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DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS WOMEN

February 17, 2011

Svetlana Kuznetsova

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

S. KUZNETSOVA/F. Schiavone
1-6, 6-0, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. After what happened in Melbourne and after six match points, how important mentally for your future was it to round out that match?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Well, actually, at some point I felt what happened of now I don't win from so many match points. I said to myself, Look, you still have it. You're good enough. It's just matter of closing the deal. It doesn't matter.
Of course it's much better to win, but I'm there, and I felt like I'm playing good. I just cannot close it. It's just one point, a stupid point, but it's only one. I win like 101 during the match, and I can't win just final one. It's funny.
But one day should come, so today is come on my second time.

Q. Did you think about Melbourne as you kept having those match points?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Sometimes, but not really much. I felt like she's lucky to get some match points and get back every time. That's what I thought.

Q. Have you thought about Melbourne much from there to here?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Actually, not really. You know, good thing - or maybe bad thing - I have is I have bad memory. I forget things in two days. It takes me two days of depression after I lose the match, but then I don't remember what happened in that match.
You know, not quite like I say it's so bad, but sometimes I just forget things quickly. It's good, because I still have it in my heart. I still have this pain, because I fought so hard and I had so many chances and was Grand Slam.
But it happens, I guess.

Q. How were you physically after that match? What was it like the next day?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: For me, I cannot exactly say. You know, if I would stay in Australia for some days and recover I would know better. But for me it was horrible, because the night after the match for sure you feel like -- I felt empty inside, you know. But not physically. I was tired, of course.
Next day, next night, overnight I had to fly to Russia. It took my 25 hours to get to Moscow. In the flight I was trying to sleep, and my body was sore. Know I sleep from one side and to turn to another it was like unbelievable pain in my back.
Then I would arrive to Moscow, it's different some time zone, it's 30 or 40 degrees change from warm to cold. Plus the atmosphere, everything.
And I had (indiscernible) coming off my body was so, you know, hurt, and then in two, three days I had to start practicing for Fed Cup. Then my body was trying just to recover, recover, and then I had unbelievable weekend where I had to play all the matches. I mean, it was my fault to lose first match, but then I had to recover for my country.
So basically my body didn't recover until now either, because straight after Fed Cup, in two days I had to come here. So I didn't play that many match last year, and this year at the start of the year it's pretty intense for me.
Yeah, but more or less I feel okay. Just I guess I get older.

Q. You spoke about pain. How much do things like that motivate you?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: About what? Sorry.

Q. Pain after Melbourne.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah.

Q. How do these things motivate you?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Well, I'm person of the day. I can change my days. I can depress me; I can make me happy; I can do anything to myself. Some people call me masochist because I always start to think over and over things, and I change all the time my status in Skype or whatever, Facebook, or Twitter -- not Twitter, because everybody reads this.
Doesn't matter what, I going keep fighting and I going to hold on. And all my friends, they support me and tell me how great was it, how good that I am back. Because even if I didn't win this match, I am playing great game now. I am doing good. I know I can do much more better, but I'm back.
To comparing to what I was showing on the court last year, it was a disaster.

Q. How far are you from your best?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Well, if I would measure -- I don't have a measure, you know, centimeters, kilometers. I cannot say so. But I am doing better and I am happy on the court. I start to play spin game, to turn my forehand, to control the game. Because if I start to play ping-pong tennis, I have no control over the matches.

Q. What turned the match around after the first set today?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I was playing, and I understood that I can win this match. Even being 6-1 down, I knew this court is fast and it's better for me to play Francesca on this kind of court, because like this she didn't have time. I mean, I play faster ball. I can hit the ball faster.
I knew if I play a little bit better in second set, I just start to move and be little bit more positive, I can turn things on, around. And I did it. I cannot say exactly the point, but when I was 2-Love and to hold 3-Love, and then I think the set was done. And she understood this. Like last game of second set I think she knew it. She did four unforced errors in a row.

Q. In the final set you called the trainer.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah.

Q. And then you didn't look very happy with what she did for you, and then she came back on and didn't do anything. What was that about?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, I was very upset. I mean, I have close my ears and I couldn't hear anything.

Q. Blocked up?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: My ear, yeah. And so I ask the chair umpire -- I have my throat sore, and I ask chair umpire to have ear to put my ear.

Q. Drops?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Ear drops, yes. Sorry. And he say, Ear drops? And I say, Yeah. So she comes and she looks at me, and I say, Yeah, please ear drops. Then she start to open something and she start to put air in my ear.
I am like, Where is the drops? You know, I have enough air already. I have all air. Start to be air, air. And I say, Please, can you put -- I ask for it. I ask two games ago. She, Yeah, yeah, next changeover. I say, There may be no next changeover. It's 4-3 in the third set. You cannot do these mistakes right now.
But, I mean, it's human being. I am pissed because I was in nerves, I was intense. But it's human being. Everybody can do mistakes. But I just wasn't everybody to understand that it's important. It's third set; it's no jokes here. It's maybe last chance, you know.

Q. You said that it hurt you in your heart and you felt empty after Melbourne. Does this victory alleviate it somewhat? Do you feel better?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Well, you know, it was Grand Slam; it's different. Yeah, definitely I know I can beat her, and I did beat her today. But I felt like I was feeling so good to play this Australian Open, the best maybe I was feeling.
You know, it was two years: this year and the year I lost to Serena on center court when they close the roof. These two years was my best chances in the Australian Open, and I'm very upset missing them.

Q. Is that new?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah.

Q. What is it?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I have one friend, and he does handmade. He does something special religious for me. One part, it's one thing from my religion, and other part is tennis racquet with rose. So it was made for me.

Q. When did you get that?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: After we were 2-Love down against France.

End of FastScripts

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