AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 17, 2005

Svetlana Kuznetsova

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: (Inaudible) I had exhibition this year before and I haven't been nervous, which surprised me, but I been just calm. I knew I had better speed than she did, but she had already some matches and it's always tough to play qualifier. But I was very confident there. I've been so well. I just was putting the ball back in the game and trying to find my game. I think it's went pretty well for me.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Whose test?

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Have I been positive or...

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: A positive test. Well, the main thing I heard yesterday, it was that somebody wrote something in the newspaper. But nobody knows nothing yet, nobody contact me. So I don't know nothing about this really. It's really funny situation, but nobody told me nothing, just that press talks about it and nothing else. But the players will know nothing.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: You know, I wouldn't -- it's hard to say no. Firstly, we have to know what's the thing. I would be wondering why it was, why it happened to somebody of us. Because last year -- we had meeting two days ago, and everybody had the paper because the players asked how many times everybody been tested, you know, in the year. And like I been tested 11 times. I think I'm the most player who been tested. Other players, they been tested the same kind amount of times, like 10, 9, 8. So I pretty sure that everybody's pretty clean. Maybe something happen, it was like mistake, but you never know. We really have to see what was the problem, what was it positive somebody.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah. I think everybody been tested. Let's see what happens in some time, and let's see what was it, you know, maybe. Because now the antidoping program, it doesn't allow us to take nothing, you know. So even when you're sick, even if somebody's have some problems, we cannot take even normal pills that everybody's taking.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: It was my first exhibition I ever played. I played only two in my life, it was Belgium and it was Hong Kong. In Hong Kong I haven't been tested. Like before Belgium, last tournament I played, it was Fed Cup. I been tested every day, I been tested four times.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Four times a week. Four times at Fed Cup. We played against Austria. Each match we are tested. And against France, each match they tested. So, I mean, and they been tested, Nathalie. Elena didn't play Fed Cup. But anyway, what was it, Masters was last tournament, and everybody been tested there. I mean, I don't think this is the main thing to wonder of, you know. I don't think it's going to be big problem, but we'll see.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I mean, my season was four days, so I don't really think that it's needed, you know (smiling).

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: No, not really. I mean, what happened, it's kind of shocked a little bit, no, like somebody been tested. But after, if you start think about this with yourself, you know, you just see the papers. I mean, I pretty sure it's nothing serious with some of us.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, definitely, definitely. You been tested, you checking what you taking, like especially during the tournament, you know. But maybe something. Because one day, you know, we were in a meeting and we were like -- they said us, "Be careful what you take." We say, "Okay, so can we..." There is a lounge in US Open. There is a bars, what they sell, whatever, Power Bar or whatever it was. Say, "Are we allowed to take this?"

They say, "You never know what is gonna be inside. We cannot tell you nothing for sure," so...

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I think it's possible to every player. I think. But what I say, we have to check what's gonna be out there. You know, if it's comes out, what's gonna be out there. Maybe it was mistake or maybe it was nothing serious, so...

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I think definitely it's unfair to every of player because every of us is thinking like what's going on, you know. I'm not worried that much about it because the true anyway comes out. I'm pretty sure myself I'm not using any anabolics or whatever it's called, I don't know. So it's just doping. I am definitely not using nothing to push myself up or in game or something. I pretty sure about this, I pretty calm with this.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, it's like this maybe in different kind of sport. But I think like this situation, you know, we don't know what happened, you know. You just know about this now. So this is big discussion, everybody thinking. But after, in the ends, maybe it's come up some like funny thing or whatever. And you have to know what was it, you know. And after it's big process - when did you take something? If you did, what was it? You never know. I think it's okay if you do it in three months, they suspend the player. Because I think it's going to be big mistake if they can suspend something for nothing.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I think this announcement shouldn't be made at all now for the moment because it's Australian Open coming. They don't know nothing for sure yet. They don't know what was the thing what player took, and they don't know who -- they know who's it, but they don't announce it. And they didn't announce it, I guess, to the players - well, I don't know anything about it. This is my point. I have no idea. I just hear it from you guys. One reporter call to my room yesterday and ask me a question. I was like, "I don't know."

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: No, I didn't. I haven't seen her.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: No, not at all. Everybody knows, the Russian federation, my phone number. Nobody called me. Nobody did anything, I don't know.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, it's hard to say something of it. It was just like Justine's exhibition, you know, and they want to leave her alone kind of, you know. But whatever. If they feel like this, if they think it's going to be better, I don't mind, you know, anyway.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: If they want me, I will go. I mean, depends, you know. I had very long year last year and it was very hard. And still I went for this exhibition.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: No, no.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I don't know anything about this.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: It was a Belgian -- it was not the tennis agency, it was not the WTA, I think, agency. It was Belgium ministry or whatever. I have no idea. You know, every time -- I mean, I pretty sure that I'm fine with everything. And I go there and whatever they ask me to do, antidoping and drug testing, I go and I do this, you know.