Evroset tennis club in Skopje — 26 years run by three sisters

Evroset is a family tennis club in Skopje that has been operating for 26 years and is today run by three sisters who grew up inside it. The complex combines four tennis courts, a café and seven guest rooms, and its atmosphere aims to feel more like a family home than a sports venue.

From a childhood idea to a multi-use tennis complex

Kristina Popovska, Marjana Skvarcha and Tatjana Kostovska inherited the club their parents, Zoran and Mira Bozhinovski, started more than two decades ago. The sisters each have different responsibilities at Evroset but share the same goal: to preserve what their parents built while continuing to develop the place for new generations.

Visitors often notice the relaxed, welcoming tone right away. The combination of courts, the café-bar and the surrounding greenery makes Evroset feel like a small escape inside Skopje — a place where people come to train, to meet, and sometimes to stay overnight in one of the seven rooms.

Evroset has also become a regular host for competitions and social events. "This year I would single out the National Veterans Championship, which was a special honour for us to organise, as well as our traditional Evroset tournament that attracts more and more players each year," says Kristina (known as Kiki). The club frequently welcomes public figures from sports and beyond, including Lina Gjorcheska, Kalin Ivanovski, Elif Elmas, Blagoja Milevski, Vlado Ilievski, Predrag Rusevski and Renato Vugrinec.

Kristina traces the origin of the club to a simple wish by their parents to give their daughter a place to practise. "My parents first enrolled me in tennis at another club. It was from there that the idea to build our own tennis court was born, so I would have a place where I could train and develop. Over time the idea grew into something much bigger. In collaboration with the architecture professor Gjorgji Konstantinov, we chose this project and began to build what is now the complex, which has four tennis courts, a café and seven rooms for accommodation. From a small family idea and a love of tennis, a place was born that today is home to many players, children, coaches and guests," she says.

As a former player who won two national titles, Kristina now focuses on coaching children. "My story in tennis began very early, as a child. My parents enrolled me in tennis at a club and from the first sessions I somehow found myself in the sport. Over time tennis became my great love and a serious responsibility. Work, discipline and the desire to improve took me on a professional path and to two national championships. Years of training, competitions and travel shaped me not only as an athlete but as a person. Today, even though I have a different role, everything I learned as a player I pass on to the children and players. That is why I can say that tennis is not only part of my career — it is part of me."

Her coaching philosophy centres on effort and resilience. "I most want to pass on that talent is important, but without work, discipline and persistence it is not enough. Through my career I learned that not every day will be easy, you will not always win and there will be moments when you doubt yourself. But it is those moments that build you. I want children not to be afraid of mistakes and defeats, but to learn from them and move on. The most important thing for me is that they become good people, with confidence, character and love for the sport. If they take one thing from tennis, I want it to be belief in themselves — because the true winner is not the one who always wins, but the one who always gets up and continues," she adds.

After 26 years, what gives the sisters the most satisfaction is seeing full courts, returning players and a community that keeps growing. "What gives me the most joy is that after 26 years I see full courts, people who return to us for years and a community that grows together with Evroset. It shows that we have not created only a sports centre but a place people connect with and where they feel at home. Particularly meaningful is that the family story continues. From one generation to the next the love for tennis, the values and the desire to improve are passed on. Today our children are already part of Evroset, and it is especially beautiful because all three sisters continue this story together. When I see someone who first comes to the court and after a few years becomes confident, disciplined and independent, I feel that all the effort made sense. In the end, the greatest joy is not just the results but the people and memories we create together," Kristina concludes.

The club continues to position itself as a neighbourhood destination for players of all ages and levels, keeping the family purpose of the project at its centre.

Photo: press material from the event