The Tennis Clubs of Uzbekistan
Tashkent has its scene, but Samarkand still recalls its Soviet glory
The tennis courts at Olympic Park in Tashkent, situated next to the Tashkent TV tower, considered the tallest building in Central Asia, at 375 meters.
Uzbekistan has never really been known for tennis. Athletic children in the mostly rural, landlocked country, would more likely choose to play football or Buzkashi — a sport the uninitiated might call the precursor to Polo — in which horse-mounted players attempt to place a goat carcass into a goal.
Still, scratch hard and see that the O’zbekiston Tennis Federatsiyasi (Uzbek Tennis Federation) has produced a number of fine players — even after it earned its freedom from the former Soviet Union — namely Denis Istomin, who in 2017 defeated defending champion Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Australian Open, and Varvara Lepchenko, who reached the 4th round of the French Open in 2012. The Uzbeks also field a decent Davis Cup team, which made it through some qualifying rounds before losing to the U.S. in one of the last live, televised matches before Covid-19 hit both countries in March.
Two upstarts practicing at the Olympic Park near the Tashkent TV Tower in fall 2019.
Uzbekistan also puts on a couple of tournaments each year, including the ITF Samarkand 80 — played by Puerto Rican upstart Ulises Blanch (Career High No. 269) — and the WTA Tashkent Open won by Alison Van Uytvanck (No. 57) in 2019. The challenger was cancelled this year, and the future is uncertain for the Tashkent Open, as it will collide with the newly moved French Open. During a year — and a tennis season — in which all of us have learned anything is possible, enjoy some courts from the other side of the world.
Centre Court at the Tennis Club Dinamo — a Soviet-era gem in the center of Silk-Road city Samarkand. Since 1996, it has hosted a Challenger, with future Top 10 stars Mikhail Youzhny reigning in 2000, Janko Tipsarevic in 2006 and Karen Khachanov in 2016.
A tennis stringer at the Tennis Club Dinamo, named after the local foot team and located just down the street from the Stadium in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Tennis Club Dinamo in Samarkand has six clay courts and two “hard” courts, as well as a wall, where some of the local kids come practice.
The Xadra Tennis Club in Tashkent — one of the city’s elite tennis academies.
The inside of the “TV Tower” tennis center at Olympic Park in Tashkent. Located behind a Plov restaurant, the lobby features photos of favorite players and Uzbekistan’s favorite president Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov seen in a photo (right) awarding a trophy to two players in traditional Turkic dress.
“Indoor” tennis courts at the Xadra Tennis Club in Tashkent.
An ad featuring the Xadra Tennis Club’s pros.