Kremlin Cup tennis tournament

General information

The Kremlin Cup, a professional tennis tournament for athletes from all countries, has been held in Moscow since 1990. Autumn is the traditional time of the event. The tournament grid for both men and women is designed for 28 participants (singles) and 16 pairs. The total prize fund is more than $ 1.5 million.
In the early years, the prize pool was only about $300,000 (for men) and about $400,000 (for women). But after 2-3 years, this amount has increased several times.
The men’s tournament was recognized 3 times by the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) as the best competition in 1993, in 1994 and back in 1996.

History

The history of the tournament is connected with Sasson Kakshuri, a Swiss businessman. The idea was supported by Ivan Silaev, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. He also headed the first organizing committee of the tournament.
The first 6 competitions were designed for men only. In 1996, the tournament management decided to combine the Kremlin Cup with the Moscow Open Championship. This decision allowed women to participate in the competition as well.

Venue

All tennis fans are welcome at the Olympic Sports Complex. The stands can accommodate 15,000 spectators.

Courts

All courts have a hard surface (Rucourt). Participants are provided with 4 courts. The rest of the sites are only for training.

Winners and finalists

Evgeny Kafelnikov is the undisputed leader of the men’s singles competition. He has been to the finals 6 times and won 5 titles.
Anastasia Myskina won on the courts of the Moscow tennis tour in singles 2 times. Marie Pierre, a French athlete, also stood on the podium twice.

Maxim Mirnyi, a Belarusian tennis player, a multiple winner of various tournaments (including Grand Slam tournaments), distinguished himself in doubles tournaments. From 2001 to 2005, he won 4 times, and each time there were new partners in his alliance.
In women’s doubles tennis, the star is Nadezhda Petrova, the owner of three victories at the Kremlin Cup.

Interesting facts

During the Kremlin Cup, the «Big Hat» tournament is held. The participants of the competition are famous personalities: politicians, artists, businessmen, etc. The event is organized by the magazine «Tennis +». Boris Yeltsin (the First President of Russia), Maxim Dunaevsky (composer), Yuri Luzhkov (former mayor of Moscow) and other celebrities took part in the amateur tournament.
In 1999, Vladimir Putin came to the event and awarded the strongest tennis players.