Shamil Tarpishchev: “I believe tennis will get a new life in Armenia”

At the invitation of the President of the Tennis Federation of Armenia, Vardan Zakaryan, the President of the Russian Tennis Federation, Shamil Tarpishchev, visited Armenia. He attended the ongoing ITF women’s professional ranking tournament in Tsaghkadzor and shared his impressions with the press service of the Armenian Tennis Federation.

“I last visited Armenia in October of last year. I come here two to three times a year, and now I feel almost at home. For the second year in a row, we are participating in both men’s and women’s tournaments. This is great experience for young players — they earn their first ranking points at such events,” Tarpishchev noted.

According to him, Tsaghkadzor offers excellent sports facilities and tennis courts, which are important for athletes’ recovery. He recalled organizing training camps in Armenia during Soviet times, although back then there were no courts and the focus was only on physical preparation.

“In the past two years, I met with the President and Prime Minister of Armenia, with 13 Olympic champions present at those meetings. I’ve brought Olympic champions from various sports to Tsaghkadzor. This proves that Tsaghkadzor can once again become a powerful sports center, as it was during the Soviet era,” he said.

Speaking about the newly elected President of the Tennis Federation of Armenia, Vardan Zakaryan, Tarpishchev emphasized:
“I’ve known Vardan and his family for many years. His father was Minister of Sport for over 10 years. I believe it’s very good for Armenia that Vardan Zakaryan has become the head of the federation. Tennis has deep traditions in Armenia, and I’m confident Vardan can revive them and breathe new life into Armenian tennis.”

He added that the tennis federations of Armenia and Russia have already developed a roadmap for cooperation, and he is ready to support Zakaryan in this mission.

At the same time, Tarpishchev pointed out certain issues, particularly the lack of courts.
“It’s difficult to build history relying only on Tsaghkadzor. Unfortunately, many tennis courts have become private property. Courts need to be available in various cities so that academies and clubs can be established.”

“Tennis is considered an elite and diplomatic sport worldwide. It is played in over 200 countries. In many places, it also serves as a form of family leisure. In the southern regions of the USSR, people vacationed while their kids stayed at sports camps — the parents played tennis and picked them up in the evening. That model is still widely used around the world,” Tarpishchev concluded, wishing success to Armenian tennis.