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SONY ERICSSON CHAMPIONSHIPS

November 5, 2008

Vera Zvonareva

DOHA, QATAR

V. ZVONAREVA/A. Ivanovic
6-3, 6-7, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.

Q. So another win for you. What are your thoughts on the match tonight?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, there are many thoughts, but I think it was a very, very difficult match. We had, you know, very tight score, and it was great for me that I was able to manage to fight from the first ball through the last one.
I had some good shots, some bad shots. But I kept trying throughout the whole match. I'm very happy the way I was able to come up with a good tennis in the third set.

Q. Difficult to finish off at the end as well, wasn't it?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Ana is a good fighter. She's never given up. So I knew about it, but I had to concentrate on myself at the end of that match. I had to think about my game and not to think what was going on on the other side, and I did that well.

Q. You fought your way into this elite gathering at the last moment, so to speak. Now you're almost into the semifinals. Are you surprised by how well you've done here?
VERA ZVONAREVA: You know, I believe in myself. I know I can play some good tennis, and that's what I'm trying to do here. I'm not really thinking if I can get into the semifinal yet. I still have one more match to play, and I'm going to try to concentrate on that one.
But, of course, if I can be here in the semifinal, it will be a great experience for me.

Q. A few years ago sometimes playing a tough match, sometimes your nerves prevented you to win, and now it seems that you are more calm and you are more focused on what you have to do; is that right?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I don't know. I think I'm more experienced and more mature player right now. I have a few more years behind my back. I have much more matches behind my back, so it helps a lot.
I know how to just to concentrate on myself and not to pay attention what's going on on the other side. Trying to produce my best tennis no matter what. I know it's not going to happen every match, but I'm just keep trying.

Q. At the beginning of the year, could you expect such good results throughout this year and then being qualified for the Championship?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Of course, I wanted to qualify for the Championships. But I don't have any expectations. I don't plan anything. I'm just trying to always fight and try to work on my game. Try to improve every little thing. Then if at the end of the day it works, I can be in the Championships, it just feels great.

Q. You've talked about being more experienced and managing your emotions better on the court, have you done something? Have you worked with a sports psychologist? What have you done to work on that aspect of your game?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I don't know. I just know myself better, you know. I think that's the most important part. Experience, for sure, helps. I know what I have to do in the different situations because I've already been in those situations, so it's easier to manage.
When you're young and upcoming player, you sometimes you face lots of things for the first time, and you don't know how to manage them. But, like I said, experience helps a lot.

Q. Why do you pull the towel over your head on the changeovers?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I think it just helps me to concentrate on myself. You know, the court is big, music is loud, the crowd is around, so I sort of just relaxing because I have to go back out there and try to concentrate as hard as I can.

Q. You're not claustrophobic?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Not really (laughing).

Q. A few months ago I remember we were talking about your wrist injury you had a couple of years ago, and you were saying that you still had to work on that every day, every day to be sure it is going to be good and it is going to be okay. Is it still the same now? Are you working every day on that?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah, I still have to take care of it. And I think I will need to take care of it throughout the end of my career. It will still always be there. But for me the most important is to try to manage it. The way I'm doing right now, I think I'm doing a pretty good job about it. So I can play tennis and not to think about pain or injuries.

Q. Just speaking hypothetically, if Jelena were to beat Svetlana, you and she would both have two wins and have to play each other. Would that take the edge off your game? How would you approach that match if you knew both Jelena and yourself were through?
VERA ZVONAREVA: It's still another match, and I'm still going to go on court and try my best. That's what I always will. I will still work on what probably my coach thinks I need to work on, what I think I need to work on.
I will still try to prepare myself as best as I can to try to show my best tennis in that match.

Q. I read something very interesting about the studies you did. Do you think first of all to be clever, smart, to study a lot, read a lot could be dangerous in a sport because you think too much maybe? You have too many things on your mind? You are different to the others or not?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I don't know. I don't think about myself that way. What I know, I love to study. I love to learn things. Yes, I think sometimes on the court I think too much instead of just letting myself relax and enjoy my game. But that's the way I am. There is nothing I can do about it.
I'm trying to just concentrate on what I have to do at that moment in that match.

Q. You don't feel a little bit different yourself to other people that think just about tennis, just about forehand and backhand?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I can't tell you for other people. I'm sure they probably have lots of thoughts in their mind besides tennis. I'm not the only one. But for me it's important to do something else besides tennis, because I'm just enjoying it.

Q. And the second question is, how much proud are you about the fact that you are not so tall, so powerful, so big like other players. You are like Henin or other players who are still able to play at this level?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I don't really think about myself that way. Of course, I think it's a little bit of advantage when you're tall and big. But, still, tennis is a game. It's not -- it's like chess, you know. We used to say it's like chess and movement. Yes, the physical part is important, but it's also the game, and I'm enjoying it.
I'm working on it. I like it. If I can do it the way I'm doing it right now, it's pretty good.

Q. How much credit do you give to your coach who is probably the guy with the quietest guy we know on the tour. He never gets nervous. Is he good for you?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I think he helped me a lot throughout my career. He'd been there for me throughout my injuries, through ups and downs. He never let me down. He supports me all the time. That's very important. So, of course, I think it's very important what he did for me, and maybe that's why I can be here this week.

Q. You mentioned earlier that you've developed that you're actually more experienced and more developed within yourself. Can you give examples of how you've developed and improved in certain aspects of yourself?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I think, like I said, I played lots of matches throughout the last three years, and I think I took my time with the coach to maybe have some work after the matches to take a seat and have some talks about it. So I could learn a little bit more about myself and about that match, so I can do a little bit better the next time.

Q. You also mentioned that other players are more taller, more powerful, stronger. Players like yourself who don't have those sorts of abilities, could there possibly be a perception do you have that you're disadvantaged and there might be a different type of champion in the future?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I don't think it's a disadvantage. I think there are some advantages, there are some disadvantages. But it's more important the way you manage it on the court. It's more important to know your strengths and to know what maybe you are not doing right and try to improve those things. Then the physical aspect is not that important.

Q. You've had a good solid season, with two titles. You struggled a bit in the majors and some of your earlier successes at Grand Slam tournaments. I'm just wondering why you think you haven't performed well in the big events, and if this is an event where you can really put that behind you?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I don't know. I don't know why, and I wish I could do better in the Grand Slams next time. So I'm going to think about it. Try to review my schedule again. Maybe it was a little bit of a scheduling mistake. Maybe I wasn't just ready for those tournaments.
So I'm going to try to manage it in the best way I can, and try to do my best next year.

Q. We know that you are in the final in the previous Championship here in Doha, now you are realizing good results in the second win. Do you have such feeling in some countries that you feel better in some countries or is it just like that?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, Doha is definitely great for me, because I have only good memories from here. I don't know what's going to happen in the future, it may change. But so far it brings me luck (smiling).

Q. We have to make Grand Slam here to win it.
VERA ZVONAREVA: For sure, for sure.

End of FastScripts

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