	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ROGERS CUP

July 28, 2016

Svetlana Kuznetsova

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

S. KUZNETSOVA/P. Kvitova

7-6, 6-3

An interview with:

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. There will be three Russian players in the next round. Are you all close? Is it motivating for you to see that?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: You know, I've been for a while around the tour. I've been there when we were four out of top 10 Russians going to Olympics. Zvonareva, she was No. 12 in the world and she was not on the team. I seen it other times when there were too many Russians. It was great for my country.

Again, the girls are playing good. I'm playing good. It's great. I'm really happy for our tennis.

Close? It's really hard to say because tennis is really individual sport and we really taking care of business and staying within our teams.

But I played some doubles with Anastasia, now I'm playing with Daria. It's great. I go along well with girls, but I can't say we're very close or something, not like that.

Q. Your thoughts on your match today.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I think it was great match. It's very difficult to play Petra. She's lefty. She strokes the ball so well, lots of winners. But I had to move extremely well and put many balls back.

It was up and down the first set. Second set I took a little bit more control of it. I felt like I was a little more consistent. I did great. It was really good match.

Q. How do you feel physically? It's your first tournament since Wimbledon.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, I feel great. I was really happy I could stay home for a little while. It was like 14 days. So for me it's quite a bit because the season, it was really lots of traveling. Because of Olympics, the tournament schedule changed a lot.

Yeah, I feel good. I feel like I've been working a lot since Wimbledon on my fitness. I'm getting better. I'm really pleased with that.

Q. Are you excited about the Olympics? You missed London.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, I was not looking actually so much forward to go to London because I was so tired. I was in some point of my career, I was like just destroyed (indiscernible), was really tough for me. But now I overcome these tough times. I play much better. I'm in better shape. Maybe I'm in better shape last five years, like in the best shape now.

So I'm happy to going to Rio and hope to do well.

Q. I was looking up your head-to-head against Petra.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: It's not that good (smiling).

Q. It was surprising because you're the type of player that should bother Petra. Today what do you think was the difference compared to the first five matches you have played?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: When I go on the court, I try -- I never remember the head-to-head. That's my key. Doesn't matter really what's on the paper. Was behind, you know. Is new match.

It's not comfortable to play her because she strokes winners, winners. You don't get any rhythm in the match.

I beat her in unbelievable match, 9-7 I believe, in the third in French. I know I can do that, you know. It was very important to be consistent, try to bring as many balls back as I could.

Q. Your break after Wimbledon, you said throughout the year you wanted to have that time where you weren't dealing with tennis, you could focus on relaxing or training. What was the time back home like?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Not like that at all. Not like I wished at all (smiling).

I just rested two days. My fitness coach gave me routine to start working straightaway. But I really was happy about it because I felt like when you see improvement consistently day-to-day, I get better, I start to play better, it motivates you to do better. You don't need so much to rest.

But, yeah, when I think about holidays, I think at the end of last year, I rested, like, five days. I do need one, but I can wait. Playing good, playing much better. I've been waiting for this time so long. I've been working for that, so I appreciate the work of my team and my work. I just will do my best.

Q. At the halfway point of the season, another four or five months to go, how do you feel physically and mentally? You've played a lot of matches.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, finally I played good and I win matches. I feel good. I feel confident. I feel much better in my movement, in my head mentally, in my game. It's important, you know, to be confident.

I have nothing to defend before the Kremlin Cup. I don't like to think about this way. I just see how much I can gain. I play good against top players, and that's what's matters for me. I just see a lot ahead of me, lots of opportunities. So I'm looking forward to that.

Q. How much of a relief was it when you learned it's okay that Russian players will compete in the Olympics? Were you proud and happy that the people who didn't do anything wrong could go?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: You know, it's really hard question because our country have been struggling a lot. Everybody was really worried about that.

I think the press made a huge thing out of it. Everybody was really confident we will go to Olympics. But suddenly in the morning, the day of decision, it was a mess. Everybody was so scared.

I was trying to get out of it. I said, Look, it doesn't depend on me. It's so many levels above me, I cannot do anything. I know I responsible for myself. I know we are clean sport and stuff like that.

I said, Okay, if we go, it's great. If not, we don't go. For us it's not such a big decision as for other sports who wait for this all their life and it's the main thing.

I mean, it's a great thing we going. I didn't want to make it end-of-my-life deal.

Q. In the quarters against Halep, do you have some thoughts about the key for this match for you?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: It's going to be totally different match. It's going to be long rallies. Simona doesn't out-power you, but she plays really smart inside the court. I beat her in Sydney, tough three sets.

It's going to be interesting, very tough match. No easy matches these kind of rounds. I'm really looking forward to it.

Q. During Wimbledon you were doing a Twitter Q&A. Somebody asked you whether or not you realized that your coach looked like Roger Federer, and you said that you knew that. I'm curious when you realized that was the case, because he does.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, long time ago, Olympic Games -- actually, not long time ago. We were practicing in Dubai. I'm a big fan of Roger Federer, my coach even more. We hit on next court to Roger. Everybody was shy to ask for picture. I had to take it in my hands and go and ask. We make picture together. Put it on Instagram. You look alike. Then it came up that they do look something alike. I even heard it before. Yeah, I know that something they have in common.

Q. Do you think it's subconscious, because you're a big Roger Federer fan, that you hired a coach that looked like Roger?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Nothing to do with it. But back then I did notice it, yeah.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297