Behind the scenes of success, Pavel Kotov hides a story of struggle. Although, right now the Russian tennis pro’s focus is on the French Open third-round(against the World No. 2 Jannik Sinner), his journey up till now has been a mix of triumphs and challenges. Especially when it comes to his former coach, Ivan Polyakov, who once was the guiding light in his life but sadly has now left a void that Kotov continues to carry with him on the court.

After 7 years of hard work as a professional tennis player, Pavel Kotov was finally a step closer to his dream when he cracked the top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP rankings in October 2022. However, little did he know that a tragedy was soon going to strike him hard, just about five months later. On March 31st, 2023, the 25-year-old player had to say goodbye to his coach, Ivan Polyakov (29), who passed away due to cancer.

Recalling the tough times, Kotov revealed at the Australian Open this year that how sudden things took a turn for Ivan. “It was sudden because we were together at Roland Garros in 2022. We just practiced together and he spent a lot of time on the court. He was super, super tired. He thought that it was just every single hour of practice and a lot of different things. But then he went to the doctor and the doctor said it,” he told ATPTour.com.

At the semifinal match in Marrakech, Kotov further revealed how Polyakov, following the 2023 French Open, underwent a routine medical examination which revealed a diagnosis of cancer. Post which he received treatment in Germany for the remainder of the year before returning to Russia. But during all that time, he kept guiding Kotov to continue his competitions until the very end. Therefore, Kotov’s journey continued.

But thankfully, before his coach was no more, Kotov had already spent more than a year under Polyakov’s guidance. The 25-year-old forged forward and enjoyed his best season yet. It showed in his performance as well, as he kept pushing forward and reached two finals last year. One was in Challenger Braunschweig, DE, and later, at the Stockholm Open (his first final championship match on the ATP tour) in October. 

After falling short in his first ATP Tour final last October in Stockholm, Kotov went through the usual post-match motions. However, the sting of defeat wasn’t enough to overshadow a heartfelt moment as he congratulated the champion, Gael Monfils, and expressed gratitude to his coach and mother watching from afar. But then, in a display of raw emotion, Kotov said, “I would like to dedicate this final to my coach Ivan Polyakov, who passed away this year. Thank you” 

Fueled by the love, support, and memory of Polyakov, he now wishes to fulfill not only his own dreams but also make Polyakov’s desire come true as well.

Pavel Kotov reveals how he feels “close” to his late coach, Polyakov

Pavel Kotov has enjoyed by far his best season on Tour after qualifying for multiple tour-level quarterfinal matches since last year. But his struggle with the personal loss continued. “It was really tough for me to recover, to come back after this. So for now, of course, I remember everything,” he once admitted. However, now he is back with more power and determination. Why?

Because he has to fulfill his coach’s dream too. “I understand for now that he’s somewhere close to me, and he wanted me to play for sure, and to go as high as I can.”  Polyakov, who once admitted, “He will forever remain in my heart,” wants to dedicate all his victories to him. And why not?

Right now, Pavel Kotov works under the guidance of Mikhail Bril. And for now, his goal is clear: “I would like to go higher, and I will do my best.” While he does so, hopefully, the tennis world will see a new name at the top one day.