The Pick-Up Artist

April 15, 2013

NORMAN, Okla. -- He speaks five languages, recites Shakespeare in Russian, spends his free time learning to play Beethoven on piano, and plays tennis and studies petroleum engineering at the University of Oklahoma.

While he may not compare to the most interesting man in the world, OU freshman Leonard Stakhovsky thrives in his multi-talented lifestyle, more than 5,500 miles from his hometown, Kiev, Ukraine.

Norman wasn't his first pit stop in his tennis journey. At age 6, his mother, Olga, moved Leo and older brother, Sergiy, to the Czech Republic to jump start Sergiy's tennis career. His father, Eduard, a surgeon, remained in Ukraine.

“My mom retired from work basically because of us,” Stakhovsky said. “She really sacrificed a lot for her children. I'm really thankful for it. Our parents did a lot for us, and it's really nice that I was born into a family like this.”

Sergiy is now a professional tennis player and has placed as high as No. 31 in the ATP tennis rankings. It was because of him that Stakhovsky first picked up a tennis racket.

“My brother was always practicing and I was on the court to see him play,” Stakhovsky said. “I had my small racket and I was 3 and I was already starting to hit against the wall.”

Leo became a standout player and his ambition followed Sergiy's path. It was another older brother, Alexandr, a doctor in Ukraine, who convinced him to go to college.

“He's a really smart guy,” Stakhovsky said. “He really helped me a lot with my college stuff, so I'm thankful. He was the main person in our family that pushed me to go to college.”

Stakhovsky chose OU in part because of the small-city atmosphere, but grounded his decision because of the university's petroleum engineering program.

Coming to the United States was not without adjustments, though.

“When I first came to America, I was like why is everyone asking me, 'How are you doing?' They don't care,” Stakhovsky said. “I asked my brother and he said it was common. It took a while to figure out the culture.”

More so, Stakhovsky learned to balance his tennis schedule with a demanding major.

“I'm sure he's pretty smart,” Stakhovsky's roommate and fellow freshman player, Axel Alvarez Llamas, said. “He studies a lot. He's always in the library. He comes to the room and he's always doing stuff for his major.”

Although Stakhovsky does not get a lot of time to relax, he likes to make time to read, watch movies and listen to music.

“I read Shakespeare,” Stakhovsky said. “It's really interesting because you never know what's going to happen and the ending is always crucial or something; you didn't expect anything like that.”

Stakhovsky also likes to read Gogol, Pushkin and Tolstoy, which he reads in their native Russian.

As for music, Stakhovsky listens to a wide variety.

“I like real rock and some pop music, hip-hop kind of,” he said. “I can even listen to classical music. It just depends on the mood I'm in and the situation.”

When he's getting ready for a tennis match, rock is his genre of choice. He often listens to 30 Seconds to Mars, Linkin Park or other artists with high-energy music.

Stakhovsky even once took piano lessons. Although he did not like the lessons at the time, he now appreciates that his parents made him take them.

Over Christmas break he taught himself Beethoven's “Fur Elise” and Morricone's “Chi Mai,” just for fun.

Country music is one thing Stakhovsky is still learning to appreciate, though.

“Our coach [John Roddick] actually loves country music, so when we're traveling we're always listening to it,” Stakhovsky said. “I like some of it, but not all.”

Although Stakhovsky is enjoying the U.S., there are still things that will take some more adjustment.
“I'm still struggling with food here,” he said. “I like the Asian food here, I really love it.”

He also isn't looking forward to the upcoming tornado season.

“I heard about it,” Stakhovsky said. “It's interesting because in Europe we don't have tornadoes. I hope I don't have to go hide.”

Along with Czech and Russian, Stakhovsky speaks English, Ukrainian and Slovak. He also knows some Spanish, which he sometimes speaks to his roommate, Alvarez Llamas, who came to OU from Asturias, Spain. Constant communication with his family and friends thousands of miles away keeps his vernacular sharp.

“Every day I need to speak or read Czech or Russian because I'm still in touch with them,” Stakhovsky said.

Being on a team does help him cope with the separation from his family. He has the support of veteran teammates, like Romanian-native Costin Paval.

“I actually feel a stronger connection with him, but not necessarily because of the area we're from,” Paval said. “I just feel that we have similarities in our personalities.”

One of those personality traits is a reasonable outlook on life. Stakhovsky knows that all athletes have a competitive lifespan and that's why he's investing in his degree. But for now, he still has eyes set on making the most of tennis.

“I don't know what will happen in five years,” he said. “Maybe my life goals will change. But now I need to play tennis, badly.”

Players Mentioned

Axel Alvarez Llamas

Costin Paval

Leonard Stakhovsky

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics