Ukrainian tennis player Olha Yanchuk, also known as the ex-girlfriend and mother of Dynamo winger Jerson Rodriguez's son, told us how the footballer is doing now.
Olga Yanchuk and Gerson Rodriguez- Are you aware of the latest issues with the Gerson Act?
- Yes, of course I am. I am aware of all the situations. We are in touch every day. In fact, there are a lot of false things being written. He is currently training in Slovakia, and he is doing well. He should play in the next match.
When I read all this in the media, I also ask him questions. He replies: "You don't have to read anything. Ask me directly. I'm fine".
- They write that he may be excluded from the Luxembourg national team.
- As far as I know, the situation is now 50/50. I haven't heard from Gerson that it's a done deal. I'm still not based on the news in the press, but on his words.
- What is your status with Gerson now?
- We don't know ourselves(laughs - D.V.'s note). We're in a state of flux. I can't say for sure that we are together either. It seems to be something...
We still have very good relations. We are best friends. We communicate very well. Soon we are going to fly to him with my son. I'm not ready to live in Slovakia yet. I like Kyiv. But we'll see how it goes.
- Zherson is charged with domestic violence. Has he ever used physical force against you?
- No. That's why it was very hard for me to believe this information. I defended him and even posted a story on Instagram saying that I didn't believe he could have harmed anyone. Even though he was found guilty. I was shocked because he had never laid a hand on me.
- How did you meet him in the first place?
- When he first joined Dynamo, we were introduced to each other in a restaurant by mutual friends. Everything happened very quickly, and in two weeks we were already dating. Two weeks later, he said: "Let's live together".
It was the first time it happened to me. It was the same for him, as he said. Although, I don't know... There was a flash between us(laughs - D.V.'s note).
Then I moved to Turkey with him when he went to play for Ankaragyu. We were already fully together, and I got pregnant. Six months later, we returned to Dynamo, and then he wanted to play outside of Kyiv.
- How did you communicate at first? He probably didn't even have time to learn the language.
- We communicated in English. He knows it well. I've also lived in the US since I was nine, so I'm fluent.
- How did he win you over?
- His attitude to me, his actions. When Gerson came to visit, he always brought something back. It could be something small and inexpensive, but it was important to me that he remembered me. We were in touch 24/7. We fell asleep and woke up with the camera.
- Did he like our cuisine? Did you cook for him?
- Yes, I cooked him borsch and pancakes. He liked it. Although he doesn't eat first courses. In general, he likes pasta very much. In this respect, it was very easy and simple to live with him. You didn't have to work very hard. He said: "Don't bother, just cook me some pasta and that will be enough."
- What was the most romantic gesture from Gerson?
- When he organised a romantic dinner for us before I moved in with him. He prepared everything, put a rose on the table, roses in the room, music, candles... It happened once, but I remember it the most. Because Gerson and romance are incompatible.
- Did you see Gerson violate his sports regime?
- Yes, he did. Although I tried to fight it. You know, if an adult wants to do something, it's impossible to forbid him. I tried to control it as much as I could. It seemed to work out quite well.
Personally, when I was playing tennis, I could say I didn't party at all. I didn't drink alcohol and I didn't have a nightlife. I concentrated only on tennis. So, for my part, I was giving him tips.
I think he was more of a party animal before he met me. His best friends from Luxembourg told me that he had changed. Perhaps it's not my fault, but he made his own conclusions. I don't know what the situation is now, because we don't live together.
- Could Gerson, for example, come home from the club at five in the morning and then go to training?
- This was very rare. At the beginning of his career at Dynamo, he used to do this, but apparently the team told him something and he stopped doing it.
In most cases, if they won, the team would go out after the match. On weekends, we would all get together as well. He didn't miss those days!
If he really wanted to go out on the eve of the match, I asked him to at least stay at home. So that he was under supervision. Both his friends from Luxembourg and Dynamo players came to visit him. Gerson was good friends with Sidcley, Tomas Kadar, Momo Kadiri... They could drink a little at dinner.
- Is it true that coaches forbid players to have sex before matches?
- It didn't bother Gerson.
- How did Zherson get on with the Dynamo coaches?
- I didn't really get involved. I tried to support him more when he was injured or did not succeed.
I know that he communicated well with Mircea Lucescu. Whenever he came to see him, he always said something positive about him. So I got the impression that they had good contact.
- Gerson has another year of his contract with Dynamo. Is he going to return to Kyiv?
- He told me that he was not going to return. Foreigners still perceive the war a little differently. I think he will stay playing in Europe. He likes it in Slovakia now.
- Why did you part ways with Gerson?
- Most likely, it was the distance. I was busy with my school, developing it. I had to be in Kyiv. I couldn't stay in France with him all the time.
When the war broke out, I moved to Turkey. There, I was depressed because of the events in Ukraine and the fact that I did not see my parents. He was always at training and matches, and I stayed at home with the baby and the nanny. There were constant quarrels...
When I returned to Kyiv, I felt relieved. I felt much calmer here. If he had stayed to play in Kyiv, everything would probably have turned out differently.
- Were you in love with Gerson or was it a short-lived fling?
- I still love him. That's why we have an unfinished story. He is the closest person to me, apart from my parents and my child. I can confide in him and tell him everything. And he can share as well. If things are bad, we always call each other.
- Does Gerson keep in touch with his son? Does he help him financially?
- Of course he does. Everything is fine in this regard. He loves the kid very much. He has another son in Luxembourg. That's why he treats children well.
Dmitriy VENKOV
