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INTERNAZIONALI D'ITALIA

May 20, 2006

Svetlana Kuznetsova

ROME, ITALY

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Svetlana, please.
Q. Two hours 40 minutes yesterday, two hours 30 minutes today. Is it the reason why you couldn't finish off the match? Were you too tired?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: No, I don't feel like very tired. I'm just was losing my concentration. I felt like I played much better game than she did and that I was leading more or less. She was just able to hit winners. She just, in the end, she didn't want to go rally, she was trying to go for winners soon as she could. She was missing, but she was making winners.
But, I mean, I had so many chances. I just cannot explain. If you don't finish with your chances, it's normal that you don't win.
Then she put lots of pressure on me on my serve. I put on hers, but I didn't serve well and I was missing so easy balls. I think this is the reason.
Q. It's a strange match, no, after the first set? Especially in the third set, you lost the third and the fourth service. Strange match, no?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, in the start I had to get used to her game. Then I knew more little bit how I had to play her. I didn't serve well, so it didn't give me like a chance to win easy my service game and play more on her serve.
Yeah, she was putting pressure on me, but I couldn't serve. Some games I was serving very well, and then I was leading in the match. Then I didn't serve well and, still, we were tight, we were close. I just felt that I made all the rallies and then I just couldn't finish it off. I had it all the time in front of me and I just couldn't take it. I didn't just use my chances.
It was very strange match because I felt like I was always on the top, but I couldn't make it.
Q. And there's a lot of unforced errors.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, this is the balls I couldn't finish. I make the rally and I have the ball in front of the net next to me and I cannot make it. I mean, this is ridiculous.
But that's why I lost. I mean, I'm not very disappointed because more or less I think I played all right. I played much better than yesterday. I was playing all right, I just couldn't finish it. I had all the chances to do it. It's not like she beat me and like I didn't have chances. It was opposite, and I beat myself actually.
Q. It's not easy to play against her because sometimes she can hit winners and sometimes make an unforced error. Some other times when you were playing rallies, she didn't try to do anything.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, she change. She try to change. Because if she plays simple, everybody really can adjust to this game. So she improved a lot. I think clay is her best surface. I'm happy to have match like this before Roland Garros. I'm disappointed because I think it's my match and I should win it because I play better. I mean, I'm just disappointed to losing it.
But all credit to her, she been playing well and she been just waiting I think sometimes for my unforced errors.
Q. The errors, were they nerves or what?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: No, it's something like about I think it's maybe little bit of concentration, maybe little bit of that, a little bit of everything. But I was just making the ball, and then making the good rally. Then you think, "The ball is here and I'm getting it." Suddenly, it's bounce in a different place that you expect. The same happened to me yesterday, but today I improved a little bit, but didn't play good enough.
Q. Today, as well, you had some problems to adjust with the court and the way the ball was bouncing like yesterday?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: It was much better. It was much better today. Just I felt pretty comfortable today in the court. But in the end I just went a little bit back instead of come in more in the court, and I think this is also was one point why I lost.
Q. So now you have many matches on clay under your belt coming to Roland Garros. What are you going to do next week, and what are your expectations?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I'm little bit disappointed because maybe if I would have win today, I made good tournament here, maybe I could have been eight seed at Roland Garros and I'm ninth, I think.
But, still, I mean, I'm playing pretty well on clay. I feel pretty comfortable. Yes, there is some players who are very tough to play, but I feel pretty comfortable on clay. I think I can do well in Roland Garros. Of course it depends a lot on the draw.
I just have to take some time off, like one, two days, and start practicing again and get ready to Roland Garros.
Q. When are you going to Paris?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Thursday.
Q. And before that you will practice somewhere else?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: In Spain.
Q. In Spain.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah.

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