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... and enjoying a drink with former tennis champion Martina Hingis at Wimbledon in 2006 |
Tennis coach’s widow blames Royal Parks
THE grieving widow of a tennis coach found hanging in Regent’s Park has pointed the finger of blame at the park’s bosses who cost him his job.
Yuri Ouvarov worked at the Regent’s Park Golf and Tennis School for 16 years until the Royal Parks Agency terminated its lease in March.
He was found last Thursday night hanging close to his favourite tennis court, in what friends and family are calling a “definite statement” against the controversial decision to close his beloved school.
Speaking at his funeral in Hendon Cemetery yesterday (Thursday), widow Tatiana Ouvarov said: “After the school closed he could not find happiness.
“He tried to work in other schools, but he became upset and depressed.”
She added: “To the Parks, I say shame on you.”
Mr Ouvarov, who was a friend to stars of the tennis world including Martina Hingis and Lleyton Hewitt, coached Dr Gillian McKeith, Amanda Holden and Salman Rushdie’s son.
“He lived for the school,” said Chris Meadows, the school’s owner.
“The Parks agency cannot hide away from this – they have blood on their hands.”
A Parks spokesman said: “This is obviously a tragedy and we extend our deepest sympathies to Yuri’s family and friends in what is clearly a difficult time.”
Heartbroken coach found hanged months after tennis school closed
Tragic Russian who taught the stars to play found dead close to Regent’s Park sports centre
WHEN Russian tennis ace Yuri Ouvarov packed his bags from St Petersburg on a cold winter’s night in 1991 he was looking forward to a brighter future for his family in London.
With the Soviet Union collapsing, they fled the stagnant economy to claim political asylum in north London.
Boasting an impressive CV and having coached all his life, he was immediately appointed head professional coach at the Regent’s Park Golf and Tennis School.
A member of an inner circle of tennis superstars, he coached television celebrities Amanda Holden, Dr Gillian McKeith and Des Lynam at the school.
But last Thursday night, a little after 11pm, the father-of-three was found hanging from a tree close to the school where he worked for 16 years that was controversially closed in March.
At his funeral yesterday (Thursday), around 200 family, friends and well-wishers gathered at Hendon Cemetery to remember a disciplinarian who honed his body to its physical peak.
His wife Tatiana told the packed chapel: “Yuri could not live without the school. He tried to find work elsewhere, but it just was not the same. It is a terrible loss.”
Visibly shaken, she affectionately patted the forehead of her husband as he lay in the open coffin beside her.
The lease to the golf and tennis school was terminated by the Royal Parks Agency on March 31 in anticipation of a five-a-side football development being approved for the site.
The application was rejected on Thursday night following a three-year campaign backed by the journalist Sir Simon Jenkins, BBC broadcaster Sue MacGregor and 1,200 members of the Friends of Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill.
But as campaigners toasted victory that night, a tragedy was unfolding near the site as Yuri Ouvarov took his own life.
“Yuri’s death was a definite statement against the closure,” said Chris Meadows, the school’s owner who considers himself a brother to Mr Ouvarov.
“I have no doubt that Yuri’s decision to hang himself in the park was in response to the depression that was brought on by losing his job as head tennis pro at the school. He died looking towards the tennis school and it is clearly linked to his frustration that he was no longer able to do the job that he lived for. The guy has committed suicide because his life was taken away.
“There are a lot of questions that need to be asked, like why the Parks closed down the profit-making school before the application for the new development went through.
“I spoke to Yuri on Tuesday and told him that it was unlikely the school would reopen. The Parks have made clear for a long time now that the site would be returned to parkland if the football plan failed. I did not want to build false hope – it was difficult to imagine any different outcome.”
As well as wife Tatiana, Mr Ouvarov leaves behind three sporting children, Alla, 26, who once came runner-up in the gruelling London mini-marathon when she was 13, Michael, 24, a world-ranked tennis champion, and Mary, who is 14 today (Friday).
Alla, who lives in St John’s Wood and is getting married next month, told the West End Extra before the funeral: “No one can understand why he did this. Yes, he lived for his work and loved the school. But it just doesn’t feel right. Our wedding will not be the same without him.
“I have been going through his laptop and phone messages and it is overwhelming how many people have found time to say they miss him. No one can understand how this has happened.
“We knew he was a bit upset and depressed after losing his job – but this is such a shock. Depression is a chemical imbalance of the mind.”
Mr Ouvarov devoted his entire life to sport. After gaining a PhD in sports studies at the University of St Petersburg, he became a tennis coach specialising in injury and rehabilitation.
He met Tatiana in the former Russian capital as a teenager, but “lost touch” on being conscripted to the national army, when Alla believes he grew to appreciate discipline, only to be reunited after a chance meeting in a tennis club a few years later.
Alla said: “My parents always had good jobs, but at the same time we never really had anything. We came to London for a better life. I am grateful for the experience of growing up in Communist Russia. But I remember the bad things – there was no milk or bread and the shops were empty. You had to queue up for everything.
“One thing we used to do together when we came to London was run to the tennis club every morning and then to school.
“He ran more than 50 marathons in his life and that was something we did together.
“I came second in the mini-marathon when I was 13. I haven’t run for a while, but I was hoping we would start training again.”
A Royal Parks Agency spokesman said: “This is obviously a tragedy and we extend our deepest sympathies to Yuri’s family and friends in what is clearly a difficult time.” |
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