Alexander Metreveli is a sports commentator. Alexander Metreveli

, Georgian SSR

Working hand right-handed Singles Matches in/out 183 - 89 Titles 5 Highest position 9 (June 3) Grand Slam tournaments Australia semi-final (1971) France semi-final (1972) Wimbledon final (1973) USA quarter-final (1974) Doubles Matches in/out 78 - 84 Titles 2 Last update: Finished speaking

Alexander Iraklievich Metreveli(cargo. ალექსანდრე მეტრეველი ; born November 2, 2010 in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR) is a Soviet tennis player. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1966). Honorary Citizen of Australia.

His highest achievement was the final of the 1973 Wimbledon tournament, where he lost to Jan Kodes from Czechoslovakia with a score of 1:6, 8:9, 3:6.

Currently works as a sports commentator.

Singles tournaments

Victories (5)

Finals (6)

Year	Tournament
	Monte Carlo
	Wimbledon
	Nottingham
1974	St. Louis
1974	St. Petersburg WCT
	Cleveland

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A vague instinct told Pierre that these reservations and repeated requests to tell the whole truth expressed Princess Marya’s ill will towards her future daughter-in-law, that she wanted Pierre not to approve of Prince Andrei’s choice; but Pierre said what he felt rather than thought.
“I don’t know how to answer your question,” he said, blushing, without knowing why. “I absolutely don’t know what kind of girl this is; I can't analyze it at all. She's charming. Why, I don’t know: that’s all that can be said about her. “Princess Marya sighed and the expression on her face said: “Yes, I expected and was afraid of this.”
– Is she smart? - asked Princess Marya. Pierre thought about it.
“I think not,” he said, “but yes.” She doesn't deserve to be smart... No, she's charming, and nothing more. – Princess Marya again shook her head disapprovingly.
- Oh, I so want to love her! You will tell her this if you see her before me.
“I heard that they will be there one of these days,” said Pierre.
Princess Marya told Pierre her plan about how, as soon as the Rostovs arrived, she would become close to her future daughter-in-law and try to accustom the old prince to her.

Boris did not succeed in marrying a rich bride in St. Petersburg and he came to Moscow for the same purpose. In Moscow, Boris was indecisive between the two richest brides - Julie and Princess Marya. Although Princess Marya, despite her ugliness, seemed more attractive to him than Julie, for some reason he felt awkward courting Bolkonskaya. On her last meeting with her, on the old prince’s name day, to all his attempts to talk to her about feelings, she answered him inappropriately and obviously did not listen to him.
Julie, on the contrary, although in a special way peculiar to her, willingly accepted his courtship.
Julie was 27 years old. After the death of her brothers, she became very rich. She was now completely ugly; but I thought that she was not only just as good, but even much more attractive than she was before. She was supported in this delusion by the fact that, firstly, she became a very rich bride, and secondly, that the older she became, the safer she was for men, the freer it was for men to treat her and, without taking on any obligations, take advantage of her dinners, evenings and the lively company that gathered at her place. A man who ten years ago would have been afraid to go every day to the house where there was a 17-year-old young lady, so as not to compromise her and tie himself down, now went to her boldly every day and treated her not as a young bride, but as a acquaintance who has no gender.

Born on November 2, 1944 in Tbilisi. Father - Metreveli Irakli Petrovich (born 1917). Mother - Metreveli Anna Tikhonovna (born 1921). Wife - Vardosanidze Natella Grigorievna (born 1943). Sons: Metreveli Irakli Alexandrovich (born 1967), Metreveli Alexander Alexandrovich (born 1976).

Alexander Metreveli is a unique phenomenon in the history of domestic and world tennis. He is one of the first amateur tennis players from Eastern Europe, who, with impressive victories at high-ranking tournaments and brilliant performances at the Davis Cup, managed to win a high rating and enter the top ten of the best professional tennis players.

Alexander Metreveli, unlike his eminent rivals, did not enjoy all the benefits that were showered on representatives of countries rich in tennis traditions. And this is not surprising if you consider in which state and at what time the future tennis star began her sports career. And he managed to accomplish the almost impossible thanks to his fanatical love of tennis, innate talent and natural abilities, refusal of life's pleasures and loyalty to the sports regime.

Alexander Metreveli has been playing tennis since he was 10 years old. His first mentor was A. Khangulyan. Under his leadership, the aspiring tennis player played for DSO "Dynamo" (Tbilisi). His best result in those years was the victory in the USSR Championship among youths in singles (1961).

The athlete, who was rapidly gaining momentum, already in 1962 entered the top ten strongest tennis players of the USSR and did not leave it for 18 years, and in 1966-1967 and 1969-1978 he headed it.

During this period, there were dozens of brilliant victories of A. Metreveli on the tennis courts of the country, where he had no equal throughout his entire sports career. This is confirmed by a unique collection of titles and titles: absolute champion of the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR (1975), 29-time champion of the USSR in singles (1966-1967, 1969-1976, 1978, 1980), doubles (1967-1968, 1970-1977) and mixed (1970-1973, 1975-1976) categories, 6-time absolute champion (1970-1973,1975-1976), finalist of the USSR championships in singles (1963, 1965, 1968), doubles (1963) and mixed (1966, 1968) , 1977) categories, 10-time winner of the All-Union winter competitions in singles (1964, 1966-1968, 1970, 1978), doubles (1967-1968, 1970, 1980) and mixed (1967) categories, winner of the Moscow Open Winter Championship 1963 in singles.

Alexander Metreveli was 18 years old when he made his debut in the USSR national team. Starting in 1963 and for 14 years, he defended the honor of the national team at the Davis Cup and never remained on the bench.

In terms of the number of Davis Cup matches, he should be considered a world record holder. 105 (!) meetings at tournaments of this rank is a truly fantastic result, which puts Alexander Metreveli among the top five tennis players of all time. Only Italian Nicollo Petrangeli, Romanian Ilie Nastase and Spaniard Manuel Santana participated more in Davis Cup matches than him. Alexander Metreveli first met with tennis player No. 1 of the Davis Cup N. Petrangeli in 1968 in Italy, and out of three sets he lost only two games, winning the match with a clear advantage.

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It is also noteworthy that the permanent leader of the Soviet team, unlike his foreign rivals, was not always given the opportunity to participate in competitions. As a result of political “games,” the Soviet team and its leader were sometimes left out of the game. In 1965, the USSR national team did not participate in the Davis Cup at all. In 1976, she reached the semi-finals of the Cup, but she suffered a “fatal” lot. The Chilean team was not the opponent that could defeat the rising Soviet team, but the country's sporting interests were sacrificed to political ambitions.

It is also noteworthy that the USSR national team, which was at the peak of its sports form, the leading force of which were two Georgian tennis players - Alexander Metreveli and Teimuraz Kakulia, and which really claimed to win the Davis Cup, in 1977 and 1978, “for some reason” did not participate in the draw accepted.

Reaching the Davis Cup semi-finals was a major achievement in itself; it required winning the European zone. After A. Metreveli had a worthy partner in the national team in the person of Teimuraz Kakulia, the Soviet team twice achieved success in the European zone, defeating the strongest opponents in the fight.

The highest achievement of Alexander Metreveli was reaching the final of the 1973 Wimbledon tournament in singles. In the semi-finals, he forced the main contender for the Wimbledon crown, the famous American D. Connors, to sheath the racket. Ahead was a meeting with a well-known opponent and friend - Ya. Kodysh.

The Soviet tennis player was clearly on the rise and had already beaten the Czech more than once, including in the previous Wimbledon. Therefore, as a result of a survey conducted among journalists, 81 percent of them preferred A. Metreveli. However, their predictions were not destined to come true. In “normal” matches, Alexander, who always captivated the audience with his unusual lightness, freedom, confidence, combination of the finest “game lace” with powerful crushing blows, confident actions anywhere on the court, seemed to be replaced.

“In that match, something incomprehensible and beyond my control was happening to me,” said A. Metreveli. “Of course, in it I saw the “match of my life,” and this created, as never before, a tense psychological environment. The emotional upsurge and natural excitement that were familiar to me gave way to a kind of equanimity, moreover, apathy. I felt an unusual constraint in my muscles, my movements slowed down and lost my usual freedom. I struggled with myself, instead of devoting all my strength to the fight with my opponent. As a result, I did not show it. , what he’s capable of! That’s what’s offensive.”

This resentment haunted Alexander Metreveli for a long time. However, with his determination, perseverance, and the most worthy sportsmanship, he did everything possible to rise to the tennis Olympus and contribute to strengthening the authority of Soviet sports. Evidence of this is the impressive list of his titles won at numerous international tournaments: 3-time finalist of the Wimbledon tournament in singles (1973) and mixed (1968, 1970), 16-time European champion in singles (1970-1971, 1973, 1975, 1977-1978), doubles (1970, 1972, 1974, 1976-1977) and mixed (1970-1974), absolute champion of Europe (1970), winner of the open championships of Scandinavia and Sweden (1966) in singles, champion of Asia (1970 ) in singles and mixed doubles, semi-finalist of the open championships of Italy (1968, 1970), Australia and France (1972) in singles, semi-finalist of the open championships of France (1966, 1974) in pairs and the USA (1975) in mixed doubles, winner of the five Australian tournament states (1971-1972), ARE Open (1971), Kent County (Backnam, 1972-1973) in singles, Cairo Open (1972) in singles and mixed, finalist of the John Player tournament (1974) in singles category, 16-time winner of the summer international tournament in singles (1965-1967, 1970-1971, 1973-1974), doubles (1967-1968, 1970-1971) and mixed (1964, 1966, 1970-1971, 1973) categories, 10-time winner of the winter international tournament in singles (1966, 1968, 1971), doubles (1967, 1970-1972) and mixed (1968, 1970-1971), bronze medalist of the 1974 world tennis championship.

As part of the USSR national youth team, A. Metreveli won the Galea Cup (1964). Defending the honor of the USSR national team in 1963-1980, he played 105 matches, achieving a record result for Soviet tennis players - 78 victories (with 27 defeats). In 1974, for the first time in the history of Soviet tennis, he took 9th place in the world classification of tennis players.

In the Davis Cup, A. Metreveli replaced three generations of tennis players. Participating in competitions with Thomas Leius and Sergei Likhachev, Teimuraz Kakulia and Vladimir Korotkov, Konstantin Pugaev, Vadim Borisov and Alexander Zverev, he was almost undefeated. Metreveli has always been a true leader and, if not for the political situation, in the history of the Davis Cup, the Georgian tennis player would have been the absolute record holder of all time. It’s hard to imagine that anyone else has been able to show the highest level of play for two decades and remain in a leading position.

Alexander Metreveli has his own creative style, only his style and manner of playing are characteristic. This style is completely natural, it does not contain excessive artistry, but makes an indelible impression on the audience. For him, tennis is a sport and a spectacle that should give the viewer aesthetic pleasure. The organic fusion of these two components of the game fueled Metreveli’s tennis style.

On the court, A. Metreveli always remained a personality. With his sharp combinations, unexpected and well-calibrated moves and blows, and intelligence, he always won the respect of everyone who dealt with him. He was true to the gentlemanly ethic of tennis.

Alexander Metreveli was most accurately described by the outstanding athlete and commentator People's Artist of the USSR Nikolai Ozerov: “Metreveli is a tennis player from God. When you watch his game, you experience true pleasure. This is not just a game. This is high art. It has everything that is inherent in great art , tennis: formidable attacks, skillful defense, filigree technique and, finally, vivid imagination, subtle improvisation, without which real art is unthinkable. Metreveli is the first among Soviet tennis players who managed to fully master the technical and tactical intricacies of the universal game and demonstrate it on the field. practice many of the advanced tennis ideas of the 1960s and 1970s."

By the age of 35 A.I. Metreveli left the sports arena. Left undefeated. But he never left the greatest passion of his life and never lived a day without thinking and caring about the development of tennis. In 1981-1982 he was the coach of the School of Higher Sports Excellence and the Georgian national team. From 1982 to 1987, he was deputy chairman of the Georgian Sports Committee, vice-president of the All-Union Tennis Federation, and member of the steering committee of the International Tennis Federation. Over the course of a number of years, A.I. Metreveli was a consultant to the Uzbekistan national team and an advisor to the chairman of the Committee on Tourism and Sports of the Russian Federation.

Alexander Iraklievich never lost ties with his native Georgia. Thanks to him, tennis established itself in the republic. His merit lies in the fact that Tbilisi often hosted participants in the prestigious Davis Cup competitions, and Georgian sports fans and tennis players more than once had the opportunity to see the play of recognized masters with their own eyes.

By education A.I. Metreveli is a journalist. In 1968 he graduated from Tbilisi State University. In 1988-1992, he was a columnist for the Georgian Telegraph Agency and now acts as a sports commentator on the NTV channel. His tennis coverage confirms that he has a wealth of experience and is a true master of his craft.

Honored Master of Sports of the USSR A.I. Metreveli was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor, medals “For Labor Valor”, “For Labor Distinction”. He was one of the first foreigners to be awarded the title of honorary citizen of Australia.

Lives and works in Moscow.

Tamaz 26.01.2014 03:04:00

I’m the same age as Alik, I fondly remember my youth, I’m happy for him and I listen with rapture to his comments together with the amazing Anna whom I simply love

On Tuesday, January 31, from 12.00 to 13.00, MK hosted an online conference of the famous Soviet tennis player, Wimbledon finalist, sports commentator Alexander METREVELI.The Australian Open, part of the Grand Slam series along with tournaments inUSA, France and Wimbledon in the UK.Winning such a competition at least once is an achievement, SwissRoger Federerwon the Grand Slam tournament for the 18th time - he is the leader among men in this indicator, AmericanSerena Williams- in 23rd (second only to Australian Margaret Court - she has 24). We talked about these and other topics with Alexander Iraklievich

User comments

I read that you are an honorary citizen of Australia, how did this happen, what privileges does this give you? Do you often travel to this country?

When you are elected an honorary citizen, you are given a certificate, sometimes a medal. Nothing else. Maybe you can take advantage of some privileges, but I don’t know anything else.

Tell me, is it possible in Moscow or the nearest Moscow region to teach a child tennis for free?

I don't know. Prices vary here. If a child plays tennis, that's one price. Everything is more expensive in Moscow. There is a price difference in summer or winter. In summer prices are lower, and in winter indoors are much more expensive. You need to heat the room, pay for lighting, pay taxes. That’s why those who manage to do so go abroad. If a parent wants, for example, to send their child to Spain, there are many open courts there. Everything is cheaper there. There is no traffic, you don't have to spend the whole day on the road to transport your child. Academies are opened there: the child lives and studies there. This is cool. In Spain, every yard has courts for playing tennis and football. This is a mass sport. He has completely disappeared from us. There was yard football and hockey. There was never any tennis. The child must receive training so that he initially has good coordination. Now in large cities this is a problem. As the state gets stronger, they will move away from the construction of restaurants and start building sites.

Alexander Iraklievich, I lived in Spain for a long time, there are grounds in almost every yard where you can play tennis, like we have for football, is there such a possibility in Russia? What do you think and what needs to be done for this?

Tell me, do you have a favorite tennis player? And why exactly he/she?

Why, after finishing your career, did you decide to become a commentator? Did you study this art specifically? or they came right away and everything worked out, are there any recommendations for novice commentators? And in general, for people who would like to learn how to speak competently, loudly and clearly?
Thank you

Why did you become a commentator? Continuing my career, I devoted my whole life to this sport. I was in the Ministry of Sports of Georgia, but this is a dead job. At that time, I was often invited to demonstration performances and veterans’ tournaments. I conduct my reports with Anna Dmitrieva. She invited me to work at the microphone. Then specialized channels were opened and tennis became the first of them.
Recommendations for beginners: you need to understand the sport and love it. The commentator is an accomplice to the actions that take place. To learn how to do this competently, I would recommend special courses. There they teach you how to express your thoughts in a way that is interesting and understandable to TV viewers.

Hello, I am a child of perestroika, I always thought that the appearance of tennis in the country was connected with Yeltsin’s passion, but what were the opportunities in Soviet times, and isn’t tennis being suppressed now, since judo and alpine skiing are held in high esteem?

Yeltsin was a fan of this game and played it himself. In countries like Russia, when the first person plays, everyone tries to imitate and join in. Yeltsin knew literally everything. He was interested in the performance of even the little tennis players, and sometimes even we didn’t know them. Now the attitude towards tennis has changed, this is due to the structure of the country. Yes, there are problems with tennis now. We have been showing the Davis Cup and the Fed Cup for 30 years, but now, on Friday, the match with the Serbs, where the world number one Novak Djokovic is playing, will begin. And the issue has still not been resolved regarding the procurement of this competition. It may happen that tennis fans will not see it. And this is a wonderful competition.

What do you think about Masha Sharapova's return to the court and all the doping scandals?

The point is that she will come back. But psychologically, how will she have to overcome this barrier: she will have to date those girls who spoke harshly about her. She was always aloof and tried not to make contact. And then I found myself in this situation. This is a psychological question and I don’t know how it will be resolved. As for purely athletic performances, all her points were taken away from her, she must start from scratch. She should play small tournaments and score points. This does not suit her and any competition organizer would give her the opportunity, but there is one thing. She missed a year not due to illness and lost all her points through her own fault. When you are absent due to illness, you are given a wild card, a personal invitation. As for returning after punishment, the question arises whether such encouragement is fair. It seems that the organizers in Stuttgart decided to give her an opportunity, but the issue has not been resolved yet. How fair will this be, how will the tennis world perceive it? I would like to see her as soon as possible, but ethical standards are violated here.

Were the results of the Australian Open unexpected for you, and what are the brightest and most memorable moments of the championship you can tell?

Yes, unexpected results. If we take into account the sporting achievements and the quality of the game, then there seemed to be no surprise. Especially for the women, it was a retro final, one was 36, the other was 35. They played the final. Serena is strong, and big sister Venus is getting better. If there is a family ending, interest disappears. But they behaved in a sportsmanlike manner, I did not notice any contractual aspects. As for the men's part, it's a great tournament. I don’t remember so many interesting matches. There were about 25 5-sets, especially in the final stage. There were no ongoing meetings. And the crown of the performances was the final. It was an amazing sight. As one of my colleagues once told me: there is no need to comment on interesting matches, but the final of the 2017 Australian Championship was probably like that.

Hello Alexander Iraklievich! Thank you for your professional reporting. But still not only about the good. Please tell your colleagues Kalivoda and Borovsky why they always talk about something when the ball is being played, it’s annoying and they even allow themselves to make technical comments to the great and leading tent-tam. In my opinion, this is at least not correct who they are in tennis or that they have achieved anything in this sport. And in my opinion, Dmitriev’s position in your reporting is unnecessary, it only gets in the way, it’s always obvious that she is rooting for someone. And in general, in my opinion, she is an evil person. Sorry if something is wrong, but I wanted to be objective.

I have the opposite opinion. When Dmitrieva and Metreveli comment, they very often switch to a critical and detailed analysis of the game of tennis players and game situations, cite some completely out of place facts about other games and players, talk about some qualities of athletes that should not be discussed, sometimes They do not hide their preferences in relation to this or that tennis player, they often express overly critical assessments of athletes, etc. It seems that their commentary is intended for students of tennis departments of universities, and not for ordinary television viewers who would like to calmly watch the match, enjoying the wonderful moments. Both Dmitrieva and Metreveli, chattering on other topics, did not have time to follow the progress of the game, changes in the score, etc. What’s remarkable is that sometimes they make mistakes in the pronunciation of certain words, and respected Metreveli still speaks with an accent, I don’t know about others, but it makes me feel uncomfortable!!! The speech of a sports commentator must be clear, competent and understandable. And do not interfere with the viewer’s ability to watch matches by pausing more often, i.e. minutes of “silence” when the fan himself analyzes the game situation, without interfering commentary!!!

I don't like to criticize my colleagues, they gave their whole lives to tennis. It is very difficult to please everyone. There are favorite commentators, and there are also disliked ones. It's impossible to please everyone. You need to understand that these are people who are devoted to sports with their hearts and souls. They need to forgive some mistakes. One thing I would like to note is that, compared to our foreign colleagues, we had the opportunity to travel and comment directly from the scene. It was possible to determine which matches to show and which not. Which ones would be more interesting for our fans to watch? This is an important point: we are now mainly commenting from the studio and a lot is lost. There is no such perception. I ask the audience to take this into account. For example, sometimes you have to translate simultaneously from the studio, and this is a very difficult process. There is no such problem on the podium. We try when we report, if there are any deviations. There is a rule: be silent while playing the ball so as not to interfere with watching. Lyrical digressions can be used during a pause in the match, during warm-up. We want to attract even non-professional spectators to tennis. All this must be taken into account.

Alexander, good afternoon. Please tell me why many Russian commentators, including you, talk during pranks? Have you heard McEnroe and Wilander's comments? Thank you.

I almost forgot AO was wonderful, especially the ending. Congratulations to Roger and Rafa deserved to win too. But this is a sport and there are no two champions, that’s why it’s beautiful, especially b. tennis. Good luck and health to you A.I. Metreveli

Thank you.

Are you currently training athletes somewhere? Do you often play tennis now?

I rarely play. I don’t train anyone, I don’t have time. If they come to me with a request, I try not to refuse anyone. At least help with advice.

Memoirs of famous athletes help to understand a lot. Many famous tennis players also write memoirs, I witnessed many of the moments described on the pages. We worked together with Vladimir Maslachenko

Alexander Iraklievich, good afternoon. To be honest, I only know about tennis in the “background” that comes from the news. But I would like to master this sport (I’m 27) - where to start, is there any benefit from group training (it’s cheaper) and how many times a week should I do it so that it’s not a profanity? I would also like to involve my mother, but I just think: her joints periodically hurt, including her shoulder joints - will tennis be more likely to harm her then, or, on the contrary, will she help her develop it?

In adulthood, if something bothers you, you need to consult a doctor. At 27 years old, at what level do you want to learn to play? I would recommend individual lessons and then group lessons. Depending on the quality of the game. Doubles tennis is very interesting. At your age, take some private lessons first.

Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, multiple champion of the USSR, finalist of the Wimbledon tournament, European champion, Asian champion, TV commentator, honorary citizen of Australia

The athlete, who was rapidly gaining momentum, already in 1962 entered the top ten strongest tennis players of the USSR and did not leave it for 18 years, and in 1966-1967 and 1969-1978 he headed it.

Bibliography

To prepare this work, materials were used from the site http://www.biograph.ru/

The European Championships among boys and girls under 16 years of age, held for the third time in Moscow on the courts of the Juan Antonio Samaranch National Tennis Center, were often attended by eminent guests. The championship was attended by the mayor of the capital Yuri Luzhkov, the president of the FTR Shamil Tarpishchev came, our famous tennis player Yevgeny Kafelnikov came... And now, for several days now, Alexander Metreveli, our legendary athlete, Wimbledon finalist, and now the most popular and, of course, the most high-profile tennis television commentator. No, he appeared on the courts near the Northern River Station, as they say, not for work. He has a personal interest here. The fact is that Alik’s grandson, as many people call him in a friendly manner, Sandro, aka Alexander, aka Metreveli Jr., is taking part in the youth championship of the Old Continent.

The 15-year-old tennis player defeated the Italian Federico Margini in the starting circle - 6:2, 6:3, and then, however, lost to the strong Romanian - Alexander Porumba, who in 2007 was the champion of the European Championship under the age of 14. Moreover, Sandro led in the first set - 5:3, but was unable to maintain the advantage and lost in the tiebreaker. In the second game, inspired by success, the 16-year-old representative of Romania brought the matter to victory - 6:1. Nevertheless, Metreveli's performance was remembered by many - Sandro demonstrates varied, interesting and, one might say, smart tennis. He also has victories in pairs. Observers agree that Sandro has a future, and the saying “nature rests on the children of geniuses” is inappropriate in this case.

RG correspondents spoke with Metreveli Jr.

Russian newspaper: How upset are you, Sandro?

Alexander Metreveli: At first it was very strong, but now I don’t worry anymore. I know what I need to work on.

RG: But he had a great opening match.

Metreveli: Yes, although I was a little tense in the first match.

RG: Of course, you were named after your grandfather?

Metreveli: Yes. You know, when grandpa watched, I wanted to show the maximum I could do.

RG: Where do you train?

Metreveli: In Tbilisi at the Dynamo club. In Russia, my grandfather has an academy in Togliatti: I trained there, as well as in Samara, for a year - very good courts, a good club, a good academy. A year later I returned to Georgia, now I study there and play tournaments. My mother and father, my whole family, are in Georgia; we have always lived there. In general, I like living in Tbilisi better - everything is native there.

RG: Sandro, you have such, one might say, varied tennis. What would you call your playing style?

Metreveli: I like to play near the net, and when I’m on the back line, I spin really hard and try to hit powerfully. In general, clay is suitable for this style, but I like hard more.

RG: Tell us about your competitions on the tour.

Metreveli: I don't play very many tournaments. Now I have moved to the under 18 category. In total, he participated in six tournaments. And this year in two more ITF competitions in Israel. In the first, he reached the quarterfinals in singles and the semifinals in pairs. In the second - he reached the final in singles and won a pair - together with Nikita Kushnarev from Rostov, he will be 16 years old in August.

RG: Your dad, Irakli, is he the captain of the Georgian youth team?

Metreveli: Yes, dad is a coach, he trains me, another boy from Russia - Nikita Kushnarev, and also two guys from Georgia. He started studying with me when I was five years old. He is my personal trainer and dad, he is everything to me!

RG: You even have generational continuity in your names...

Metreveli: Yes, grandfather is Alexander Iraklievich, dad is Irakli Alexandrovich, and I am Alexander Iraklievich, like a grandfather.

RG: Is it harder to play when grandpa is watching the match?

Metreveli: This makes me a little tense and constrained. But anyway - let him come.

RG: Have you ever played with him?

Metreveli: He rarely comes to Georgia. But when he comes, he comes to my training sessions and makes comments. We played with him once... His knee hurts, he can’t run fast, and I won (laughs). Grandfather didn’t give in, he just really couldn’t run because of his knee.

RG: What advice does he give?

Metreveli: Corrects equipment. He says “bend your legs”, “turn your shoulders”. He doesn't say anything about tactics.

RG: What is he like, your grandfather?

Metreveli: Strict.

RG: And dad?

Metreveli: Depends on mood. If I play well, and he sees that everything is fine with me, that I haven’t changed anything technically, then dad is in a good mood. And when I change something in vain, then he scolds me.

RG: Do you watch broadcasts of the Russian tennis channel? Who do you like best among the commentators?

Metreveli: Well, of course, grandpa! And when someone else comments, I just don’t listen - I just watch the match.

RG: Have you seen your grandfather’s game, for example, his matches at Wimbledon? Do you have such videos at home?

Metreveli: No, I didn’t see it - I just heard it. I watched the Wimbledon mixed doubles final on the website, when my grandfather played against the Romanian Ilie Nastase. True, only a few minutes of the match were shown there. But actually, I really want to watch these videos in their entirety.

RG: By the way, did he introduce you to famous tennis players?

Metreveli: Yes, in 2005 he gave me accreditation for the Masters tournament in Miami. There I met Federer, Rodik, and many others. And when there was a Russia-Serbia match in Moscow, my grandfather introduced me to the entire Russian team - the meeting with Mikhail Youzhny was especially memorable. It was great! I took pictures with everyone.

RG: Who is your favorite current tennis player?

Metreveli: Don't even know. Maybe Roger Federer. I like the way he carries himself on the court. He has excellent technique and plays beautifully.

RG: Is tennis the main thing for you?

Metreveli: Since childhood I wanted to play tennis. Moreover, the family is like that - dad played, uncle, grandfather. I really wanted to play myself. I don't care about anything else. I don’t shy away from training; on the contrary, I always look forward to it.

RG: Do you have time to study?

Metreveli: I don’t go to school - I don’t have time for this, teachers come to my house. In the morning, in the afternoon, training, physical training. And then I take exams at the end of the year.

RG: What are your hobbies besides tennis?

Metreveli: Computers, of course. I also play billiards or go to the movies.

RG: You speak Russian perfectly. What about other Georgian athletes, your peers? By the way, how do you communicate with the guys from Russia?

Metreveli: It seems to me that all Georgians speak Russian normally. And the relations between Georgians and Russians are friendly.

RG: How do you like the organization of the tournament?

Metreveli: Everything is top class! I didn't expect this. The European Junior Championships in Moscow are probably one of the best tournaments. This is the second time in a row I've been here.

RG: Sandro, do you throw your racket onto the court when something doesn’t work out? It seems like it happened just once...

Metreveli: Sometimes, if you're angry. Dad, of course, says: “No need.” Even if I throw my racket during training, he scolds me.