Kazakhstan’s Beibit Zhukayev first picked up a tennis racquet on a household trip at age eight. A local of Aktau, inhabitants roughly 180,000, Zhukayev has defied odds to turn out to be a rising star on the ATP Challenger Tour.
“I by no means thought I’d turn out to be an expert participant whereas practising in Aktau. It was for enjoyable, we by no means had tennis coaches there or gamers,” Zhukayev informed ATPTour.com. “I’m type of like a celebrity in that metropolis. Lots of people inform me, ‘We by no means thought that somebody can be that top within the rankings!’”
Zhukayev, who moved to Almaty in 2013, takes satisfaction in being born and raised in Kazakhstan. “I’m actual Kazakh,” he stated. At No. 189 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, the 23-year-old hopes to see extra tennis gamers emerge from his house nation.
“Our tennis society and degree goes up. I see much more kids which might be beginning to play tennis and are extra within the sport,” stated Zhukayev, who’s the second-highest ranked Kazakh, behind World No. 32 Alexander Bublik. “I imagine in 5, 10 years we may have extra gamers competing.”
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If it weren’t for a household trip to Türkiye, who is aware of if Zhukayev can be the place he’s right this moment. Alongside his uncle at a resort in 2008, Zhukayev tried tennis and immediately fell in love. He additionally rapidly caught on to a technique.
“I made him run so much. I cherished enjoying nook to nook and made individuals run for the ball,” Zhukayev stated. “My uncle fell down and he had a small harm on his knee. I nonetheless do not forget that he had a variety of blood on his knee and I used to be so sorry to him.”
A breakthrough second for Zhukayev got here in May on the Little Rock Challenger, the place he superior by qualifying en path to his first closing at that degree. Zhukayev went one step additional in November, triumphing on the Jonathan Fried Pro Challenger in Charlottesville, Virginia. But all didn’t look so properly firstly of the week, when Zhukayev fended off 5 match factors to flee Thai-Son Kwiatkowski within the first spherical.
“I believed I used to be going to lose. I believed I’d have one other week of observe,” Zhukayev stated. “I used to be type of considering, ‘What am I going to do?’ I simply stated, ‘Let’s simply attempt to win the subsequent level.’ I gained it and I’d say, ‘Try to win one other one.’ Then when he had three extra match factors in a recreation, I simply stated, ‘Try and win this level and see what occurs.’
“The subsequent day I used to be so sore and my legs had been so drained. But I figured it out and began enjoying higher and higher day by day. It was an unimaginable week for me.”
Beibit Zhukayev wins the Jonathan Fried Pro Challenger. Credit: Al Hoover
Zhukayev earned his maiden ATP Tour main-draw victory this yr in Shanghai, the place he downed Italian Stefano Napolitano. Despite the 6’5” Zhukayev hammering 20 aces within the second spherical towards Karen Khachanov, he suffered a three-set defeat in what was his first event on the ATP Masters 1000 degree.
With his career-best season now within the rear-view mirror, the offseason will maybe present some downtime for Zhukayev to take pleasure in his hobbies: studying, driving and spending time along with his household. Zhukayev has two brothers and a twin sister, Nazik, who was born quarter-hour after Beibit.
“I don’t watch every other sports activities. Sometimes I learn political stuff to know what’s occurring on the earth,” Zhukayev stated. “I’m a giant fan of vehicles as properly. I take pleasure in meals, I believe our Kazakh meals is one of the best on the earth.”
Source web site: www.atptour.com
