ROGERS CUP

August 18, 2005

Svetlana Kuznetsova

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Svetlana, please.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I would love to tell you what's happening, but I don't know because the doctor still not here and I didn't have chance talk to the doctor. This is really unusual thing. I never saw somebody have this in tennis, you know. Well, maybe someone had it one day, but not that I saw. And I don't know what's going on. I mean, it's hurting very much. I think I should have stopped playing. But, I don't know, it's something what keep me there playing. Was better to me to stop. But, you know, when it's match so close, it's so difficult, you know, just to say you go and that's it. I hurt it when I was 5-4 up -- 4-5 to Gisela, 30-Love on my serve. I'd been serving very well in the first set. I was pushing so much. When I serve at 30-Love, I don't remember exactly what score was, I just felt I couldn't turn my body. I just didn't know what to do. I was like sometimes it just hurts, you know, something pulls, you wait for a couple minutes and it's go away. And I still keep trying. I played two more points, and I said, "It's hurting too much. I cannot turn my body to the side. I cannot push myself for the serve." I said, "I got to call for a trainer." So trainer come. But I know it's no way to help with this injury. It's something inside. It's not like muscle pull or something so much different. I just didn't know what to do. And I said, "Okay, I'll play two more games and I'll see what's going on." And I -- I had like a break. So I knew I cannot keep going for more, I cannot play my backhand at all. My forehand, I can move only the hand. I cannot turn my body. I could run more or less. So I said, "Okay, I'll hang out, see what's going on." But, I mean, I just couldn't take this decision to pull out. I never did it in my life. So this was hard to me. And I think I should have done it because, I mean, I didn't go that far. Third set, I mean anyway, I couldn't play. It was too much of pain.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: It's really hard to say. You know, I mean, I give also credit to Gisela. I know how hard is to play against players who's injured. I also understand her. Maybe from my side was better not to play. But if I saw I was winning, I even had three set points in the second set, I feel -- I feel really upset about the injury. I feel very down because I'm not used to get injured. I had problems with my shoulder, now it's my back. It's really hard to me. I mean, I was there and I couldn't really believe that I'm injured, that I have pain, I cannot go. I want to play and I cannot. I want to hit my forehand as hard as I can, and I cannot do this. In the second set, I mean, in the end, I was disappointed because I lost, because I had chances in the second set. I get a little bit used to the pain, and still was very sore. But I was just going straight, I couldn't turn my body. Was just one position that didn't hurt, on the return, when I put my elbows on my knees, was the only position that didn't hurt. It was really hard to take some decision. I feel very disappointed about both things, but more of course about my back because the tournaments important to me coming up.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: No, no. I mean, I just went to the locker room. I wanted to change the shirt because it wet. I was just lying down on the floor so it didn't hurt at all when I was lying down. It was nothing.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: 5-6, 30-Love, yeah. It was really good match. It was very equal match. Gisela was playing good. I was serving very well. I mean, it was the important moment. I was 30-Love up on my serve. Everything was going okay. You know, it was normal match, ups and downs. I was anyway happy to be there, happy to have this game. It was tough match. This is what I needed. I was happy to play there till this moment, no?

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I mean, definitely. Like I was there, I just didn't know what to do. You know, it's hurting that much. I was trying to keep focused on my game, keep focus in the game. But after I have to figure out what things I have to do because I couldn't hit my backhand, I have to run for forehand, I cannot serve, where I have to serve, how I have to do. I was trying to figure out, and was too much. Just should have pulled out, but I couldn't make this decision.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I don't know yet. I didn't see the doctor yet. She's not here.