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US OPEN

September 5, 2004

Vera Zvonareva

NEW YORK CITY

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You were very emotional.

VERA ZVONAREVA: You wouldn't see any fourth round matches of a Grand Slam not emotional. So I think everybody have emotions and everybody try their best.

Q. Why did you get so emotional early in the second set when you had already won the first set and were playing well?

VERA ZVONAREVA: I don't know. It's just a game. Sometime it happens. When you can control it, you play better. Maybe next time I'll be better and win the match.

Q. Is it the frustration and anger as much as anything?

VERA ZVONAREVA: I don't think, you know, I showed my best tennis today. Maybe it's more frustration, that's why. Because she is a Top 10, so you should play your best to beat her.

Q. On your way to winning 6-1, you were already getting a bit frustrated. Were you just frustrated with yourself?

VERA ZVONAREVA: No. Maybe it's just -- you know, Elena was helping me a lot. She had a lot of unforced errors in the first set. But I still knew I wasn't playing my best in the first set, so maybe that's why I wasn't that comfortable on the court.

Q. What has Julia done to try to calm you down?

VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, you know, when I'm comfortable with my tennis, when I know what I'm doing on the court, and when I play for every ball, then I don't get like this. But today I can say everything was working for me, so maybe that's why.

Q. Were you always emotional, even when you started out as a kid?

VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah, I think so. It's a game, and you should be in the game. You can't just go on court and don't care about what's going on.

Q. Do you think it works in your favor also, that because you put so much emotion in the game, that's what's gotten you this far?

VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah, I think so. You know, all players are different, but I can't just walk on court and, you know, like I'm not playing. You know, it's like gambling.

Q. There was one changeover where you were kind of going through emotions, looking up in the box. Did you feel like everything was falling apart? Did you feel like things were about to head south for you?

VERA ZVONAREVA: No, I just, you know, try and just -- this changeover, I was just -- you know, I was like trying to get advice from my coach because I just showed that I had like mistakes from this position and that position, just what should I do.

Q. Are you emotional? Do you cry at movies usually? Are you the kind of person where your emotions come out?

VERA ZVONAREVA: I don't know. I can't tell you about myself. I mean, you watch me playing (laughter).

Q. You were wearing a black ribbon. Did that factor into anything?

VERA ZVONAREVA: I was wearing because of the thing happen in Russia, the kids.

Q. Did that have any effect on your play today?

VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, of course, everyone upset about this. But it's really tough to answer if it has something with my game.

Q. Did you know anybody close to there?

VERA ZVONAREVA: No. But, you know, lots of thing happen in Russia for the past two weeks. Of course, it's tough for all Russians.

Q. Did Elena talk to you at all afterward, after you got out of sight?

VERA ZVONAREVA: No, not yet. I haven't seen her yet.

Q. How much do you think comes from anger? Some of us saw you become pretty explosive. You hit a ball into the stands, stomped about a little.

VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, I think I was pretty calm actually in La Costa. But, you know, when you have tiebreaks 14-14, it's really tough to be like to stay calm. I think we both, me and Myskina, we had lots of emotions in that match.

Q. Is it harder for you to play another Russian? Is it more emotional for you to play another Russian?

VERA ZVONAREVA: Maybe sometimes it is, especially when we were growing up. But I think it's just tough to play against everyone right now.

Q. As well as you played this summer, why in the second set didn't you have confidence that you could turn your game around, things would come for you later in the match?

VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, you know, I wasn't thinking about, "Oh, we're going to have third set," what's going to be the score. I was just trying to do what I needed to do in this match. But sometimes I had lots of unforced errors. It wasn't working for me this day.

Q. Do you remember the last time you felt this way after a match?

VERA ZVONAREVA: Sorry?

Q. Do you remember the last time you felt this way after a loss?

VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, you know, you can't be happy after any match you lose. I think all players a little bit frustrated after the matches they losing. And especially when it's three sets, tough matches, of course you get more upset.

Q. Can you talk about Elena's second serve. Is that part of the frustration, seeing that very unusual ball come in so soft, and you just want to whack it?

VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, of course it's unusual. But, you know, many people think it's so easy to return this serve, but it's not because it stays low and you can't just hit a winner. You always have to be ready and pay attention to this ball just not to have errors on the return.

Q. Was that a frustrating circumstance for you?

VERA ZVONAREVA: No, I don't think so, because I know Elena for a long time. I saw her matches. I was ready for this.

Q. The other day Maria came in and said that it's hard to get too upset over a tennis loss because of what happened in Russia this week. Can you sort of walk away from this and maybe in a couple of hours realize, yes, it's a tennis match, but there are other things in life?

VERA ZVONAREVA: Oh, yeah, of course. I think it's nothing to deal with tennis. You know, we all upset. I think my tennis match doesn't mean anything compared to what happened.

Q. What do you think you're going to do to sort of unwind and help forget about this and relax later?

VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, I have to go play mixed doubles.

Q. Were you angry because you thought, before you came on court, if you played your best, you could beat Elena?

VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah, of course. You know, I know if I could play my best on the court, then I could win any match. But, you know, maybe I was angry because I wasn't playing my best today.

End of FastScriptsâ€¦.

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