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Invisible man Kafelnikov happy to stay out of media spotlight
Yevgeny Kafelnikov has been quite content to live in the shadows at this U.S. Open. Please don't shine the spotlight on this two-time Grand Slam singles champion. That'll suit him just fine, at this tournament at least. In the past, the Russian has been outspoken -- including against CNN -- about the coverage afforded the likes of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi at his and others' expense. But at Flushing Meadows this year, Yevgeny is seemingly at peace with that. Even more so because he sees the benefits of sneaking through the draw without so much as a whisper -- here in the U.S. anyway. Let the others fend off the barrage of attention. Let others deal with the hype. Until now that is. Now there's no place to hide, even from the most America-centric tennis follower. Kafelnikov is in the semi finals, one of only four men left with a chance of hoisting the coveted US Open trophy. His days of stealth are over.
"I've liked not having the attention. Now you guys want to talk to me, " he told me after his clinical straight sets quarter final win over world No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten. After his victory in the previous round, Kafelnikov had -- with tongue firmly in cheek -- implored the media to keep on ignoring him. He made the plea with a wry smile. In fact, Yevgeny has been smiling a lot this last two weeks. Not something we're always accustomed to where he's concerned. But it's been most welcome. The biggest smile might yet be to come on Sunday night. Phil Jones is co-host of World Sport, the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
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