Youzhny began playing tennis at the age of six. His childhood hero was Stefan Edberg because he "liked his mentality". At age 13, Youzhny ballboyed for the Russia versus U.S. Davis Cup final in Moscow in 1995 and posed for photos with U.S. team members Jim Courier, Pete Sampras and Todd Martin. Youzhny is known for a military style salute to fans after big wins were he puts his racket above his head with his left hand and salutes with his right. He married his wife, Yulia, on 22 November 2008 in Moscow.