Egils Valeinis was always happy to chat, the only issue was finding the time. The e-mail exchanges which took place in a bid to find a mutually convenient moment were both entertaining and insightful. They also offered a glimpse at a fascinating backstory.

“Maybe we can talk tomorrow evening on WhatsApp? During the day I have two brain surgeries,” wrote Valeinis, whose later note was even more revealing.

“I have surgery in the morning, then preparations for the 52nd World Medical Tennis Championships in Jurmala. I am practically the only organiser (with some help from one of my work colleagues, my wife and both kids) to manage this tournament and four social events for 260 people from 18 countries.

“Besides, I am now on my Harley-Davidson motorbike, travelling 300km to Klaipeda to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Harley Owners Group, Vilnius Chapter Lithuania.”

More about all of that later.

When the conversation finally took place, the 2023 ITF Masters World Team Championships in Portugal were well underway and Valeinis was relaxing in his hotel room after a gruelling on-court battle and a couple of beers.

He had just succumbed in three sets to Mexico’s Carlos Barra – the clash lasted nearly four hours – in the Austria Cup, the men’s team competition for those aged 55 and over. Latvia failed to reach the quarter-finals and are now battling to finish as high as they can.  

“Unfortunately, it was not a victorious day, and I am not so happy,” Valeinis, who will also compete at the 2023 ITF Masters World Individual Championships which start on Saturday, tells itftennis.com.

“It was quite windy and the wind disturbs my game. I am not a strong hitter, I try to play a precise game, hit the corners and play drop shots and lobs.”

While that covers Valeinis’s style of play, it is often more interesting to consider the person behind the player, particularly in Masters Tennis, and find out what drives that individual to play and how they have come to be at a World Championships.

For anyone unaware, the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour provides a range of playing opportunities across singles, doubles and mixed doubles events within five-year age increments from 30+ to 90+.

The World Championships are the pinnacle of the Tour, while it is the ITF’s mission to ensure Masters Tennis is the leading sport in terms of tournament participation for people aged 30 and above.

Valeinis’s journey to these World Championships and this point of his life is an intriguing one, much like his day job. The 55-year-old heads the neurosurgery department at the Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital in Riga.

“I mostly operate on brain tumours and have around five surgeries a week," said Valeinis. "I also operate on different spine pathologies including the most popular problem – lumbar disc herniation, but my speciality is brain and skull base tumours.

“This is the most challenging part of neurosurgery – it is not an easy job. You cannot be 100 per cent lucky and sometimes patients can have complications, especially in the most challenging cases. Sometimes one surgery can take five or six more hours, maybe more.

“I have pretty good results, however, and in some ways it doesn’t feel like work because it is good to be able to help people.”

Valeinis is the Latvian delegate in the World and European Congress of Neurosurgeons, meaning he represents his nation professionally as well as on the tennis court, while it was through his work that his tennis-playing hit new heights.

It was just after finishing his neurosurgery residency in 1998 that Valeinis discovered the World Tennis Medical Championships, which intensified his love for the game he had played since the age of eight.

“I didn’t know these championships existed but when I played for the first time in Budapest, I found a new motivation to play, practice, improve my skills and keep in shape,” he added. “I was so motivated to get results.”

Valeinis has been World Medical tennis champion in his age group many times in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, including the last three years when he won all three titles. 

He has also enjoyed success on the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour, which he discovered in 2009 following a chance conversation. A staggering 72 titles have followed across singles and doubles, while in 2018 he reached a career-high No. 9 in the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour Rankings in the 45+ age category.

“Discovering Masters Tennis was a new beginning,” said Valeinis. “When I started, I was very active, travelling to different counties and playing a lot of tournaments. I was checking my ITF ranking every week and it was very important to me.

“Things have changed a little bit now and tennis is not so important since my children have started to play. My son, Eriks, is the No. 1 14-and under player in Latvia and it is important that I take care of him. My daughter, Liva, also plays. 

“But Masters Tennis has given me a lot of pleasure over the years. I have many great memories of big fights, great wins and some losses. It was always nice to travel to different countries and to meet people who share a common passion.

“I will always remember the first European Masters Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2012 where I won singles and doubles – making history. It was my greatest win on the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour.”

Valeinis is also the Tournament Director for all ITF Masters events in Latvia, although not for purely altruistic reasons.

“After playing my first ever Masters tournament in Lithuania, I asked the executive secretary of the Latvian Tennis Union why there weren’t any Masters events in Latvia and I was invited to start organising them,” added Valeinis.

“I am now a board member of the Latvian Tennis Union with responsibility for organising Masters Tennis. Altogether, we have six ITF Masters events per year in Latvia.

“With my job, I only have one month vacation a year, so I thought that if I wanted to play more tournaments, I must play them in Latvia so I did’t need to take vacation. This is one of the main reasons why I started to organise tournaments in Latvia.”

Valeinis is clearly a character, and aside from tennis he also plays in an over-40s ice hockey league and has already confirmed to his team captain that he is ready for the new season.

It is also not uncommon to see him rock up to Masters events on his Harley-Davidson. Owning a Harley was a childhood dream which escalated when he travelled to Dallas, Texas to compete at the annual World Tennis Medical Championships and saw a raft of Harley-Davidson riders.

He bought his first Harley-Davidson – the Fat Boy – in 2003 which served him until last year when engine problems prompted investment in a Road King Special. His favourite trip incidentally was a 30-hour ride from Rome to Riga, stopping only for petrol.

Both in respect of that particular expedition and indeed his own passage through life, it is fair to say – what a journey! 

Further information on the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour is available here