In April 1972, Zaitsev was recommended by Stanislav Zhuk to Irina Rodnina as a potential partner.

She was already a four-time World champion and 1972 Olympic gold medalist with her previous partner Alexei Ulanov, who had left her to skate with Lyudmila Smirnova.

Rodnina / Zaitsev's music stopped during their short program at the 1973 World Championships, possibly due to a Czech worker acting in retaliation for the suppression of the Prague Spring.

[2][3] Known for intense concentration, they finished the program in silence, earning a standing ovation and a gold medal upon completion,[4] ahead of Smirnova / Ulanov, whom they again defeated in 1974.

In 1974, Rodnina / Zaitsev left Zhuk, with whom the working relationship had become strained,[3] to train with Tatiana Tarasova.