The Maleeva sisters are a unique phenomenon in the world of tennis. Manuela, Katerina, and Magdalena each earned a spot in the top 6 of the world rankings and set numerous records that will forever be etched in the history of the sport.
Through the Maleevas, the world of elite tennis discovered Bulgaria—and they, in turn, opened the eyes of young people in our country to the incredible opportunities this game offers. From Manuela’s first success at age 12 at the Orange Bowl in 1979, to Katerina’s victory in Houston in 1990 and her record number of appearances and wins for the Bulgarian Fed Cup team, to Magdalena’s final tournament in Zurich in 2004, there was always at least one Maleeva in the top ranks of world tennis for over a quarter of a century.
Their coach for 20 years was their mother, Yuliya Berberyan-Maleeva. “Our success was made possible thanks to our teamwork,” says Yuliya Berberyan. She has also coached several other national champions over the years, including Bogdana Marinova, Nadezhda Vasileva, Mark Markov, Nikol Hristova, and Kristina Nedelcheva.
Yuliya Berberyan-Maleeva received yet another global recognition in 2016, when the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) honored her with the “Mother” award.
At our Academy, athletes grow as individuals, support their teammates, and develop respect for the game. We believe not so much in talent, but in dedicated hard work and training. Our players grow up with a GROWTH MINDSET. To us, that means believing that we can become smarter and better in both sport and life through learning and consistent effort.
We believe that working and learning can be enjoyable. For that to happen, we must first choose our path and truly want to walk it.