World's oldest tennis player takes on Nadal
This 97-year-old tennis player took on Rafael Nadal
LOCATION: Manacor, Spain
Leonid Stanislavskyi holds the Guinness world record
as the world's oldest tennis player
He visited Nadal’s tennis academy in Spain
and got to play with the 20-time Grand Slam champion himself
(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) GUINNESS WORLD RECORD HOLDER AS WORLD'S OLDEST TENNIS PLAYER, LEONID STANISLAVSKYI, SAYING:"It is an elegant sport. It is good physical exercise, a beautiful game. And there is one more thing about tennis - you can play tennis no matter what age you are. I started playing tennis when I was 30 years old. I am now 97 years old and keep playing. Prominent tennis player Federer is 39 or 40 years old, Djokovic is 33 or 34 years old, and if I am not mistaken, Nadal is also above 30 years old. For professional tennis, it is quite an advanced age. I am an amateur and I can play at 97 years old."
Stanislavskyi says the friendly match was a dream come true
as he finds it impossible to find a worthy opponent in his age group
(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) GUINNESS WORLD RECORD HOLDER AS WORLD'S OLDEST TENNIS PLAYER, LEONID STANISLAVSKYI, SAYING:"My biggest dream is to live a few more years, at least till 100 years. Some people say: "Live until 120 years old." It would be wonderful if I could live till at least 100, 105 or 110 years old. That's my biggest dream and I fight for it. My dream is not simply to live up to 100 years old but to remain active and at least be able to play tennis. Probably I won't be a strong tennis player anymore, but I want to play even if not with much strength. I dream of meeting prominent tennis players. "
