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WIMBLEDON

June 25, 2009

Svetlana Kuznetsova

LONDON, ENGLAND

S. KUZNETSOVA/P. Parmentier
6-1, 6-3

Q. Nice to be in the third round?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: It's good. I think I played great today. I was happy with my performance, and, yeah, pretty excited to be out there. I think I played that way right from the start. And I think I didn't expect from her to play so well.
Still, I won like 6-1, 6-3, and it was not an easy match. She been serving well, but I been serving inside the court. I surprised myself today.

Q. What have you been up to since Paris?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: You know, party every day until 6:00 in the morning and then sleep during the day, and now I play these two days (laughter).
Well, I've been in Moscow from Sunday after Paris to Thursday. Hang out a little bit with friends. Didn't celebrate much, either. Just with one dinner, that's it.
And then Friday I went to Eastbourne and I played on grass, tried to adjust, and today finally it's coming up, so I'm very happy.

Q. Is it tough to turn it around physically and play another Grand Slam?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yes, for me it's very hard. Especially Eastbourne was ridiculous hard. I could not play. I was a little bit embarrassed because I didn't have much time to change from clay to grass.

Q. The most surprising thing that has happened since your winning in France?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Most surprising? Nothing surprised me.

Q. One thing that sort of surprised us was you had been out on some of the outer courts and you were the French Open champion. Was that a surprise to you? You haven't really been out on the show courts even though you're the French Open champion.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I'm fine to put me wherever they want to me put. They don't have to put me Centre Court. But with the schedule, this is little bit weird thing. If you look the schedule, it's not about only me. It's about Dinara plays on court No. 2, Venus plays on court No. 1, and girls who's not very high seeded they play Centre.
I respect them. They're great players, for sure. But this is what's weird for me what's their strategy was of the plan of making the schedule. This is what surprised me a little bit.
But, you know, in Wimbledon you have to expect anything (laughter). So this is Wimbledon. That's why it's special for everybody. It's special for me, as well. That's why I like it, because it's unpredictable.

Q. Have they been talking about that amongst you a little bit, the players?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: No, not really. I didn't hear about it around here, but they didn't allow us to eat in the locker room. Today my physio brings me pasta and said, Go eat. I said, I cannot go to the locker room to eat. He was very surprised.
Maybe it's right, maybe it's not. I'm not against that. But it's also weird, because at other tournaments we have that.

Q. Where did you play your first round match? You ended up on Court 14?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah. But, you know, they put me fifth, fourth match after two men and one women.

Q. What were you supposed to be on?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: And then they add me one more men's match, which was in one set all and they went to five sets. So it was already 6:00 and the men's didn't start before me.
My coach went to ask if they move me, and they said no. And then somebody comes in the locker room and told me, When you want to go? You go on Court 14. I haven't been asked if I want to go. I say, Half an hour ago. It's not a problem for me.
But after WTA told me that they been asking like if she's fine to go, so I completely understand them. And I appreciate them to put me anywhere, because I was happy to finish that day anyway.

Q. Besides partying until 6:00 a.m. in the morning, what have you been doing?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I haven't been partying (laughter). Now I know you guys. You're gonna put 6:00, and everybody thinks, and how she can play that well? I'm not that good.

Q. I'm just wondering what you do with your days off or your days when you're not playing in London.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Like today I was very excited they put me first actually, because I wanted to try to finish quick and I want to go shopping. Because staying in the Village, it's great. Close to the court, but there's not much to do.
So I'm getting very bored in the afternoons after my matches and practices. I want to go shopping and see London. Not tourism though, because you get tired. I need just two, three hours to spend some cash.

Q. So you're going to buy some clothes so you look better at those parties that go until 6:00 in the morning?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I'm not prepared for those parties. I'm always good for those. But I just like to buy clothes, to buy things. Also this year I was so terrible. I was maybe too focused on my tennis work then I didn't buy any presents for nobody.
I mean, if I want to buy present, I buy present. It's not problem for me. Like for my hitting partner I say, I won this, so you get the present.
But my mom had a birthday, I didn't buy anything; my good friend had a birthday, I didn't buy. I'm like, yeah, yeah, I'm giving you a present soon. I am working on it. I look embarrassed, so I need to go and get some presents.

Q. So Sharapova's coach was upset years ago that he didn't get a Mercedes. Is that the kind of gifts you get?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: No (laughter). I don't earn as much as Maria to get Mercedes. I gave my first car to my coach, which I had. I just said, Okay, you have it. It's not a problem, because I did not want to sell it anyway.
For me it's not a problem if I have.

Q. Where do you go shopping? Where will you go, what kind of places?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Well, I went shopping once to Harrod's already once, and they send me to another street here. I still need to get to know London better because I spend too much time probably on the courts. I have to sneak out of here.

Q. I don't know if this is a regular thing. I noticed a lot of people are very curious about grunting this year. When you're serving you grunt a little bit, but when your opponent is serving you don't at all. Is it something you've ever noticed?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I have no idea. Well, because what I do, when she serves I grunt, or...

Q. When you serve.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yes, I know, of course, because I'm doing an effort.

Q. But then when you're returning you don't.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I have no idea. No, I just play, and this is it. I have no idea.

Q. You were very satisfied obviously after winning Roland Garros. What do you want to do now?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Keep enjoying my game. I keep it simple. In the French Open they say, Oh, what's your goal? I don't want to set goals.
I just want to enjoy. When I enjoy it, I play at my best, and this is what I want to do.

Q. Do you think you can make it two Grand Slams in a row?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Why not? If I wouldn't believe, why should I be here sitting in front of you? I definitely can be, but it's going to be much more difficult for me to do it here than Paris. I realize that.

Q. What's the key for the next opponent?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Who did she beat?

Q. She beat Mayr.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: She's tough. She's very tough. She plays the ball very flat and very quick. I practiced with her, and she's a little bit unpredictable for me, but she's very tough to play.
I never played her in a match. She's upcoming player. I think she won Charleston this year, and she's very dangerous.

Q. Do you think it's an advantage to have a low center of gravity on grass, to actually be a little bit shorter?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: No, you cannot say so, because Venus is not short, but her serve is like killing you. I don't know if it's advantage to be tall, to be low. Justine was low and she was one of the best players in the world, but she never won here.

Q. But on grass do you think it's any more of an advantage to be short sometimes?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: It's good to -- it's an advantage to be short when you return, and on serves you have to grow a little bit (laughter). Let's put it that way.

Q. Obviously the French Open win was great for you, but as you said yourself, pretty devastating for Dinara. Have you seen her around here, and how do you think she's rebounded from that?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I just had a long chat with her in the locker room. That's not why I was late, though. But straight after the match I had a chat with her. It was fine.
We talked about our private stuff, as well. We are good friends, you know, and she's fine.

Q. She seems pretty happy.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Why shouldn't be? You know, you should enjoy. It's past and she's No. 1 and she should enjoy.

Q. So it's sort of obvious that Maria and Ivanovic and some of the others get a lot of the publicity and the contracts and so forth, and yet you've had tremendous results and not quite that kind of buzz and contracts. Do you have any thoughts about that, on that gap between you?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Well, you know, it's not my problem to think about it. My problem is to get my best results I can, and this is it. I'm happy who I am and I'm happy the way I am.
I am enjoying myself on the court, and for me it's most important thing. What they get, I never look at another basket, you know, I look at my basket. I don't know what they get, so....

Q. You sound very comfortable with that.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I'm all right. Maybe I used to care more, but that's when I was younger. But why should I? Why should I look at somebody's house or somebody else's garden? I'm happy with what I have. If I want to have more, I just have to play better. This is for me the key.

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