating in the world and European championships for seniors and outplaying younger competitors, although he is not moving around the court as fast as he used to.
Stanislavskyi was 30 when his colleague, then a Soviet champion in gymnastics, introduced him to tennis. Since then, he has trained three times a week in his hometown of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine.
"It is an elegant type of sport. It is good physical exercise. It is a beautiful game. And there is one more thing about tennis - you can play no matter what age you are," he told Reuters.
A Guinness World Record holder as the world's oldest tennis player, Stanislavskyi has been training hard ahead of the 2021 Super-Seniors World Championship due to be held in October in Mallorca, Spain.
For the first time, the International Tennis Federation has introduced a 90-and-over age group in the 2021 tournament after Stanislavskyi sent a written request to the federation asking for the new category to be added.
"When I was 95 years old, I felt much better than now," said Stanislavskyi, who moves at his own pace trying to return every shot. "It is even hard to walk when you are 97 years old.
"People under 70 say: 'Thank goodness I lived another year.' People between 70 and 90 say: 'Thank goodness I lived another month.' I count every day and say: 'Thank God I lived another day.'"
Stanislavskyi said the secret to his longevity was a mixture of good genes and regular sport.
He starts each morning with gymnastics and a series of push-ups and pull-ups. Besides tennis, Stanislavskyi is a passionate fan of swimming and skiing and dreams of making a parachute jump.
He says his ultimate goal is to live to 100 years old and take on Roger Federer.
(Production: Margaryta Chornokondratenko, Vitalii Hnidyi, Anna Brovko) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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