The UNIQLO Interview: Natalja Novikova
Natalja Novikova is not a widely known name even within wheelchair tennis circles, but her impact on the sport has been substantial and her achievements warrant and deserve significant airtime.
Such is the mark made on the game by Novikova, particularly in her native Latvia, the 60-year-old has been awarded one of the ITF’s most prestigious annual wheelchair tennis awards.
Launched in 2017, the UNIQLO Spirit Award is presented by UNIQLO – the title sponsor of the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour – to an individual or organisation that embodies the principles and core values of UNIQLO.
“I am very honoured and grateful for such high appreciation of my work and this recognition is truly a milestone in my journey and a source of great pride and encouragement,” said Novikova.
“Receiving this award not only affirms my efforts but also inspires me to strive for excellence in wheelchair tennis development. Being recognised by such a distinguished body reinforces my dedication to my goals and values.”
Novikova mentioned wheelchair tennis development and that is exactly right. But to fully understand the scale of her accomplishments, it is important to rewind a decade when Novikova suddenly came to need the use of a wheelchair herself.
She subsequently threw herself into wheelchair tennis and embarked upon a playing career which saw her reach No. 63 in the world in 2017 – not bad for someone who only started playing at the age of 50.
However, a hand injury was to bring a premature end to her on-court career from where she refocused and began organising tennis classes in Lativa for children and young people with disabilities.
Just over five years ago, Novikova, with the support of the Latvian Paralympic Committee, founded a charitable society – Bērnu un Jauniesu Para Sporta Apvienība, which translates as Children and Youth Parasports Association.
She has since dedicated her life to the development of parasports, especially wheelchair tennis, for children with disabilities. Novikova is happy to take up the story herself.
“I started playing wheelchair tennis quite late when my state of health did not allow me to hope for serious achievements," she said.
“However, I trained actively for several years and participated in many tournaments, and thanks to wheelchair tennis I learnt how many necessary skills wheelchair tennis provides for the lives of people with disabilities.
“I learnt how it strengthens people mentally and physically. Also, a person gets the opportunity to freely travel to different countries, broaden their horizons and make new friends.
“I love the wheelchair tennis community, and I admire people who overcome physical pain and look for and find the opportunity to develop themselves like athletes, to fight on court. In my opinion, this is not so much a fight with an opponent, but with oneself.
“This was my motivation, to pass on the accumulated experience primarily to children as, in our country, parasports for children was at an early stage of development."
Thanks to Novikova’s activities, which began in Riga - the nation's capital city - wheelchair tennis has developed significantly in Latvia. When she started, there were no children or young people playing wheelchair tennis, but now more than 100 young people across the country that have tried wheelchair tennis.
One such player, Ailina Mosko, has just competed at the Australian Open Junior Wheelchair Championships, reaching the girls' doubles final – a huge inspiration for all disabled athletes in Latvia and further afield.
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“We will continue to work to find talented youngsters and involve them in wheelchair tennis,” said Novikova. “We believe that over the years we will have new champions that can be competitive in the international arena.
“That said, professional sport is not our main direction. We focus on the accessibility of wheelchair tennis and other sports for children and youngsters, and implement the principle of equal opportunity in our small country."
Novikova remains as committed as ever to driving this project and she exudes a real zeal to build upon past success. Indeed, there are some ambitious plans in place for the coming months.
“Today we have about 70 children and youngsters with disabilities in our team in different cities of Latvia,” said Novikova. “Not all of them will stay with wheelchair tennis because they have very different physical damage.
“In our work, we try to introduce participants to different sports, give them the opportunity to find something suitable and provide the opportunity for them to develop further.
“Any sport is good for the cognitive development of children, and over time they mature and can switch from one to another. We are working very hard to expand our geography and create para-sport options across Latvia.
“Our plans for 2025 include masterclasses and sports camps in different cities as well as the Latvian Multisport Championship. Here, there will be no emphasis on a specific sport, but children will be offered numerous disciplines in which to compete."
Big plans indeed. Given her selfless commitment to the development of wheelchair tennis and parasport in Latvia, it is only right that Novikova gets the final word and a rare moment of self-indulgence – after all, she deserves it.
“I'm really proud of my achievements,” she said. "Before I started to play wheelchair tennis, I was a financier, working as a chief accountant and financial director for many years.
“Wheelchair tennis allowed me to reveal a different side of my personality, to show traits that I didn’t even know I had.
“Now, my job brings me pleasure and satisfaction. I also see that it is needed by children and their families, and it seems this is important for the country as a whole since it allows people with all sorts of disabilities to be involved in active life. It helps them to find their place in life.
"Such a serious achievement cannot be accomplished alone, and I am very glad that over the years we have managed to put together a team.
"These are athletes and para-athletes, coaches and volunteers - caring people who put their whole soul into the development of para-sports for children with disabilities. I really appreciate it and am grateful to them.
"Now, my team and I are very motivated to continue what we started.”