By Trevor Hass
For a tennis
junkie like Yuri Krainov, summer is the most wonderful time of year. The sun is
shining, people are available to play and paying for court time isn’t
necessary.
Yuri, 53,
joined Tennis League Network three years ago and has found his niche on the
court. He recently played his 200th match with the site, putting him
in an exclusive club alongside several other devotees. Yuri's Profile
In the summer,
the Brooklyn, NY, resident Krainov plays tennis nearly every day. Sometimes he needs a break. He’s only human. But he’s generally out there at least five
times a week, oftentimes making his opponent’s life miserable.
“I’m trying to
keep in shape and play as much as possible,” Krainov said. “Basically I’m
trying to play almost every day.”
Krainov is a
dentist, so tennis serves as the perfect escape after a long day at the office
or a thought cleanser on the weekend after a busy week. Many of his opponents
would agree that playing him is like pulling teeth.
He’s the kind of
player who gets everything back. You can beat him, but you’re going to have to
work hard to do it.
“A lot of
players tell me that I play a defensive style,” Krainov said.
Defensive tennis
is a mixed bag, because sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t – depending
on the day and the opponent. Against one particular foe, Alex Twersky, that
strategy is effective about half the time.
Yuri and
Alex have played dozens of matches. They’re often grueling, but they’re
always fun, according to Krainov – who has a 3.5 rating. There’s also his
archrival (OK, maybe not quite, but they don’t hold back on the court), David
Romero, who he once battled in a 10-game pro set for two hours in the 90-degree
heat.
“Usually you
don’t remember good matches,” Krainov said. “You usually remember tough matches,
and that was a tough match.”
Krainov, who was
born in Russia and moved to the United States almost 25 years ago, played
minimally in Russia. He was always interested in the sport, but he had trouble
finding partners or ample time.
When he moved
here, he played more regularly for a few years but stopped for a few years
after that. He dabbled a little more, then he took an extended break for close
to a decade as his professional career took off.
Now he has the
bug, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. This is his time of year, so if
you mosey down to the courts in South Brooklyn there’s a good chance you’ll see
him swinging away and getting ball after ball back.
“Tennis League
Network is a good option for me,” he said. “You can always talk to the partners
and find a good place to play.”
