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January 11, 2011

Svetlana Kuznetsova

SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES

S. KUZNETSOVA/S. Stosur
3-6, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Is that the best you've played in a while? You looked pretty good out there.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Well, I think -- I don't know. Maybe since San Diego for sure. Maybe San Diego was my light through my black year last year, a flash.
So I mean, this one was -- I think I haven't beaten a top 10 player since Championships. I beat Elena Dementieva. Maybe it was a year. I'm not sure if Radwanska was top 10 at the time I've beaten her, but it's been a while.

Q. So playing a hometown girl, it was swirly, threat of rain. What was your attitude going into the game?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I just wanted to play every ball. I know I'm ready physically and mentally. My body is ready and my head is ready. I want to be back and play good game. I think I been focus every moment everything. I've done everything I've could.
Definitely I could play better, but I think overall it was a good match.

Q. So no discomfort for you when you dropped the first set obviously?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I mean, what could I say? I had like five time five breakpoints over the last game. I couldn't make it because Sam was playing good rallies. It's nothing I could do. Definitely I could win my serve, the one she broke me, but it happened. I had to still play the game. I knew I would have my opportunities. I broke her twice in the second set.
I was just happy to be there. Happy, you know, to be there playing good game, not just happy to be on the court. That's stupid to say, but happy really be there and play on the same level again and with a top 10 player. Just be there, just to be back. It was just really exciting. The match was great. I was just enjoying the match.

Q. You looked fitter, and looks like you have a new coach out there. Have you been working in the off-season?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I had a longer off-season. For me was very important. Since nine years, I think I've count more or less -- my memory is very bad. Mathematically more or less counting to ten I'm all right.
So I've counted since 16 I was on the tour, and I was playing pretty much all the time. It was like nine years it's been only one month break, so I had three now. I was a little bit definitely afraid because -- not afraid -- but I had to be -- I had to be very much of attention of, you know, not having so much trouble getting into the matches because I didn't have matches for a while.
But I had to work on my physical conditions, on my game. I had to make sure I'm back playing my game, not different inventing some new styles of game which does not exist for me.
Yes, just to fresh my head.

Q. Did it help calling your coach after the first set? Does that help you?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: If I have a chance to talk to coach, why not? You know, just to have conversation except not only to myself during the whole match. If I can talk to somebody else, it's good.
Yeah, you asked, and it's new coach. He's young, but he's very motivated and he's helping me a lot. So I'm very excited to work with him as well.

Q. What were his instructions at the end of the first set?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: As I said, my memory is too bad. (Laughter.) I ask him, Listen me what I say first; don't talk to me. After you can talk. So for me it was very important to tell what I think. I did say to him that I was playing good and I wanted to play. He said, Okay, but you have to do this and that. Maybe few tips. That's it. Nothing special.

Q. Looked like you took the slice serve, took the pace ofd the ball. Was that a strategy for you?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I wanted to mix up the serve, because she's trying to get a lot of forehands. So I had to kind of make her doubt the serve, which is pretty simple, you know. And I've improved my serve, first, second balls.
So I was working -- I think last year I could serve only kick serve to backhand. So it was very predictable and readable for everybody, and everybody was killing me from this serve.
This year I had to make sure it doesn't happen to me.

Q. Vera was in here a little bit earlier and talked about how sometimes she feels like she has so many options on the court, she can hit every single shot, and it can get stuck in your head a little bit tactically and technically. Seems like you have a similar game in that way as far as you can hit every shot.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Vera, she's great player. She's No. 2 in the world. Now she's in the best stage of her game ever.
I don't know how she feels, but I think I have like 500 options every time I go: forehand, backhand, I can do slice, come in. It's too many. It's hard really to make it clear and just to go for it.
You know, sometimes I have to cut all options and to be a little bit stupid. Sometimes the players who don't think too much, they win because they don't think; they start thinking, they lose. So maybe this is the key.
Not to be stupid, though. (Laughter.)

Q. Does a win like this make you sort of reevaluate what your expectations in Melbourne might be?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I don't want to think in Melbourne. Everybody is like Melbourne, Melbourne. For me I need matches, so this is what I been always saying before. Before first tournament, before second tournament. First tournament was disappointing loss to me very much because I lost 4-2 up -- 3-Love up in the third set.
I just want to get matches under my belt, and then I will go out there and I will see. Being No. 26, definitely I have chances, but I don't want to think about them because I have so many more things to deal with, not to think about chances.

Q. Are you a little surprised how well your technical and mental game came together so quickly?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I'm not thinking I'm surprised. I just happy I made it, that they come together, because it was a problem for me even last week.
And I could change it. I been thinking a lot and I been working a lot. I been analyzing how I can improve it. It's coming together this week, so I'm really excited about this.

Q. What do you think Sam did right today?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Did right? Everything. (Laughter.) So did I.
No, I mean, she served good. For me was very important to return. I think I give too many free points in some games.
But anyway, I think in the end result it shows that I've played maybe most important points better.

End of FastScripts

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