Professional tennis is one of the toughest careers, an individual sport where defeat is just around the corner every week and where only the immortals are able to set legendary records, to amaze the world with their victories.
Inspired by his father to play tennis from the age of four, “Tim” was also on the path of soccer, but the racquet weighed more heavily on his mind and he is currently one of the best tennis players in Kazakhstan, a country he has already represented in the Davis Cup.
With clay as his favorite surface, Skatov moved to Spain in 2017 to work in our house, where he has been training with our director, José Altur. “I was training in Russia, I played with Russian players and we played crazy, where you do whatever comes to your mind,” confesses the 22-year-old right-hander . “Then I moved to Spain, where I started working with my coach, Jose Altur. He gave me some rules, like the fundamentals I have to use, and in the last three years I’ve been really learning,” remarks the ATP number 155.
Timofey reached the best ranking of his career, so far, last February 13 when he was ranked number 125 in the world, a position he reached after outstanding results in the professional circuit, such as the title he won in the Parma Challenger last year.
The Kazakh takes stock and details how his game has evolved so far. “I try to mix what I had when I was young and what I have learned in Spain, with a little more control. A lot of times I play a little different, I run a lot, I like it, sometimes it’s fun. It’s a mix of everything, but for sure I’m not a great server”, recognizes the 22-year-old tennis player.
(Video credit: ATP Challenger Tour)
The experience that set Timofey’s direction
The decision to be a player is never simple, but since he was a kid “Tim” knew what he wanted to be and the path he had to follow to pursue the dream. “First, when I was about 12 years old, it was time to choose between school and tennis. And then, the first time I went to the United States to play in the junior Orange Bowl tournament, I was very surprised to see a lot of players who played much better than me. After that, I sat down with my parents and my coach and said, ‘Okay, I like tennis and I don’t like school!'” reveals Skatov as he recalls at what point he decided to turn pro with the racquet.
An admirer of Roger Federer, “Tim” moved away from home at the age of seventeen, aware that this decision would lead him to become more independent, and as he explains, “to become more of a man, and take more responsibility for myself, like starting to practice and work harder than I did.”
His growth has been continuous, not only climbing positions in the men’s rankings and approaching the coveted Top 100, Skatov has elevated his tennis, competing on his favorite surface, clay, but managing to shine on concrete courts as well.
A soccer and fashion fanatic, Timofey takes advantage of the goodness of our city to enjoy in his free time, visiting the beaches of Valencia to spend time with his friends or have a good time with a book, but also setting a noble goal with the younger generations who want to be like him and for whom he wants to be an example of hard work and dedication.
