You decided to move the tournament from the traditional October to May because of Brazil?

We began this project several years ago as a social project. I am very happy that the tournament still has its social value, and its sport value has increased to the highest level for Russia today. I think it was a very smart decision to move the date of the tournament to May 2016. Ranking points of athletes, including Russian Ludmila Bubnova, who get to the finals of the tournament in the women's category, go to the individual ranking for the Paralympic games.

This year MegaFon Dream Cup has increased category and the prize Fund...

Now it is 18 thousand dollars, what is quite good for competition for wheelchair athletes. Our tournament has the second category for now. We can raise it to first and even to the World series. It is very difficult, because ITF makes high requirements for the upgrade. Everything should be organized at the highest level.

The arrival of Asian athletes is connected with higher levels in the tournament?

- On the one hand, it has influenced the expansion of geography of participating countries. But there was one more reason: in the Asian Paralympic season athletes are trying more often to go to Europe to gain the necessary ranking points. The first three years of the Paralympic cycle, they are not active, and then catch up.

Arrival of athletes who have different mentality and even accustomed to different cuisine, made some problems to the organizers?

- Asian tennis players made a huge impression to me. First all members of the Chinese delegation said that they can't speak English. They behave very carefully, no one spoke, but occasionally something down in their notepads. Everyone had their own devices to warm up, some cords, rollers, electrical appliances. After each workout, they demanded in a large number of ice. Fantastic! To the quarter-finals only I saw a smile on their faces. And then they even remembered English. It has become much more comfortable to communicate, and in recent days it felt as if I knew them for all my life.

For the first time on the MegaFon Dream Cup we saw players from the Top 10...

- It is also associated with the approach of the Paralympics. For the Dutch Meikel Scheffers, who won in both singles and doubles ranking points are very important. Before coming to St. Petersburg he was 9 and really wanted to move to 8-th position to be in Rio in the number of "seeded".

Russian Cup is Russian Oscar in the world of tennis. The Dream Cup tournament has plan to apply?

I am an athlete. And I think it is the dream of any tournament in Russia to compete for this Cup. And to have this award is like out of space. This award was received by tournaments such as St. Petersburg Open, Kremlin Cup, World and European Championships. We hope to be able to compete for this Cup, and dream about to get it. I want to say thanks to everyone who helps to make MegaFon DreamCup useful, beautiful, popular, who allows make it and develop, thanks to our partners and sponsors. We can only wish that further cooperation would bring even greater results.

How do you manage to combine the organizing such a large tournament with your beach tennis competitions?

- I became the silver medalist of the European championship with the national team of Russia in beach tennis, which took place in the Israeli Eilat. I participated in the tournaments, helded in various parts of the world, but didn’t lose attention to organization of MegaFon Dream Cup even for a moment. It is important to manage your time right. After the final ceremony we begin to work on the next tournament of tennis in wheelchairs, which I hope will take place next year, but in June I should be prepared to the Russian championship and Russian Cup in beach tennis. In July for the first time Kazan will host the tournament in beach tennis with a prize Fund of 50 thousand dollars.

Who do you think you are, the current beach tennis player or organizer of prestigious tournaments?

- When I get to the Institute of Lesgaft, the curator of our group called me for a conversation. She said, "Ivan, I know what you train, organize competitions and at the same time continue to play. Now you go to University and have to decide what you do in the future. Otherwise you will not achieve success in any of these ways." I went my way and I did not regret. My life is full of tennis in its different ways, and it allows me to feel happy.

What are your plans for near future?

At the end of May – the Championship of Russia in Moscow, in June training camp in the Crimea. Then Estonia. In July will be held the Cup of Russia in Samara, as well as for the first time in our country will host the tournament in beach tennis with a prize Fund of 50 thousand dollars in Kazan. Then the World team championship in Moscow, in August - individual World Championships in Cervia (Italy). All these tournaments I’m going to play with Igor Panin. Then France (Royan) and Japan (Fukuoka and Miyazaki). And then we will see.