Home Court Advantage

THE CÔTE D’AZUR, Monte Carlo, Hotel de Paris. What do you think of when you hear those words? High society, summer parties, incredible yachts, movie stars, and so on. But what about professional tennis? Not really, right? But to me, it is the perfect place to live, train, and enjoy time in between tournaments, and as a bonus, you don’t need to travel far to go on vacation when living in Monaco.

I’m not the only one who thinks like this. A lot of tennis players and athletes enjoy living and training in Monaco. The weather is always nice, the sea is marvelous, and you are able to enjoy the finest cuisine out there. After traveling around the world for more than 20 years, one has to love the fact that everything you need is only a few walking minutes from your home—groceries, gym, beach, tennis courts. Working out in the morning, playing tennis in the afternoon, and that still gives you enough time to enjoy lunch by the beach or have a swim and watch the sunset after a hard and enjoyable day of work. And whenever it does get too busy in the summers, the nearest adorable French village is just minutes away. Yes, that’s how I see life in Monaco.

Summers are great, everyone knows that, but I get asked what do you do in winter on your days off? The region gives you many options. I love snowboarding, for example, or Bonito fishing along the shoreline, which is especially good in December. Some days I drop my kid off at school and head to Isola, at 2000 meters and only 90 minutes away, where I find the perfect slope to ride my snowboard. It’s definitely good enough for me since I am a beginner. Usually, I’m back in time for the afternoon school run and more activities before dinner. And if I do want or need to travel again, Nice airport is less than 30 minutes away with lots of international connections.

I’ve been living in Monaco since 2009. I have thought about relocating at times, but never found an alternative that would suit my lifestyle the way Monaco does. I moved here as a young man, aged 22, trying to make it on tour and to find my place in the world of tennis and in life. Monaco welcomed me with open arms, friendly and international people, all with big ambitions and successful careers. It made me want to strive for more. At one point, I reached my career high, a decent amount of success for the person I am, but some time after that I started transitioning into post-career activities and was ready to start a family. Again, I found myself at a crossroad, wondering, is Monaco the right place to continue living after a professional tennis career, being newlyweds with a newborn? It turned out, I am able to enjoy my home even more nowadays. We have a lot of friends our age, with kids that go to the same school, and spend afternoons together on the beach, playing soccer at Larvotto with birthday parties coming up almost every couple of weeks.

Sure, it doesn’t have the big city vibe one is used to after living in Paris, London, or New York, but it has its own perks. Hole-in-the-wall restaurants, Michelin-star dining, big parties or, if you want to spend time without too many people around, a picnic on a rock overlooking the sea is all within a couple hundred meters of the city center.

How did I end up, as some say, in the most luxurious or expensive country in the world? Born in the Soviet Union in 1987, my parents and I moved to Germany in 1991, and I grew up in Hamburg, spending most of my afternoons at the courts of our local tennis club where my parents were working as coaches. I can’t say that I enjoyed school, but my grades were always pretty good.

I preferred to play tennis and be around the courts, spend hours on the playground with kids, and team up for the occasional soccer or field hockey game. In 1997 my brother was born. I was certain he would become a great champion one day, I guess you just know these things as an older sibling. Looking back, I’d say I wasn’t too far off with my prediction. I just knew that sports would always play a big role in our lives. My brother Alexander had incredible talent and passion for the sport of tennis. It helped that both my parents used to be professional tennis players, even my grandma was an excellent player back in the day. Tennis runs in our blood. But on the other hand, I also knew that I would never become a legend of the sport. I wanted to do well to support my family, help my brother make it to the top of the game, and later I wanted to provide for my own family. My tennis career made that all possible, and I enjoyed every moment of it. But I also saw myself become some sort of an entrepreneur, surrounding myself with creative, smart, and successful people. I guess that’s what brought me to Monaco.

Fast forward, we have become true Monaco locals. My wife and I have two kids, both born here, my parents moved to Monaco, and my brother lives here as well. I have more friends and created more unforgettable memories in this little country than anywhere else in the world.

What’s next? At 36, my tennis career is coming to an end, but my schedule has not become less busy or less hectic. My brother is one of the best tennis players in the world, and I’m blessed to be on his team, still traveling around the globe and helping him on the court and off the court with management. Every once in a while, I change roles and find myself in the commentary booth during Grand Slams. I guess I like to do many different things. When I’m not talking tennis, I usually try to expand my horizon in the world of investments. With Tie-Break Ventures we invest in different private companies, also startups, do consultant work for companies, and we also help athletes and individuals to handle their finances.

After 14 years and counting as a Monaco resident, we have gone through a lot of construction work, we have seen the city change, grow, and improve, but every time I come back from a long trip I am reminded of how fortunate we are to be living in a place like this.

By Mischa Zverev

Contributor

Mikhail "Mischa" Zverev is a contributing writer for The Monegasque™ , specializing in tennis coverage. A former German professional player, Zverev reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 25 in 2017. He is best known for defeating world No. 1 Andy Murray at the 2017 Australian Open before losing to Roger Federer in the quarterfinals.