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INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA

May 14, 2017

Svetlana Kuznetsova

Rome, Italy

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. A very quick turnaround from Madrid, coming here to Rome. Have you had any time to practice yet, or did you just go to media day?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Well, I got here last night. I had already dinner in the room, and this morning I had already practice and I will have another one.

I really need to practice couple hours in order to feel the court and its different conditions, but also, I need to rest and relax. So I need to balance it.

But today I have to practice, and let's see. I go day by day.

Q. I want to know, how do you assess your clay season so far? You have had pretty good results.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, I mean, I did good results. I could have done better, also, but also could have done worse.

Making the finals in Indian Wells, semis in Madrid, in big events I think I did fourth round Australia maybe. I don't remember, actually.

It's quite good and consistent. It's good, you know.

Q. I don't know if you had any chance to comment on the fact that this tournament has not given any wild card to Francesca Schiavone. I know you're friends and colleagues. I don't know if you had any chance to do your comment. Would you like to do that?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, I mean, I cannot criticize, because I don't know what was the decision, why they did not give her main-draw wildcard.

I understood she thought she's not get in to qualifying, so that's why she left to Miami, as I understood.

But, yeah, for me, it's strange, and if it's like the last year Francesca plays, she's done so much for the Federation, for Italian tennis. I think for fans, it's really sad not to see her in the main draw here playing. So it's a bit sad.

Q. Looking back at the last week in Madrid, what have you been particularly happy with in terms of what you have done on court? Right after a match, it's always a bit tough to assess it, but maybe with a day in addition, what were you particularly happy with and what do you want to transfer here to Rome?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yes, I mean, I have some thoughts, but the thing is, first of all, it's back to back, it's not much time to work on the game, but I definitely have some thoughts in my head.

But the thing is it's different conditions. So the game and tactics here gonna be so much different. So I'm just looking forward to play and fight every match and to work slowly things by things. But the most important is to get confidence more and more to be prepared the best I can for the French.

Q. Talking about the French, do you think there is actually one tournament that prepares you really well for the French? Because you've got indoor clay, you've got altitude, you've got heavy clay here and faster conditions maybe if the sun is shining in Paris. Do you think there is any consistency there or is it readjusting each week?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: You know, the consistency is when you win matches and you get confidence. But then you are totally right that it's different conditions each week. In Paris, for example, you say it's fast, but last year it was raining and it was so heavy. So you never can know what's gonna work.

So you just play whatever schedule you made for yourself and then just to try to prepare. I will come few days earlier and stay there, try to practice as much as I can.

Q. We have Federer and Nadal rocking the ATP Tour. We have had the Williams sisters final in the Australian Open. You're always there at the top. Do you feel this throw-back magic?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Well, I feel like the generation is so good, this generation what you said is so good that next one is still not so good level, you know. I mean, Roger and Rafa, they are amazing. Novak, Andy, and the girls, all girls who are like over 30 is playing great. I think it's just great to see that the level is still very high.

Q. Do you think that maybe, you know, given this throw-back magic, you'd win the French Open again?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Maybe. You never know, you know. I'm just gonna play and do my best. Hopefully magic can happen one day.

Q. Do you think that your game is getting refreshed compared to your other tournaments, your game is such maybe a new game, a new style of Svetlana?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I mean, you don't change style over 30. I try to work more, to be more complete player. I try to serve better, to attack better, to defend, but my more or less the game pattern is more or less the same, but definitely I am improving over the years.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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