TELECOM ITALIA MASTERS

May 10, 2004

Nadia Petrova

THE MODERATOR: First question for Nadia, please.

NADIA PETROVA: You name it (smiling).

NADIA PETROVA: I guess so, of course. It gives a little space to play and to get through in the tournaments, that's true. But of course it's a little bit disappointing that the year just started and already top athletes, you know, are already not playing some tournaments - and big tournaments. Especially before a first Grand Slam coming, I think it's going to hurt them doing the big events not to have their matches in the previous tournaments.

NADIA PETROVA: I feel good.

NADIA PETROVA: I'm good, thank you (smiling).

NADIA PETROVA: I'm pretty confident about myself because I had already a win against Serena this year. So if I can beat her, I can beat anybody. It is just a matter of how you prepare to play. You just have to go out there and try to think what you have to do instead of thinking who you facing and how many wins that person has and what that person has done in previous years, as you play another player.

NADIA PETROVA: I don't notice any difference. Everything goes in the same flow, I would say.

NADIA PETROVA: Thank you (smiling).

NADIA PETROVA: Unfortunately, we are missing that feeling. I think it has to do with all of us, we practice in all different countries, like some are in America, in Amsterdam, Kuznetsova in Spain, and so on and so on. I think we just, you know, are little bit because of that, you know, little bit separated from each other. When we get together when we play Fed Cup, that's the only time we really get like friendly, dinners, everything. But on the tournaments, it seems like we don't have time for it. We try to be friendly in the locker room, but nothing really more than that.

NADIA PETROVA: That actually also could be. Women also are different from men. Even you compare women in the circuit to the men's circuit, you know, they have more friendship than women. I think it's - I don't know - it's kind of jealousy, you know, around.

NADIA PETROVA: No.

NADIA PETROVA: I am eating with my own teammates. I can't really remember when was the last time, because I spend most of the time with my coach. So if I go -- well, I have to go with my coach because I cannot -- well, it won't be nice, because we are part of a team. I'm here like for him, he is here for me. We do the things together. And if I go with him with Russians and I obviously speak Russian, it's not going to be polite to him. So I think those things also prevent a little bit the friendship.

NADIA PETROVA: Yes, they do. But usually they get together later at night downstairs in the bar somewhere (smiling).

NADIA PETROVA: Yeah (smiling).

NADIA PETROVA: Well, there are always, you know...

NADIA PETROVA: Well, when you lose, you might go in the wrong direction. It's always good, you know, after couple of tournaments in a period of a break, like one week, two weeks, like one night relax, two nights relax, just maybe go to the club or stay late, do some things with people you know without thinking that, "Tomorrow I have to get on court, so I have to go to bed at this time so I feel good for tomorrow." So you can't really, like, go easy.

NADIA PETROVA: Yes, yes. We do reading a lot. I prefer like classical literature, all those famous writers.

NADIA PETROVA: Yeah, Tolstoy and so on and so on. But now we have a new generation of this time writers, and I see a lot of time in the station coming with a book, you know, with brand new authors. But we do read, we do read, especially on the road.

NADIA PETROVA: (Smiling). Well, about the youth, I feel myself, you know, I'm at the right spot where I should be. I had my time when I was younger, you know. I had a lot of fun. I grew up, I must say, around sport as well because my parents are athletes, so I was always active. I'm happy to be playing tennis. I'm happy to discover the world and be in different countries instead of just, you know, I don't know... You never know. Maybe you just pick some bad habit or something. And here, we have to look after ourselves, be healthy, try to stay healthy, and I think this is the best thing about sport, you know - you always keep your body in the best shape. But, as you say, you know, being a professional tennis player, it's not that easy to have a relationship because most - if you have a relationship, you like always your boyfriend to be with you on the road. You see some couples do that, some players can do that. But for most, it's pretty difficult. And I'm at that stage of my life, you know, I'll be turning 22 in June, so...

NADIA PETROVA: Too early. I think I have a lot of time in front of me.

NADIA PETROVA: Well, I'm gonna start with the question number two. They didn't push me for anything. Tennis just, you know, came up as just an idea. I was, as I say, a lot with my parents in the practices, in the competitions. I start tennis when I was eight. To start athletic in that age is way too early, so they just tried to introduce me to tennis only because they were working, both of them, and after school they didn't want me to be by myself, you know, maybe I could hang out with some kids outside. And instead of that, I was doing something totally different. And I think they choose the right sport. As you say, power and speed, it's all combine in tennis.

NADIA PETROVA: Well, my mom was the only one who was traveling for my family. She was performing and she was on a team of the USSR at the time. And for them, everything was arranged for traveling, but anyone else couldn't go anywhere.

NADIA PETROVA: I do have some conversations with my mom because she went through a lot of things and she can learn me some things, so she has a lot of experience with that.

NADIA PETROVA: No, he was not, he was not.

NADIA PETROVA: No, he never had a chance to travel.

NADIA PETROVA: It doesn't really matter to me. If they play, I win, it's extra. If I win without them, it will stay in everybody's memory that I won a Grand Slam.