But got Andriy Dernovsky

The Day's Oleksandr Honcharuk met Andriy Dernovsky, the author of the most resounding sensation of the Davis Cup match, the next day after his stunning victory over Joao Cunha-Silva.

"Andriy, you were unknown to the general circle of tennis aficionados before the Davis Cup. And now you come out on the court and defeat the 294th rated player in the world. Are you aware of what you have done?"

"Sooner or later, you have to start working your way up and beating stronger and better known players, if, of course, you have ambitious plans to scale a certain peak. Naturally, I am still standing at the foothill and have made only a small step forward."

"In other words, you were overwhelmed by ambition."

"I put it differently: I felt at last the taste of victory. I understood I could do it and bring joy to myself and my fans. Sometimes you just wake up in the morning and feel able to move mountains."

"Did you wake up with this thought before the match versus Cunha-Silva?"

"No, I did so a bit earlier, on the eve of last year's open championship of Germany, where I finished first among the under 18s and became the world's 15th in my age group. I told myself on the Kyiv courts: fate has given you a chance (it's not every day that you are entrusted second place in the adults' national team!) and if I don't take it..."

"After two breath-taking victorious sets you lost another two in a row, and the outcome of the match, so to speak, hung by the hair of one game."

"I was playing for the first time in my life a five set match on such a high level, and, of course, the lack of experience showed. On the one hand, I felt that today everything would be all right and I had to prove my superiority as soon as possible; but, on the other hand, I worried my abilities might not suffice. But when the score came to 2:2 love and I had nothing to lose, I again began to play without inhibitions and won. Frankly speaking, I wanted not so much to win (although this was certainly desirable) as to show the experts, referees, and fans that I know how to play."

"Playing against Portugal's first racket, you tried to calculate your shots and sent the ball almost along the sideline. And in everyday life, are you shrewd, do you calculate every step of yours?"

"Just the opposite. I have never suffered from ambition, so I've never made rosy plans. For example, until recent times I played tennis just to be with it. Only now have my father and I worked out a certain program of my growth in sports."

"Did your parents, tennis coaches Ihor and Liudmyla Dernovsky, see a champion in you from your childhood?"

"If only you knew how I balked when I was forced to take a racket in hand. What I really loved was soccer. But my parents were unrelenting: not a single soccer match, only tennis! So a new Oleh Blokhin was killed in me. I finally caved in and began to play tennis regularly when I was about ten, which is now considered late: first under mother's supervision and then, when I grew up a little, dad's. As time went by, I developed interest and now I regret nothing."

"Do you train in your Meteor home club?"

"If it were so, you wouldn't have seen me at the match against Portugal. To our great regret, it is practically impossible to train a high- class player in Ukraine today. We lack tournament practice and strong practice partners. This is why I stay with my father and train in Vienna, wandering all over Europe for tournaments."

"There is word that Anatoly Lepeshin, the coach of the Russian national team and Yevgeny Kafelnikov, take care of you."

"Yes, my father and he often give me useful advice, after which I feel more confident. Lepeshin has great experience of international meets, for his alumnus is now the world's No. 2 racket."

"Every young athlete has a certain ideal. Who is yours?"

"A year ago, when I had not yet seen with my own eyes the way Andriy Medvediev plays on the court, I worshipped Marcelo Rios and Carlos Moya. But now I really get a kick out of Andriy's game, his uninhibited manner of play, and his cannonball shots. And, in general, he is a very open and affectionate person. He will always help and cheer you up, he never flaunts his titles despite what a great player he is, and he never looks down on his junior colleagues."

"And what qualities must a great player have?"

"First, he must, as we say, have a head on the shoulders, and, secondly, a strong character."

"And what does Andriy Dernovsky lack today?"

"Experts think I'm well trained technically and physically. But what I lack is composure and ability to concentrate on the right ball, as well, as, of course, experience. To be frank, my chief flaw is lack of alertness. I try to combat this, but with mixed success."

"Judging by the two Kyiv matches, you don't feel like playing close to the net."

"Yes, I approach the net reluctantly and only in an extreme case. I prefer to play from the baseline."

"Speaking to me, your peer and teammate Orest Tereshchuk from Donetsk said you would play doubles together in the immediate future and play together at international tournaments."

"Why not? We're friends, we know very well each other's style of play. Will this young duet not come in handy for the team?"

"And the last question. You have dyed your hair and become blond. Are you a mod?"

"No, I just like changing my looks. And does this really hurt anybody?"