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General First nameAlexander Vladimirovich
LastnameVolkov
GenderMale
CountryRussia
Date of birth1967-03-03
Place of birthKaliningrad , USSR
Date of death2019-10-19
Place of deathKaliningrad , Russia


About

The son of an engineer started playing tennis as a right-hander at the age of 10, but five years later suffered an accident when he fell down a steep bank and broke his shoulder. Sidelined for six months, another accident soon forced Volkov to consider switching sports to ice hockey or football.
Volkov eventually returned to the Kaliningrad Tennis Club, at the request of a friend, and started to play left-handed – initially with two hands on his grip – and worked hard to develop a powerful serve. Aged 19, he reached the then-USSR National Championships final and turned pro in 1988, soon becoming a threat on all surfaces. He was coached for several years by Valeri Chklyar.
Volkov made his senior debut at Philadelphia in February 1987, and five months later reached the Wimbledon fourth round — the first Russian player since Alex Metreveli in 1975. It was one of four Last 16 appearances at the All England Club (also 1990, 1991 and 1994). Volkov led eventual champion Michael Stich 5-3, 30/15 in the final set of their 1991 clash. He played in 30 consecutive Grand Slam championships between 1989 Wimbledon and the 1996 US Open.


He ended his playing career in 1997, having attained a career-high No. 14 in the ATP Rankings on 23 August 1993. He finished in the year-end Top 25 over five consecutive seasons (1990-1994), competed at the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games, and also helped Russia to the 1994 Davis Cup final (l. to Sweden).
In retirement, he joined Safin's team, helping the future World No. 1 to titles at the 2000 US Open and the 2005 Australian Open, before they ended their partnership in 2007.
Volkov won his third and final ATP Tour singles title at the VTB Kremlin Cup in 1994 (d. Chuck Adams). Today, in a ceremony at the ATP 250 tournament in Moscow, all former champions were due to be honoured, including Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Safin, who will also receive International Tennis Hall of Fame rings. They will now remember their fun-loving friend.
Former World No. 1 Kafelnikov paid tribute on Saturday, saying: “He was cheerful! I was lucky to play with him, to defend the colours of the Russian flag on the world stage. We were together in a team of the Davis Cup when we reached the final in 1994. I won my first title in Adelaide [in 1994], beating Sasha in the final. I have the most cherished memories of him.”
“At some point early on, he began to help me with tennis,” said Safin on Saturday. “With his help, I won the US Open and became World No. 1. We were friends, I liked him as a sportsman, as a person. He was cheerful, kind and had a big heart. Very kind and responsive. He helped a lot of people.”

Media


Archive statistics Career1985 - 1997
Tournament wins0
Matches71
Match wins42


Tournaments Wimbledon - 1997 Wimbledon - 1996 Wimbledon - 1995 Australian Open - 1994 Wimbledon - 1994 Australian Open - 1993 Wimbledon - 1993 Roland Garros - 1993 US Open - 1993 Australian Open - 1992 Wimbledon - 1992 Roland Garros - 1992 US Open - 1992 Australian Open - 1991 Wimbledon - 1991 Roland Garros - 1991 US Open - 1991 Australian Open - 1990 Wimbledon - 1990 Roland Garros - 1990 US Open - 1990 Wimbledon - 1989 US Open - 1989 Australian Open - 1988 Wimbledon - 1988 Roland Garros - 1988 Wimbledon - 1987 US Open - 1987 USSR Nationals - 1985