FAMILY CIRCLE CUP

March 31, 1995

Natalia Zvereva

NATASHA ZVEREVA: I think I played good. I won my singles match. It was very tight under the circumstances, weather and plus I had to play somebody I know really well, I wasn't really comfortable and we almost completed second match doubles so it was a good day.

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Well, I guess you're right. I mean, I can't argue with you. I mean, I wanted to but I couldn't. If the statistics say I'm making semifinal here pretty often, well I'm here I guess.

NATASHA ZVEREVA: I don't know, I try to play good every time. Well, you know, it happens to be that I make semifinal in this tournament quite often so I guess it just works out for me, yeah.

NATASHA ZVEREVA: It is hard especially -- I wouldn't say because it's slower from hard court, but because there's a lot of different and difficult bounces, that's why it makes it really hard. But I know I like to play this tournament anyway and I make up my mind and gosh, you know, if I lose in the first round, that's a tough luck. I mean, I could have lost in the first round, sure, because it was a three setter, tough against a good player, but I make up my mind and as long as I don't have any regrets I just go ahead and play the tournament, you know. And I've been coming here very often since '88, maybe '87 so...

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Oh, no, oh, no, we're not close at all. We're not friends. I just used to play doubles with her and that's why I know her very well. It was very tight, my emotions were, you know, I just could not relax. When I can't relax out there in the court it's trouble so...

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Oh, no, don't be silly.

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Excuse me?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Just the same as against everybody else. It's just we know each other so well, I think our games, and it's always hard to play somebody that you know very well and from the same country and -- I mean used to be from the same country.

NATASHA ZVEREVA: I guess if you know geography it's not confusing, not for me. It's not really.

NATASHA ZVEREVA: I don't really give it a big thought. I mean, like from different countries. I mean, it's difficult to think that we are from different countries even though it happened quite a while ago. We might as well get used to it by now. I mean, it's still there, it's the spirit of the countryship. It's still there! Anyway.

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Why did I broke up with doubles partners?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Excuse me? What was her name again?

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Why did we broke up? She broke it up. I believe she had her own reasons, so I guess she broke it up and here we are four years later or three or four.

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Did she --

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Well, I believe everything that happens is for a good reason and it's a destiny in a way. I mean, it's great that I teamed up with Gigi and it worked out so well.

NATASHA ZVEREVA: That's from the party.

NATASHA ZVEREVA: That's from the party, yeah. Nothing special.

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Again, it will be hard because she's one of my tour friends and we hang out once in a while. I'll just have to tough it out, go for it.

NATASHA ZVEREVA: It's awfully hard to play against her because she is a very talented player and that gives her an edge over other players in a way that at the big moment she can still pull out something special. I mean, if you're up on the lead and you think you might win the set or match, she can still come out strong and give you something different. And again, I mean, I just really hope it will be a good match. It will be hard for me to play with all the amount of tennis I played lately, but I'll fair up just like for any other match.

NATASHA ZVEREVA: Yes, I am, yeah. I'm feeling a little tired but I have another banquet to go to tonight and hopefully I'll go there and I will have a great time and wake up tomorrow feeling great and play one match and then finish the other one and if I win the other one I'll have to play another one and then I if win the other one then I'll have to play a lot more tennis. So just the way it comes, take it.

NATASHA ZVEREVA: No, not at all. I followed it in Japan because CNN was the only English, you know, spoken program out there, so that's why I had to follow it cause I miss the TV, but not really.