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WTA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS

November 18, 1995

Natalia Zvereva

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

Q. Have you had to deal with this kind of schedule before, a late night match, two matches the next day?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: I don't know how they come out with it or when they come out. Maybe they already scheduled it a while ago. So I couldn't really say anything. But it's kind of interesting. If you think of it, it's a bit illogical. If you put Conchita and Brenda, who are both out of doubles and they make them play it first, and then second. I mean if Gabby would have won yesterday, I guess it didn't make a difference. But I guess they didn't even give me a chance to win.

Q. Wouldn't you have preferred playing back-to-back matches? Or how difficult was this whole schedule for you?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Well, I never knew I was going to win yesterday. But I would have preferred to play first at six yesterday. And then first and third would have been okay, if I would have won the 6 o'clock match.

Q. Did you sleep? Are you tired or anything?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Well, I'm a little bit tired, but I did not sleep at all. I was running in my sleep. That was kind of difficult.

Q. There in the second match you had long volleys seemingly going for you. Did you get forced out of that or did you decide you needed to take it up a step?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Long volleys?

Q. Back and forth, back and forth, seemed to be working?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Long rallies. Well, I don't think it would have been a very good idea to rally with Steffi, if you know what I mean. Because her forehand is a bullet. And for me, just to rally and try to get every single ball to her backhand, it's very hard. I had to create some sort of a -- I don't know, a point, there, for me to at least try to finish it.

Q. What was going on in the second set? You were ahead 3-0, did you get tired or was Steffi too good at this moment? What was the reason for that?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: I think I started serving very well the beginning of the second set and especially to go to 3-Love up. And then when she held I had -- at one point I could have gone maybe 30-Love in my serve, and that would have been a good chance to win that game to 4-1. But I missed it barely. And then my serve broke down a little bit. I started serving second serves everywhere.

Q. You served to her first serve a lot with good success, was that a plan or did it evolve that way or were you saying, okay, this is working I'm going to keep pumping them in there?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: You have to with her. You just have to. You have to hit them and hoping they'll go in and create some sort of opening. I can't just try to dump my first serve in. Because she's not going to give you anything.

Q. The last 18 months, do you think you've reestablished yourself as a top line singles player, as well as being a great doubles player?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Let me put it this way, this tournament doesn't count toward the ranking, so I'll be 15 or whatever I am now. It comes down to numbers, yeah. I feel good, that's all that matters to me.

Q. You're pretty pleased with your week, here?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Extremely pleased.

Q. You were as high as No. 7 this year, you came to this tournament No. 15. Do you have a goal in mind as a singles player, would you like to be a top 5 player or beyond that?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: I don't remember me being No. 7 this year, really?

Q. Early in the year.

NATASHA ZVEREVA: I'd love to be No. 5. But there is a lot of really, really good players out there, that are trying to do the same thing as me. If I'm fortunate enough and if I'm good enough and healthy enough I'll try to be there, as long as I can.

Q. Natasha, this did count on the rankings.

NATASHA ZVEREVA: It does, really?

Q. Besides this counting in the rankings, what do you need to upgrade your game to another level, like you're doing now?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Can you say that again?

Q. What do you need to do to bring your game up to another level?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Probably, I'd say physically being always ready. See, I've been playing for several years and I have sort of a laid back life-style. I don't intend as much to finish a tournament and then try and go work out and so I give myself time off, which I need. But I guess it's very important to have my physical condition always there.

Q. Would it be better to train in a higher climate like Grete Waitz trained in Boulder, Colorado?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: It's a good question. But I think I wouldn't sacrifice me living in California to go to Colorado, if I don't like it there.

Q. You could do it in the Alps?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Whatever. I'll just suffer in California. I'm joking.

Q. You haven't played Steffi in like a year and a half, I guess. Do you see any difference in her play at all today? Focus, hitting, was she serving better than she served in some time?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: I believe she hasn't lost anything. She plays just as well as when I played her in the Lipton this year, in the Lipton last year. I guess those are the two last matches I played against her. And talking about serve, they're there, and you just don't get it. I'm waiting for it and -- it's a good serve. She has a high toss, which is very hard to read where she's going to actually hit the ball because of the high toss. I feel like that's a good pause, and then hard to read where she's going to serve.

Q. Does a tournament like this, two big wins, give you a big boost psychologically, or do you tend to put each one behind and go on? Do you expect any carry over from this tournament?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: I can't, no. I don't think it works that way. Plus the year is finished. Gee, I have another match to go, and I'll be on vacation. So it would be really hard to come back next year, because I intend to have a long break and enjoy myself a lot.

Q. What do you do for time off?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: I'm going home, home. I was counting my days in the U.S., so I can't come back here anymore this year.

Q. You get how many days in the U.S.?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: My manager knows. It's secret info.

Q. Will you do any kind of training before Australia or will you just kind of R&R it?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: I'll probably go to the gym. I'll skip on tennis for a while. That's the most I enjoy doing, try to build some mass in my body.

Q. Legs or upper body, all over?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Mostly upper. If you've got to wear a sleeveless dress, you've got to look good. One person on TV said, sleeves are so much better. I'm like, well, who are you a fashion designer?

Q. Did anybody tell Adidas that helium dissipates on the second day?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: I washed my dress last night. It kind of shrank.

Q. How much weight do you push?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: How much weight? It depends.

Q. Maximum?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: What kind of --

Q. You said developing more mass. How much weight do you lift?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Where? What part of the body?

Q. Upper body.

NATASHA ZVEREVA: The biceps? Bench press? Bench press probably would be on a good day, if I give it a good chance will be 35 -- 30, 35.

Q. How many reps?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: I go six, six and 12 -- I mean 12 with a half.

Q. Natasha, since you'll have some time to reflect on this tournament. What do you go away with, considering the people you beat and going as far as you did, despite the disappointment of today?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: It wasn't really a disappointment for me. Overall it's a great tournament for me. I have another match to go, and hopefully that will finish on a good note, but you never know. But I'm hoping -- I'm in good spirits. I don't care what I do.

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