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CHINA OPEN

October 6, 2010

Vera Zvonareva

BEIJING, CHINA

V. ZVONAREVA/M. Kirilenko
5-7, 6-4, 6-2

THE INTERPRETER: Questions, please.

Q. This was a very tough game for you. You lose first set and came back in the second set and third set was very tough. Would you mind assessing the game today that you played?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, yeah, I think she started off really well in the first set, and she was very aggressive and I think I was a little bit impatient. Sometimes my shot choices weren't as good as I wanted in the moment, so I was making a little bit too many unforced errors in the first set.
I think against such a great player as Maria, if you give her a little bit of unforced errors, she will take the opportunity, and of course, you know, I lost the first set, but the second set I was just trying to keep going for my shots but being a little bit more patient and still take more chances and be a little bit more aggressive at times and just fighting for every point. I was able to turn that around, I'm very happy.
Then in the third set I felt like it was a little bit physically tough for her, and I was a little bit more consistent and more aggressive, so I made it very difficult for her in the third set.

Q. I was just wondering what she might have been doing in particular to begin with that was giving you the trouble. Was there any part of her game that you sort of were struggling to come to grips with?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, I think she started off very aggressive right away, and I was a little bit -- couldn't find my rhythm a little bit. And then I think throughout the first set I was rushing a little bit too much, because she started aggressive, and I was making a little bit of wrong choices of the shots. I was trying to change the direction too early sometimes, and that's why I was having those unforced errors.
And then on the changeover, you know, after the first set I was just thinking that maybe I should still stay aggressive but maybe a little bit more patient and change the direction when I have the chance instead of trying to change it too early and then, you know, having those unforced errors. I think that then I was able to turn the match around.

Q. You are now in the last eight in the draw, and many top players are eliminated now. What is your expectation? My second question is you have qualified to Doha WTA championship, so you have a good chance to compete year end No. 1. So do you have a thought of that?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, first of all, it's great to be in the quarterfinal. I played in the quarterfinal here last year.
Well, I really never look at the draw, so I have no idea who's still in the draw, who is not. You know, that's not really important to me. I'm just taking it one match at a time, one game at a time, and I know I will face a tough opponent in the next round. That's all I'm thinking about.
Considering Doha, you know, I'm very happy to be again in playing at the championships for the third time in a row, and, you know, it's going to be tough challenge. I'm really not thinking about rankings or anything else. I'm concentrate on one match at a time. I think that's the most important thing for tennis players. You cannot think about all those, you know, statistics or whatever is there. You have to go out there and perform your best. If you're not able to show your best tennis, you will never be out there. That's what I'm trying to do every time. That's all.

Q. You threw your racquet away at the beginning of the third set, and what was in your mind at that moment?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, I didn't throw my racquet. The strings popped, and I had to make sure that the stringer will restring them, because I had like four racquets with broken strings throughout the match, and I just wanted to make sure that if the next one, you know, breaks I have enough racquets to play with. That's about it.
So, yeah, my coach had to do a lot of running back and forth to the stringer.

Q. A lot of fans are curious about your coach. You have mentioned that he's your mixed-double partner when you are 10 years old maybe, and what the chance make him your coach again? How do you evaluate your corporation with him now?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah, mixed doubles. We actually won the Russian championships in mixed doubles. It was when I was 16 years old, and I remember I won the singles, as well, and Chesnokov won the men's singles. So that was quite exciting, the championship.
Yeah, Sergey was a good player himself. He was maybe ranked around 500, but I think he stopped his career last year, like a year ago, and he got involved in coaching. You know, he's a great player for me, so I asked him to help me out and play with me. He's a great sparring partner because, you know, he's much better player than I am. He will beat me all the time. He's much stronger and everything.
But I think, you know, he sees the game well, and he tries to support -- he knows what it is to be a tennis player. You know, he knows how tough it is to be in those situations, those matches. I think, you know, he's just trying to be out there and help me out the best he can so I can perform my best.
I think it also helps that I have known him for so many years, as well, because we have, you know, a great relationship off the court, and of course it brings the best out of us on the court. As tennis players we travel so much all the time, and I think the coach spends, you know, a lot of time with their players. It is very important to have good communication like on the court but also off the court.

Q. My question is about the coach. I remember two years ago you bring another coach to here in China to play at Guangzhou and then China Open. That coach was very young, as well, and he actually coached the kids in Russia. Usually the tennis player prefer choosing a coach with lot of experience. Obviously you chose the young coach. Would you mind explaining?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, when I was in Guangzhou, I think my hitting partner came with me. I think at that time I was still working with another coach. I was working with Sam Sumyk. He's a French coach, and I have been working with him for the past four years. Yeah, and I think when I was there in Guangzhou that was my hitting partner who was there with me.
Yeah, I don't know why -- I think, well, Sam has got great experience, that coach that I worked before with, the French guy. He's been on the tour for past, I don't know, 10, 15 years, and I think it just happen this way.
You know, you don't really choose somebody based on the age. You know, you just -- if you get along and you think a person can help you, you know, you try to work together and see how the things go, and if you understand each other well and you find an understanding and you believe that your coach is bringing something to you that can give you the right advice at the right time, that's the most important thing for the professional tennis player.
Yeah, I think, you know, age doesn't really matter at this point if you find the person is helpful, you know, and that's the most important thing. Experience comes with time, as well.

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