Wimbledon: Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan says there's one big difference in having a parent as a coach.
"I didn't pay for her," he said of his mother, Klaudiya Istomina.
Istomin lost Friday in the third round at Wimbledon but he was pleased with his tournament. Ranked 70th, he is the only Uzbek man to reach the third round of a Grand Slam event, a feat he has managed three times — at the All England Club and at the Australian Open this year, and at the US Open in 2009.
Istomin credits his mother, a former player, with improving his tactical and technical skills. She also pushes him to his limits when he trains.
Pressure
"Because I'm a little bit lazy, she always pressures me," said Istomin, 23. "She keeps going but I say, ‘No, come on.'"
It's unusual for a mother to coach an ATP player, although Gloria Connors is credited with inspiring her son Jimmy to tennis greatness. He won eight Grand Slam titles.
Istomin defeated 20th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka and Rainer Schuettler at Wimbledon before losing Friday to No. 12-seeded Tomas Berdych, 6-7 (1), 7-6 (5), 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-4. Now he'll head home to Moscow and then Tashkent, the Uzbek capital, before travelling to South Korea for a Davis Cup tie.
Along with help from his mother, Istomin said he gets inspiration from Mikhail Istomin, an uncle who has flourished as a US-based cellist and has sent his nephew a CD of his work.
"For me, the best is classical music," said Denis Istomin, who studies tennis coaching and other sports at a university in Tashkent when not on tour.
