Mikhail FILIMA: “There is a desire to include Svitolina in the national team”

Captain of the Ukrainian women’s tennis team Mikhail Filima In a statement from Sport.ua, he talked about the preparations for the Billie Jean King Cup match, which will face the Czech team on the clay courts of the Mega Saray Hotel in Belek, Turkey, on April 14-15. .

– What were your first thoughts when you learned about your opponents after the draw?

– It was an unsuccessful draw for us as the Czech Republic team is one of the strongest teams in the world. This is a team that frequently wins tournaments and reaches the finals. It is a very strong team but we will try to beat him.

Why did you choose this scope?

– We made this decision together with our daughters. The most important thing for me was to hear their ideas. We had different opinions about surfaces in the team: someone said clay was better, someone said it was harder. But the majority was for clay, so they chose it. Unfortunately we can’t play in Ukraine. Our federation has a long history with this hotel, there are lots of courts and it’s pretty easy to organize. Everything is in one place, no need to go anywhere. This is suitable for both teams.

– What are the features of the Czech tennis school on clay ground?

– I will not share about skins. They have a very strong school, many coaches and good tennis players. The average level of players is very high, an example of this is women’s tennis, where there are nine Czechs in the top 100 in the WTA rankings.

– How are our girls feeling, how are the trainings going? Has everyone come?

Yes, everyone has already arrived. Everything is fine, we are training, preparations are going as planned. Dayana Yastremskaya will train this afternoon. Unfortunately, he could only come today, but there were reasons for that. The other girls are training in the morning, after lunch they will do light sports, no tennis.

“There are four of us again. Is that what you planned, or did you fail to film another one?

– There were talks with a few players we wanted to bring to the national team, but we decided to have such a squad.

– Did you talk with Svitolina about her possible participation in the upcoming matches of the national team?

– We talked to him, but we haven’t discussed this in private yet. In any case, the next match will be in November, so there is time. Let’s see how we play here, how will he gradually gain his physical and tennis form. As a captain, I have a desire to include him in the national team.

– How much does the absence of Katerina Sinyakova affect our chances?

– They have three players that will increase a little, but still can play on the first day. I think Kreychikova will play 100% on the first day. I think Frugvirtova will play, but we will find out tomorrow in the draw (from 11:00 Kiev time – approx.).

– How would you evaluate their renewed compositions?

– They have been playing with a similar squad for several matches in a row. Kvitova and Pliskova are no longer junior tennis players and are likely focused on individual competition. I think it is the right decision to recruit young players to the national team. for them to have this experience. It’s a completely different atmosphere when you play for a team.

– About the boycott of competitions with the Russians. Are there any details about what kind of competitions there will be in tennis?

– We chatted with the Federation leadership and the girls. we decided they [правительство – прим.] Do not separate each sport from each other. If we shift this ban to tennis, this sport will stop completely. Because the system works in such a way that if you take the ATP and WTA they are like separate leagues with their own rules. Unfortunately, in each of their tournaments there are representatives of the aggressor countries. For our tennis players, this will mean they will be denied the right to participate in any tournament. But as far as I know, they will continue to play there for now.