In May 1999, Yevgeny Kafelnikov climbed to the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings, becoming the first Russian to hold the position. Just a few years later, he shocked the world by retiring from tennis at the age of 29, amid controversy surrounding an illegal betting scandal.
Years later, Kafelnikov stood before the microphones again, this time to criticize the “Big Three” of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal. By then, he had earned nearly $25 million in prize money and had dabbled in poker and golf.
Kafelnikov turned professional in 1992, and at that time, no one suspected he would compete for a top spot in the rankings. The U.S. seemed destined to dominate, with Pete Sampras leading the charge. Russian players had yet to break into the upper echelons of the sport, and American tennis had a long-established legacy.
But little by little, the Sochi-born Kafelnikov began to make his mark. He broke into the ATP Top 100 just two years later, at age 20, when he reached the final of the Hamburg Masters, defeating the likes of Michael Stich and Goran Ivanišević, and jumping to No. 11 in the rankings.
Yevgeny Kafelnikov holding the Roland Garros trophy after defeating Michael Stich in 1996. (IMAGO / Claus Bergmann)
First Russian to win a Grand Slam
Kafelnikov’s big breakthrough came in 1996 when he won Roland Garros, becoming the first Russian to capture a Grand Slam title. In that tournament, he defeated Pete Sampras in the semifinals in straight sets and Michael Stich in the final, also in straight sets.
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He dedicated the win to his coach at the time, Anatoly Lepeshin: “He taught me how to compete, how to conduct myself on the court, and how to be a professional. From 6 a.m., he’d wake me up, making me ham and cheese pancakes. That’s our story,” Kafelnikov said in 2019 when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Kafelnikov, world No. 1, and controversies
Following that win, Kafelnikov continued his success, claiming the 1999 Australian Open and reaching the semifinals of the U.S. Open. His fame exploded in the former Soviet Union when he won the gold medal in the Sydney Olympics in 2000, defeating one of his greatest rivals, Brazilian Guga Kuerten.
“Ríos, Guga, Moyà, Pete (Sampras), and Andre (Agassi) were dominating the Tour at that time,” Kafelnikov later told the ATP website. “For me, they were all big rivalries. I played many great matches against Guga.”
He also added wins in doubles, including three Roland Garros titles (1996, 1997, 2002) and the 1997 U.S. Open. In addition, he helped Russia win the Davis Cup in 2002.
However, as his success grew, so did his personal struggles, with alcohol becoming a major issue in his life and career. He later admitted to playing matches while hungover.
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A retirement without an announcement
Kafelnikov began to withdraw from several tournaments due to injuries and poor form. On January 31, 2004, three months before his final match, his compatriot Marat Safin announced his retirement during a press conference at the Australian Open: “Gentlemen, Yevgeny is gone.”
At that point, Kafelnikov, weighing 105 kilograms, had promised to retire when he could no longer qualify for all four Grand Slam events. And so, with no public farewell or press announcement, he left the game at just 29 years old.
Many years later, in 2016, the British outlet The Telegraph revealed that Kafelnikov was under investigation by the ATP for a match-fixing scandal related to illegal betting.
The match in question was his loss to Spanish player Fernando Vicente in the first round of Lyon. “Kafelnikov played his last professional tennis match just two weeks later, shortly after receiving a letter indicating that the ATP was conducting a ‘serious criminal investigation’ into the Lyon match,” The Telegraph reported.
When questioned about the matter, Kafelnikov denied receiving any information about an investigation but did not rule out its existence: “Maybe yes, maybe no.” However, he did deny that the scandal was the reason for his retirement.
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Kafelnikov ventures into new sports and criticizes the ‘Big Three’
After his retirement, Kafelnikov soon appeared in major international poker tournaments and later tried his hand at golf, even participating in the 2008 Russia Open on the PGA European Tour.
He also briefly coached Marat Safin but never felt at home in the tennis world. When Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic began dominating the sport, Kafelnikov took aim at them.
“They’re so boring; they have the same automated routines, and they don’t create interesting stories on or off the court. The one who bores me the most is Roger. You can tell he’s Swiss and has always had everything he needed,” Kafelnikov remarked in 2018 to TennisWorldUSA.
When it came to choosing the best of the three, Kafelnikov had no hesitation in picking Djokovic: “He doesn’t need to prove to anyone that he’s better than Federer and Nadal. That’s for sure.“
This year, Kafelnikov also voiced outrage over the controversial doping cases of Jannik Sinner and Iga Świątek: “There should be a lifetime ban for anyone who tests positive. There are no excuses, zero tolerance, no matter who you are.”
Finally, he added: “Sometimes I wonder, why the hell didn’t I use steroids throughout my career? I could have played 300 matches instead of just 170 every year. It’s a real shame what’s going on in tennis today.”
