Wimbledon is a busy time of year for anybody connected with tennis, but imagine combining this with running a restaurant in the same area and looking after three children.
I met Evgeniy Zukin at the All England Club on Saturday afternoon. In the blistering heat, he was smartly dressed in a suit, watching those from his native Ukraine play on the outside courts. Zukin was a former top-10 player at the national level during his junior years before moving away from the sport to pursue a Master’s degree, partly due to financial constraints. He remained connected to tennis by coaching and umpiring numerous events. In 2013, he was asked to be the CEO of the Ukrainian Tennis Federation, which is a role he accepted and continues to do.
Zukin spoke with me shortly after watching Daria Snigur play her third round match. She lost in straight sets to Ashlyn Krueger, who is ranked 25 places lower than her at 102nd in the world.
“We have just one (player) left in singles now. Having seven women in the main draw is an amazing achievement anyway,” he tells Ubitennis.
“We hoped that at least a couple of players would stay until the second week, but unfortunately, it didn’t work, but Martha is playing very good and we hope she goes further.”
Marta Kostyuk is the player carrying the hopes of her country at SW19. She is enjoying a strong season in which she won a WTA 1000 title in Madrid before reaching the semi-finals at the French Open. Kostyuk, who was taken to three sets in her previous two rounds, faces Krueger on Monday.
“Even though grass has never been her favourite surface, it looks like she is on a good wave. So she can get some good results this time,” Zukin said of his compatriot.
In his role as CEO, Zukin attends matches but doesn’t often interact with players during the tournament. This is because they are with their own teams and are concentrated on the tournament. Although he doesn’t mind this as it provides him with ‘a great opportunity to come and see life, the matches to support.’
The other job
A 10-minute drive away from The All England Club lies Zukin’s other job, which is somewhat different. He is the owner and co-runs the OY Bar, which is located on Wimbledon Broadway. It is open seven days a week and serves ‘local British produce with standout ingredients and influences from continental Europe.’
So how did the CEO of a national tennis federation end up in the restaurant business?
“It was a bit of a crazy idea,” Zukin admits.
“I think everybody wants to open some kind of cafe bar restaurant. Just to try themselves out in this business because it’s exciting.
“With my wife when we started it. It’s a challenging environment, let’s put it this way. But it’s really interesting. We enjoy it as well. The more things you know in life, the more different things you do, the better. So this is another education you get.”
There is another motivation for opening such a business – to help settle in with the community. Zukin and his family fled his homeland after the Russian invasion in 2022. The national tennis club that he and his wife set up was destroyed as a result of the conflict. Through a friend he was invited to stay in Tooting, London. He still lives around this area now.
“It’s a socialisation for us as well,” he continues.
“To know the community better, to do something for the community as well and Integrate, more.
“Me and my wife are members of a nearby Tennis Club. This is another form of integration and getting to know new people. We do play for a tennis club in the National League and Surrey League, whatever it is. This is our hobby, but it’s very much linked with my work.”
Credit has to be given to Zukin for how he managed to balance the two jobs. Although he admits ‘he never counts how many hours he works in a day.’ If this wasn’t enough, he is also a father-of-three.
“We have two small children. I have three children. One is 16 years old, and the others are four and one. This is another big job to do. We don’t have any relatives, it’s just us and we need to manage.” He said.
Keeping Ukraine on the map
Sporting bodies have suffered as a result of the ongoing war, which is the deadliest in the world since World War two. The UN’s Human Rights Office recently reported that at least 16,126 people have been killed and another 46,590 injured since February 2022.
In tennis, the Federation’s largest financial backer is its president, Serhiy Lagur. As a result of the war, Ukraine’s currency has also weakened
“We did have some donations from other nations and from the ITF, but now it’s almost all gone,” Zukin explains.
“We didn’t have any government money for almost two years, and the last two years, it was just a little bit but this is for the National Championships. They cover, just partly, the expenses for some teams.”
Times are hard without a doubt but Zukin remains determined.
“We need to keep Ukrainian tennis alive. Keep on going, participate in all the competitions we can, to show our flag everywhere in as many tennis arenas as we can. To participate well in the Billie Jean Kind cup and Davis Cup.” He concludes.
