HighFIVE: Anastassiya Zherdeva
The following HighFIVE profile appears in the 2017 Summer issue of Colorado Tennis newspaper.
Anastassiya Zherdeva
It was the call of the Rocky Mountains that brought the TGA 2016 Coach of the Year, Anastassiya Zherdeva, to Colorado. Born in Kazakhstan (where the mountains are just as tall but rise from sea level) and stepping onto a court at the age of 7, her tennis road is a unique and happy one. It started in her home country then wound through neighboring Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and eventually to the California University of Pennsylvania. An internship in Fort Collins brought her to Colorado, followed by her coaching position with the TGA Program.
Born to professional skier parents, Irina and Igor Zherdev, she fell in love with the summer sport of tennis — approaching it as almost a hobby at first. In junior high, however, she was asked by her coach to make a choice — dedicate and become serious about tennis or find another coach. She accepted his challenge and became a top junior player, leading to a collegiate opportunity here in the US. She said she has no regrets.
“Choosing tennis has given me an amazing life. I’ve had the opportunity to travel around the world and make great friends,” she said, adding that there are other benefits to a life committed to athletics. “Sports builds character, and helps you both on and off the court to be a better person.”
That philosophy helped guide Anastassiya as she was recently named TGA Tennis coach of the year for 2016. It was the perfect opportunity where she could combine her love for tennis with her management degree in a unique way. TGA combines athletics, academics, and life lessons into their facility which supports over 1000 after school students. She explained that in addition to learning to play, participants also get to learn the history and science behind tennis. She said it was a big learning experience for her, as well, figuring out that the goal for many players and family was fun and enjoyment.
“It was tough for me to learn at first that coaching wasn’t about strictness,” she said of not only her background as a serious player in Kazakhstan, but of the culture of her native country as well. “People are so much friendlier here in the US and it took me a while to learn that I didn’t have to be so serious,” she said of her evolution as a coach.
A fine player, Anastassiya plays in a 5.0 USTA league and recently won both the 5.0 Mixed Doubles at the Colorado State Open and the Broomfield mixed Doubles Open with her partner, Dan Lizarribar. Longer term goals for Anastassiya include coaching college tennis and continuing to play herself. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have played collegiate ball here and coach with the TGA,” she said. “I have friends all over the world and I am excited to help others experience that joy.”
A complete history of HighFIVE profiles can be found on the USTA Colorado website.
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