Evgeny Kafelnikov. This name is almost expected to be seen in the "Where are they now?" Five years ago he was considered the best tennis player in the world. At the same time, without officially announcing his retirement from the big sport, the thirty-year-old Russian, two-time Grand Slam champion and winner of the gold medal of the Sydney Olympics disappeared from the tournament scene.
This is a gesture characteristic of its mystery for a man who can be considered one of the strangest tennis players of the first rank. Or someone else of the first rank. "This stubborn Russian" - his former coach Larry Stefanski said about him, and this is perhaps still putting it mildly.
So where is Kafelnikov now? For example, I met him on a cold November afternoon in Maidstone, Kent. He's come here to take part in the Pacific Open Poker Tournament, which has more prize money than most tennis tournaments he's played in: $ 10,000 just to get to the final and $ 500,000 to win.
Even when the prize is not so tempting, Kafelnikov has been enjoying himself at the table lately. But he doesn't just play for the buzz. Stefanski taught him tennis strategy, and now he hired his compatriot Kirill Gerasimov, 2002 Rookie of the Year in professional poker, to learn how to do the same with a deck of cards.
Under Gerasimov's leadership, Kafelnikov appears to be becoming a great poker player. At a tournament in Moscow, he beat Dave Colcloff, and this is the Roger Federer of European poker. But, according to everyone, it would not hurt him to bring subtleties and cunning into his style. "He is very aggressive and has a tendency to usurp the game at the table," says a poker player I know. "He plays poker in much the same way as he plays tennis."
He plays tennis? Or played? I ask him this question for 64 thousand. And, as befits a poker player, he answers my question for 64 thousand with another question for 64 thousand.
“I quit tennis,” he tells me without a smile, “but I haven't officially announced it yet. Some people think I just decided to take a break, but I think my time in tennis is gone. Even if I came back, there is no chance to play like it used to be. Tennis is now a young sport. There are of course exceptions, for example Agassi. He is 34 and he still competes, but he is one of a kind. And I played in my tennis career. 1000 matches. That's more than enough, isn't it? "
I agree that this may be the case. There is something in Kafelnikov - I almost wrote "Kalashnikov" - that does not tolerate objection. Partly this is its size, partly - its impenetrability, and partly - its "Russianness". I hate to slip into a cliché, but he has something of the Bond villains in him, and this impression is enhanced by his bad haircut and his jumper. I'm not talking about his friendship with some shady characters, for example, with Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov, a mobster arrested in connection with the figure skating scandal at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.
He shrugs when I mention this connection. "I still maintain friendly relations with him. What can you do, I have known him for many, many years."
He shrugs again when I think of the investigation into allegedly rigged tennis matches, a rumor partly triggered by his refusal to participate in last year's tournament in Lyon. "It was a false accusation, and I tried not to pay too much attention to it all. But it damaged my reputation."
Kafelnikov agreed to give only one interview, and I was lucky to be elected, but I cannot say that I really felt a sense of rare luck. Kafelnikov not only plays poker the same way he plays tennis, he also gives interviews in the same uncompromising manner.
I ask if he finds that there is a certain similarity between tennis and poker.
“Yes,” he replies. He speaks excellent English, albeit with an accent. “In poker you need courage, just like in tennis. If you don’t believe in your capabilities, you won’t win. In tennis I believed in myself. So I achieved such success. "
Now poker is the only gambling he is passionate about, but it was said that during the Australian Open, he practically became attached to roulette in a casino in Melbourne and lost a large amount, betting all the time on black. Interestingly, this did not stop him from adding another "Grand Slam" to the one he already had from the 1996 tournament in France. He refuses to tell me how he manages his money, admitting only that he leads an "above average" lifestyle.
Changing the subject, I tell him that the British consider Russians to be sentimental. Do thoughts of Mother Russia make him cry? "It happens," he says, and irony appears in his eyes. "Especially when we are down to Portugal 7-1."
When asked if he plans to use his tennis prowess to teach others, he says no. "I won't have the patience." Does he have the patience to play poker, despite the aggressiveness of his style? "Yes, I find it very exciting. Because you do not win with cards, but with skill. Using body language, you can win, but you can also lose."
Interestingly, many of their top poker players are former athletes. Doyle Brunson, arguably the greatest player in history, was a talented basketball player until his career was interrupted by a knee injury. Another famous player, T.J. Clotier, was a professional footballer.
"I think it has to do with nerves," says a poker buddy of mine. "Athletes know how to stay calm in a state of nervous tension, they maintain concentration, observation, discipline, and they have a powerful winning mentality."
All of the above applies to Kafelnikov in the best possible way.
By Brian Weiner
English 
Russian