by Beth Rifkin
What should you expect from a man who (sarcastically) lists knitting, collecting walnut shells and Barbara Streisand as interests on his official bio? Well, in one blog entry last year a fan asked what it felt like to be kissed on the lips by fellow Russian player Igor Andreev after the Davis Cup win, in typical fashion, rising TennisStar Dmitry Tursunov responded with, “…“Dancing Queen” by ABBA rang in my head. It was so romantic!!! All I heard was, “Dancing quuueeeen…..” and time froze still! Our lips locked, dizziness filled my entire body and I felt like I was floating on air…I could have played another five-setter after that scene…Only seventeeeeen… feel the beat from the tamboooouriiiineeen… Oh yeaaaaah…”
As the author of the ATP blog, the "Tursunov Tales, Dmitry may be gaining more fame for what he does with a pen than a racquet, but make no mistake, Tursunov is a force on the court. The aggressive baseliner with a powerful forehand and a first serve percentage of 74, picked up two more ATP championships in 2007; Indianapolis during the U.S. Open Series by defeating Canadian Cinderella story Frank Dancevic in straight sets and at the Thailand Open after defeating Benjamin Becker of Germany. And this weekend he’ll be competing in the Davis Cup Championship finals, when Russia takes on the U.S., Nov. 30 – Dec. 2, Portland, Oregon.
“…to the wizardry of Roger Federer and the passion of Rafael Nadal there is the humor of Dmitry Tursunov...”
