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BNP PARIBAS WTA FINALS SINGAPORE

October 26, 2016

Svetlana Kuznetsova

Kallang, Singapore

S. KUZNETSOVA/K. Pliskova

3-6, 6-2, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Just how much energy have you got?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: If I would know I would answer that. Today the first set I thought, I don't know, I felt really sore and tired. Then I said, Look, I still can be there. You know, I thought, I'll try.

Q. You look pretty tired now.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, I can be tired now. It's okay. Sometimes it's okay.

Q. Obviously you mentioned about it on court after the game, but could you tell us maybe a bit more on where you find this drive and determination? You never seem tired.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I never seem to be tired? That's what you said?

Q. You never give up. Where does the fighting spirit come from?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, that's basically what I said. I mean, I play with my heart. I always did. It's not like I just remind I have a heart right now and before I just left it home. It's not like that.

But some things just start to work now, start to get together. Maybe I start to believe a little bit more than before. I just hang in there more. I think I believe -- it's not like I didn't believe and I believe. You know, I don't want it to sound like this.

But I see clearly other things, you know. Some things get together and you get confidence. I see opponents fear me more than before because I win matches, I fight, and I'll be there. Doesn't matter if I play like crap and I'm sore, I will just be there.

It's like last matches of the year and my year is quite good comparing my five seasons, and especially first time in my career win two matches in Championships. It's like miracle, you know, because normally I was like, Jesus, round robin again.

But here I said, Okay, I'll take it match by match. I'm old enough to separate things. Yeah, I don't know. Everything is going well.

Q. Can you tell us what is in your mind when you change ends at 6-All in the tiebreak and you just had three match points and of course you need to start from scratches again?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Well, the most important thing, I mean, after 6-3 she went for her shots. It's nothing I missed. It was worse moments. When I was 4-1 up and that let ball was about for 5-1, and then I got really tight.

Then it was 6-5 on her serve and 30-Love and she got tight. I mean, it's like ping-pong, you know. Momentum goes to either side. I thought, It's still 6-all. It doesn't matter. We're even now. She went for her shots; she did good.

Now we have to start over everything.

Q. You talked about the round robin format giving you trouble in the past. What bothered you early in your career? Does it come down to maturity?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: First of all, you're not used to it if you lose a match to play next day. It's a most weird thing. But I played FedCup and I did good and I thought, Okay, I can do it.

Then when you get older you get more mature and you can find not only negative things, also positive. Then it's not like the tournament and you win and another player win and then you play and the winner goes on. It's like everybody, the best players. No matter if you win or lose the match before, you can still have a chance.

You play another top player. It's not like you have somebody not top and you're favorite and not favorite. It's different. That's why I struggled with it before.

This year I came and I said, Okay, whatever. I just play each match and that's it. I already appreciate being here because of last moment.

Yeah.

Q. It was such a crazy turnaround going from Moscow to Singapore. In a weird way do you feel it helped you to go from one win to the next and not have too much time to think about what you had just done to qualify?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: What do you mean? It helped me to play like -- no, no, I understand. I am saying it couldn't help me to play three matches of three-setters of two hours and a half and play final of Saturday and fly over and then play Monday. It didn't help me a lot physically for sure.

Mentally -- I mean, I can't say it was easier, because you just go -- roll over all the time. I don't know. I mean, I took it as it was. That's it.

Q. Obviously after the first set Karolina looked in a really strong position and then you came back. At which point in the match did you feel the momentum shift in your favor?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I mean, in the first set I was not there. I struggle with my body to move and to play better. I saw I had possibility. Kind of. I seen that.

But then I was kind of feeling sorry for myself. That's what you cannot accept being tennis player. Doesn't matter what situation you been through, you cannot be sorry for yourself. I'm sore. It's not working.

I told myself to shut it down and move on and try to do what Carlos came to me and said. I focus on the point and I made the break. Then I saw doubts in her. Then I felt I was doing much better. Then we were even.

Q. You talk a lot about being professional, like you're a professional tennis player, that you put in the effort.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I do?

Q. You do, more often than you think. You mention that word a lot.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I thought I say a lot about maturing, but professional, okay. You would know better than me for sure. Because I talk too much anyway.

Q. What does being a professional mean to you? What does that mean when you use that word as a tennis player?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: You know, I mean, you would like to hear something like not drinking alcohol, something like that. No, I mean, professionally it means for me, now, it means -- this year it means when I go on the court and I give it my best, doesn't matter what I feel, doesn't matter who's on the opposite side, it's not only about the match, it's about every practice.

Going here, Carlos was so happy about Moscow, and he said very important thing, one thing. He was like, You know, this year you never give up one match. I'm like, Did I ever give up matches? But probably yes, I did.

This year I fight. This I think was for me the professional. For me it was kind of a compliment.

Q. In Wuhan you said it's not always about hard work or talent, but you just got to win matches, find a way to win matches. Winning those matches can flip a season around one way or the other. Is that kind of something like that? Just that it little extra 10% of maybe not feeling sorry for yourself or not giving up?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: No. I mean, talent, we can put it always aside. Talent without hard work and dedication won't work for sure. Hard work always got to be there. I mean, without this thinking, without mentality being there and trying to fight every ball, it wouldn't work.

Sometimes being there, flipping the matches, being very strong and believe mentally, it helps a lot. Yeah.

Q. Sveta...
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: The most serious person in the room.

Q. Oh, yes. It would be remiss of me not to ask, what did the hair look like when you took stock?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Great question. I never expect it from you, though. You know, my hair was wet like so long and then I was just -- my friends -- I mean, I took the headband off and I was like, It looks weird. So I made a picture and I sent it to my hair cutter -- hairdresser, sorry.

He was like, I going to kill you. I had another people texting me, Oh, if you want us to cut your hair. I was like, okay, everybody want to cut my hair.

It was most viewable video on my Instagram. Every time I have to cut the hair so people watch what I put on. It doesn't look so good, but if I tell you the truth, I didn't dry it and look at it properly because I don't want to be really depressed.

That's it.

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