	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

CHINA OPEN

October 4, 2010

Vera Zvonareva

BEIJING, CHINA

V. ZVONAREVA/D. Safina
6-4, 7-6

THE INTERPRETER: Questions, please.

Q. During the match when it was heating up, Safina got a warning for obscenity while you sort of kept calm and didn't. What do you do to prepare mentally for moments like that?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, that's a difficult question. You know, I think warnings and all those things, they happen to everyone. Everyone can get frustrated and emotional during the match. Tennis is an emotional game, and, you know, everyone will get a bit frustrated or something. It's just -- the most important thing is just to use it to your advantage. It's not about trying to hide your emotions or anything. You just have to use them to your advantage.
You have to learn about yourself. It comes with experience, and more experienced you are, more you know how to handle those situations.
You know how to -- you know, some situations you have to react. You know, you have to scream at yourself. You have to break the racquet. Some situations you have to tell yourself, Hey, come on, relax, calm down and just concentrate on the next points.
It all comes down about knowing yourself, getting that experience, and doing the right things at the right moments.

Q. It looked at times during the match you were both struggling to find your range from the baseline. Also, Safina is kind of a tough first-round draw. How tough was she today, or is it more that you were having a little bit of trouble making your shots?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, Dinara is a great player. She's been ranked No. 1 in the world, so she will be a great player forever. It's always difficult to play against her.
But I think you're right. I think today maybe we both didn't play our best tennis, but it is very difficult to expect to play your best tennis in the first match of tournament. You have a new stadium, new balls, new atmosphere, everything. You are just sort of trying to a little bit find your rhythm, and maybe it is acceptable that you have a little bit more ups and downs in your first matches.
More you're progressing throughout the tournament, better rhythm you're getting. You're getting used to the conditions, to the courts, balls, and all those things.
Then you're able to play the better tennis. I think most of the players will tell you that they're not able to show -- they weren't able to show their best tennis in the first, second round, but the most important thing is to fight for every point, stay there, and, you know, try to make it through, because if you win, you have another chance to go out there and play your best tennis. If you're not able to make it through, well, you're not going to have another chance.

Q. (Through translation.) Would you like to talk about something about the partnership between you and your coach? What kind of relationship between you and the coach off court, friend or what kind?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, I think tennis players in general, we spend a lot of time with our coaches, so of course you have to get along really well with your coach off court and to be able to have a good work on court, because you spend, you know, traveling a lot of hours together.
Obviously, you know, I've known Sergey for many, many years, since I'm 10 years old, and I remember we won mixed doubles Russian championships back in 2000 together, and we played a lot of junior tournaments, so, you know, I've known -- I think it helps because I know him well off the court, and I think he knows me well, and he's able to, you know, to help me out on the court, give advices.
He was a very good player himself, so it is -- you know, he could be very helpful. He sees the game well, and quite relaxing off the court. You know, he doesn't push, you know, too hard off the court, because he knows I'm, you know, I can push myself very hard.
I think knowing each other for so many years helps overall, but also he's very tough challenge for me on the court, because, well, if I play match against him he will probably beat me all the time.

Q. How do you fancy your progression in this tournament with the pullout of the Williams sisters and the other top-ranked female contenders? Do you see it as a positive or a negative from a player's point of view? And what about from a fan's point of view, the sort of last-minute withdrawal of Venus?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, it's always unfortunate not to have Serena or Kim playing, but I believe there are so many great players out there, as well, and those players will make a great competition.
Women's tennis is very high level right now, and coming into any tournament, you could not predict who's going to win.
Obviously, you know, Serena is a great champion. She's been dominating, but she won Grand Slams, but she was not winning every tournament on the tour. I think it's a great competition at the moment. It's still, you know, tough for everyone to win. You come in here, you don't know who's going to win it, and that's very, very good, I think, because there are so many players that could be in that position holding the trophy at the end of the week.
Of course, I'm sure Serena and Kim has got their fans here that wanted to watch them, but it is really, you know, impossible to avoid injuries in any kind of sport. I think it is acceptable that sometimes players cannot come to the tournaments and play every single tournament throughout the year.

Q. We know that you cried after losing the US Open last month. Actually, you had gone to the final twice in Grand Slam. So what did you take away from those two experiences? And when will be the next time for you to make the final and win it?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, if I knew about the next time, it's gonna be tough challenge. I hope I will get another chance to be in the final, and hopefully, you know, I can go one step farther, but at the moment, the most important thing is no matter what, I think I still got a great experience playing in those finals.
You know, I think I was more disappointed in the final of the US Open, that I was not able to show my best tennis, you know, and the match was so quick I was not able to turn it around at all.
Kim played unbelievable, so it was difficult, of course, difficult for me and disappointing. But no matter what, I will try to take positives of it. I will try to prepare myself better way if I'll get the chance to play in a Grand Slam final another time.
I think it comes with experience, as well. I think you have to know yourself to be able to prepare yourself for those matches, and I think the experience of two finals that I played this year will give me a better knowledge of myself, and maybe I can manage it a little bit better the next time.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297