Russian composers, playwrights and tennis players?

To my mother’s certain knowledge, Russians and their neighbours were born and educated to be composers, instrumentalists, painters, sculptors, doctors, academics, scientists, writers, dancers, theatre people and architects. It was as though the entire population was educated, cultivated and decidedly intellectual.

For many years I truly believed that Anna Pavlova, Vassily Kandinsky, Sergei Rachmaninov and Marc Chagall were my cousins. Vaslav Nijinsky, Sergei Prokofiev and Boris Pasternak simply HAD to have been uncles. Czechs Antonin Dvorak, Bedrich Smetana, Leos Janacek and Austrian Arnold Schoenberg, whose parents were Czech, had to have been cousins of my husband. However it was not random bragging - there was no mention made of athletes, farmers or soldiers in my mother’s world view.

At the Australian Tennis Open this fortnight, spectators were struck by brilliant Russians, Czechs and Ukrainians alright, but they were not pianists or novelists. Of the top 32 women in the tournament, 17 were Russians or its immediate neigh­bours, four women with East European surnames (Varvara Lepchenko, Caroline Woz­niacki etc) were playing for distant countries and a paltry 11 represented the rest of the world. Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Nadia Petrova, Agnies Radwanska, Anna Ivanovic, Maria Kirilenko, Dominika Cibulkova, Lucie Safarova, Ekaterina Makarova and Yanina Wickmayer smiled up from the published tournament programme and smiled down from the bigger-than-lifesize posters around the Melbourne Tennis Complex.

Petra Kvitova (Czech) and Maria Sharapova (Russian) were the winner and runner up

at the most important tournament of all,

Wimbledon, 2011

That is not to say that Serena Williams or Na Li could not win. But Russian women and their neighbours have established an amazing track record this century. Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004, U.S Open in 2006, Australian Open in 2008 and French Open in 2012. Vera Zvon­areva has won the U.S Open in 2006. She co-won the Australian Open doubles in 2012, and the mixed doubles titles at the U.S Open in 2004 and Wimbledon in 2006. Anastasia Myskina won the French Open in 2004. Svet­lana Kuznetsova won the 2004 U.S Open and the 2009 French Open. Anna Kournikova co-won two Grand Slam doubles at the Aust­ral­ian Open. Dinara Safina co-won the women's doubles title at the U.S Open in 2007. Ekaterina Makarova co-won the mixed doubles at the U.S Open in 2012. Elena Likhovtseva co-won mixed doubles at Wimble­don in 2002 and the Australian Open in 2007. Czech Petra Kvitová won Wimbledon in 2011. Belarusian Victoria Azarenka won the 2012 Australian Open sin­g­­les and co-won two mixed doubles at the 2007 US Open and the 2008 French Open. Russian-Australian Anastasia Rodionova won the gold med­al in both women's singles and women's doubles at the 2010 Common­wealth Gam­es.

The women tennis players from Russia and its neighbours are tall, athletic, well coached and good looking, but no more tall, athletic, well coached and good looking than other star tennis players. So what is the explanation? Drugs haven’t been found in tennis, as they have been in weight lifting and cycling, so that is not an issue. Money is not an issue since the Australian and American women presumably receive more prize money and endorsements than Russian, Ukrainian and Polish women receive.

My mother’s theory goes like this. When the economy is booming and employment is guaranteed, Russian parents will encourage their clever children to go into music, ballet, drama, literature or any career in which they can shine. But in tough times, “luxury” industries stop hiring young people. Carl Fabergé might have made brilliant and very desirable jewellery in the early 20th century, but if he had been alive now, he may have had to accept work in a chicken factory. Wise parents, therefore, have encouraged their clever daughters to go into an industry that everyone in the world wants to watch – tennis.