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DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS WOMEN

February 16, 2011

Svetlana Kuznetsova

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

S. KUZNETSOVA/T. Pironkova
5-7, 6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You've become the marathon woman with all these long matches.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Believe me, I don't want to play, but this is the way it goes.

Q. It was a real tough fight, wasn't, right to the end?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, well, I just think I played with myself a lot. In the end I win against myself.

Q. You often do that. Can't you change that?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I try, I try. When I change it, I normally play good. (Smiling.)

Q. Why was it tough? What were you doing wrong?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: No, I was just playing good, and then at some point I stopped. Then I play good again. It's just concentration.
But if everybody could change it so easy everybody would be very good. But only good people, only good player, they are consistent. Sometimes you have to go through it, accept what's happened to you, and go through it.
That's what I tried to do, so today it's came my way.

Q. You've got some ground to make up after last season really. Do you feel you heading in the right direction again?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yes. I won good matches in Australia, I'm in shape, and I'm doing better, much more confident than last year. And I have will to play. This makes big difference from last year.

Q. Why do you lose confidence when you're a top player?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: It's more will for me now. Because confidence is when you do the right thing. I lost my game kind of. You know, I didn't play exactly the game I have to play to win matches. I started to play the game whichever body else plays. This is like a lucky think, you know, like a lottery.
I started to play the game I play always with the spin, with my forehand, my game which I win two Grand Slams with. I cannot start suddenly play tennis of Maria Sharapova, for example, you know. I don't have her abilities. I have mine abilities, which I have to use my strong parts.

Q. Up next is Francesca Schiavone in the next round.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: This question you wanted to ask me days ago, and your T-shirt reminds me about this.

Q. I finally got there, though. It's happening. Obviously it must have been bitterly disappointing to have played such a long match a month ago and coming off with a loss. What were your emotions after that game, and how much are you looking forward to playing her now?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, it was disappointing, but after I heard so many people -- I think every single person who know me watch that match and came to me and said it was a great match. It was definitely great match. People enjoyed it. I think if it would be a final, it would amazing, you know, one day to play final like this - but to win. (Smiling.)
Yeah, it's going to be a very hard match. It's going to be tough. I have nothing to lose. She's the favorite. Pressure on her. I just going to go out there and play.

Q. She is looking forward to facing you, because she says that matches against you are always marathons, and the competitiveness you both bring on the court brings out the best in each other. Would you say that's true?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, we always have long matches. It's interesting game, because we don't play boom-boom tennis. We play different kinds of spin, we run around. That's it.

Q. You see some players pop up maybe in the top 10, but they don't stay. I know how hard it is, but what are the most difficult things about staying around near the top for as long as you have?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Well, I see it this way: there is players who go up. They have no pressure. It comes, and they have a little bit luck of the draw. It's a little bit of this, a little bit of that. They win one match, they get confident. They start to be confident, confident, confident, and end up playing good and maybe top 10.
And then next year, when you don't have so much confidence, you have to defend what you've done last year. Then you start to think, Oh, am I able to do that? Or matches start to get complicated or every player knows how to play you or each player that goes to play against you they want to beat you more and more.
Before players were not expecting from you good tennis. Then you show how good you are, and if you're good enough to be in the top 10 to stay there. To get there and to stay there is two different things. This is what I see the difference.

Q. So you find it's easier to get there than to stay?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Than to stay, yes. I mean, one thing is like, you know, you got to do one, two, three steps. You can count to two, you can count to one, you can get to top 10.
Of course it's very difficult and not everybody can get there. It's harder to stay there. The third step is even to go more than top 10.

Q. And with that situation, will you foresee that it's now more and more difficult to stay around in the top?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Actually now the tennis -- I think I read interview of Maria Sharapova, and she said the tennis is different now. I agree. For example, before it was top 10 and the rest. In the rest, it was like you go to play tournaments, first one, two, three, rounds it was like you go easy.
Now it's not like this anymore. I think every player deserves possibilities, and they play very well. The level is very even of other girls. There can be surprises. This is because also the tournaments, they are very tough. Here, now in the level of these tournaments, unbelievable.
So I think it's very strong, and all the players go to play one events now, because they change the format of the calendar. So I think it's change a lot the tennis.

Q. So are you saying it's tougher now with Serena not around, Justine retired, Venus not around at all? It's tougher now than with those players around?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I didn't say that they are -- I don't count that they're here or not here. I'm saying that other girls, they're very even and you don't have such easy matches first rounds. I don't say about the top. This is other discussion.
To have two or three players more in the draw, like Venus, Serena, it doesn't make big change on the first rounds because you don't face them first rounds. I'm saying about girls like Pironkova, like girls like -- I don't know, many girls who playing well. They're tough rounds for first round.

Q. A sort of depth.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Like Peng. She's from quallies and she almost beat Azarenka today. You know, like these girls who pass the quallies here were very tough. Like Pavlyuchenkova, Makarova. These girls, they are good. Before you used to play them and you say, Ah, it's easy match. Now it's not like this anymore.

Q. So now when a new player bounces into the top 10, as a veteran of the tour, do you say, Okay, next year is when we'll see...
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: It's not me. It's everybody else what thinks this. I don't care. I wish them the best. This is what normally people say. Yeah, for sure she'll be there, and let's see how long she will be.

End of FastScripts

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