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Metreveli’s biography

Honored USSR master of sports, repeated USSR champion, the Wimbledon tournament finalist, Europe and Asia champion, TV commentator, honorary citizen of Australia.

He was born on November 12, 1944 in Tbilisi. Father – Irakly Metreveli (1917 year of birth). Mother – Anna Metreveli (1921 year of birth). Wife – Natella Varsanidze (1943 year of birth). Sons: Irakly Metreveli (1967 year of birth ), Alexander Metreveli-junior (1976 year of birth).

Metreveli Alexander is the - the unique person in the history of native and world tennis. He is one of the first tennis-players from Eastern Europe, who managed to win high rating tournaments and to get into the list of ten best professional tennis-players by impressive victories in high-rank tournaments and brilliant performances in Davis Cup.

Alexander Metreveli unlike his notable rivals didn't profit by all those benefits which showered on the representatives of rich in tennis traditions countries. It is not surprising if it is remembered in what state and in what time our future tennis star began his sport career. He managed to accomplish practically impossible things thanks to his fanatic love for tennis, inborn talent and natural inclination, renunciation of life pleasures and allegiance to sport regimen.

Alexander Metreveli has been playing tennis since10 years old. A. Hangulyan was his first instructor. Under his direction beginner tennis-player played for Voluntary Sport Society “Dinamo” (Tbilisi). The victory in the USSR championship among youth in individual category (1961) was his best result in those years.

Rapidly upcoming sportsman in 1962 already got into the first ten best strongest tennis-players in the USSR and remained among them during 18 years and he was the leader in 1966-1967 and 1969-1978.

At that time he won dozens of brilliant victories on the tennis courts of the country, where he had no equal rivals during all his sport career. The unique collections of titles and ranks is the confirmation of it: the all-round champion of Sports and Athletics Meeting of the USSR nations (1975), the twenty-ninefold USSR champion in individual (1966-1967, 1969-1976, 1978, 1980), pair (1967-1968, 1970-1977) and mixed (1970-1973, 1975-1976) categories, the sixfold all-round champion (1970-1973,1975-1976), the finalist of the USSR championships in individual (1963, 1965, 1968), pair (1963) and mixed (1966, 1968, 1977) categories, tenfold winner of All-union winter contests in individual (1964, 1966-1968, 1970, 1978), pair (1967-1968, 1970, 1980) and mixed (1967) categories, the winner of Moscow open winter championship of 1963 in individual category.

Alexander Metreveli was 18 years old, when he made his debut in the USSR combined team. Since 1963 and during 14 years he defended the honor of the combined team in Davis Cup and he never stayed on the bench.

He must be referred to the world record-holder by the number of matches in Davis Cup . 105 (!) meetings in the tournaments of such rank is really the fantastic result which brought Alexander Metreveli into the list of five best tennis-players of all times. Only Italian Nicollo Petranjeli, Romanian Ilie Nastase and Spaniard Manuel Santana participated in greater number of matches in Davis Cup than Metreveli. He met with N. Petranjeli, tennis-player Number One in Davis Cup playing off, for the first time in 1968 in Italy. Metrevelli lost only 2 games out of 3 and won the match with obvious advantages.

It is remarkable that the leader of Soviet combined team unlike his foreign rivals didn't often have the opportunity to participate in contests. Due to political “games” Soviet combined team and its leader sometimes stayed out of play. In 1965 the USSR combined team didn't participate in Davis Cup playing off. In 1976 it reached the Cup semifinals, but the fatal lot fell upon it. Chilean team was not the rival which could overcome the flourishing Soviet combined team, but country's sport interests were sacrificed to political ambitions.

It is also remarkable that the USSR combined team's sport form was on the cusp. The leading force of our team were two Georgian tennis-players: Alexander Metreveli and Teimuraz Kakulia. It materially pretended to win Davis Cup, but “for some reason” in 1977 and 1978 it didn't participate in playing off.

The very fact of reaching semifinals of Davis Cup was great achievement, for that the team had to to win in European zone. After the adequate partner of Alexander Metreveli in the person of Teimuraz Kakulia appeared in the combined team, the Soviet combined team achieved a success in European zone twice defeating the strongest rivals in the struggle.

Alexander Metreveli's highest achievement was reaching the final of Wimbledon tournament in individual category in 1973. He made the main pretender to Wimbledon crown, the famous American D. Connors to cover his racket in semifinal. Meeting with the familiar rival and friend Y. Kodysh lied ahead.

The Soviet tennis-player was obviously on the rise and beat Czech more than once including previous Wimbledon. Therefore as a result of survey among journalists 81 per cent их gave preference to A. Metreveli. However their forecasts were fated never to be realized. In “normal” matches of Alexander who always subdued the audience by his unusual easiness, freedom, confidence, combination of superfine “playing laces” with powerful shattering blows, confident actions at any place of court, was as if substituted.

"Something strange and uncontrolled happened with me in that match, - said А. Metreveli. - Certainly I saw in it “the match of all my life” and it made ever more tense psychological atmosphere. Usual for me emotional raise, natural excitement gave place to some imperturbability, and what is more - apathy. I felt unusual tie-up in my muscles, movements slowed down and lost their usual freedom. I struggled all-out with myself instead of giving all my forces to the struggle with the rival. As a result I didn't show everything I could! That is a pity".

This insult haunted Alexander Metreveli a long time. But thanks to his purposefulness, persistence, very worthy sport conduct he did his best to ascend tennis Olympus, to contribute to the strengthening of the authority of Soviet sport. The impressive list of his titles which he won in the numerous international tournaments is the evidence of it: thrice-repeated finalist of Wimbledon tournament in individual (1973) and mixed (1968, 1970) categories, sixteenfold champion of Europe in individual (1970-1971, 1973, 1975, 1977-1978), pair (1970, 1972, 1974, 1976-1977) and mixed (1970-1974) categories, all-round champion of Europe (1970), the winner of open championships of Scandinavia and Sweden (1966) in individual category, champion of Asia (1970) in individual and mixed categories, semi-finalist of open championships of Italy (1968, 1970), Australia and France (1972) in individual categories, semi-finalist of open championships of France (1966, 1974) in pair and of the USA (1975) in mixed, the winner of tournaments of 5 Australian states (1971-1972), open АРЕ championship(1971), Kent county (Backnam, 1972-1973) in individual category, open championship of Cairo (1972) in individual and mixed categories, the finalist of “John Player” tournament (1974) in individual category, sixteenfold winner of summer international tournament in individual (1965-1967, 1970-1971, 1973-1974), pair (1967-1968, 1970-1971) and mixed (1964, 1966, 1970-1971, 1973) categories, tenfold winner of winter international tournament in individual (1966, 1968, 1971), pair (1967, 1970-1972) and mixed (1968, 1970-1971) categories, bronze prize-winner of the world tennis championship in 1974.

A. Metreveli in the USSR youth combined team became a holder of Galea Cup (1964). He vindicated honor of the USSR national combined team and he participated in 105 matches in 1963-1980. And he achieved record results for Soviet tennis-players – 78 victories (and only 27 defeats). In 1974 he took 9th place in the world classification of tennis-players for the first time in the history of Soviet tennis.

In Davis Cup playing off A. Metreveli changed 3 generations of tennis-players. He nearly did not know defeats participating in contest together with Tomas Leyus and Sergey Lihachev, Teymuraz Kakuliya and Vladimir Korotkov, Konstantin Pugayev, Vadim Borisov and Alexander Zverev. Metrevelli always was a real leader and the Georgian tennis-player would become all-round champion of all times in the history of Davis Cup’s playing off but for political . It is difficult to imagine someone else who would manage to show the play of the highest class and to remain among leading positions during 20 years.

Alexander Metreveli has his own usual creative hand writing, style and play manners which are typical only for him. This style is quite natural, it does not contain unnecessary artistry, but creates an incredible impression on audience. For him tennis is a sport and a show which must give the audience aesthetic pleasure. Organic merging of these two components fed Metreveli’s hand writing.

A. Metreveli always remained the personality on the court. He always earned the respect of all who he dealt with by his sharp combinations, unexpected and adjusted blows, intellect. He was loyal to gentlemanly tennis ethics.

Outstanding sportsman, national artist of the USSR Nicolay Ozerov characterized Alexander Metreveli most exactly: “Metreveli is a heaven-born tennis-player. When you look at his pley you feel real pleasure. It is not just a play. It is high art. Here are everything what is usual for high art, for tennis: stern attacks, filigree technique and finally bright fantasy, delicate improvisation, which are characteristic for real art. Metreveli was the first among Soviet tennis-players, who in full measure managed to master technical and tactic intricacies of the universal game, to show many advanced tennis ideas of 1960-1970’s in practice.”

By 35 A. Metreveli left sport arena. He left it undefeated. But he never left the biggest passion of his life and he never stopped thinking and caring of tennis development. In 1981-1982 he was trainer of the School of Higher Mastery and of Georgian combined team. In 1982-1987 he was a vice-chairman of Sport Committee of Georgia, vice-president of All-union tennis federation, the member of the leading committee of International tennis federation. For many years A. Metreveli was a consultant of the combined team of Uzbekistan and a chairman counselor of the Committee of tourism and sport of the Russian federation.

Alexander never lost ties with his native Georgia. Tennis became consolidated in the republic thanks to him. His merit is that Tbilisi often received the participants of prestigious contests of Davis Cup and Georgian sport-lovers and tennis-players could see the play of recognized masters with their own eyes more than once.

Metreveli is a journalist by training. In 1968 he graduated Tbilisi university. In 1988-1992 he was a reporter in "Georgian telegraph agency" and now he is a sport commentator on NTV channel. His tennis commentary confirm that he has great experience and he is real professional.

Honoured master of sports of the USSR A. Metreveli is rewarded with the order of “Honour Order” , medals “For labour valour”, “For labour merit“. He was among the first foreigner who was given the rank of honorary citizen of Australia.

Metreveli lives and works in Moscow.