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QATAR LADIES OPEN

February 21, 2011

Vera Zvonareva

DOHA, QATAR

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What do you put the turnaround in your tennis down to in the last 12 months? What's changed?
VERA ZVONAREVA: What's changed? Nothing changed, really. You know, I don't know. I think I'm still, you know, the same player, just a little bit more experienced, a little bit more mature.
I think I learned a lot by playing on the tour for so many years. I learned a lot about myself. I think, you know, I'm just able to put all those little details together a little bit better.
I think I'm enjoying playing much more right now. I'm enjoying the competition. I'm enjoying the tough, tough challenges. That's about it.
But I'm still, you know, the same player, still practicing hard, still trying to do the best I can every time I go on the court.

Q. There wasn't one moment or one victory in particular that gave you a bit more confidence back or anything like that?
VERA ZVONAREVA: No, I don't think so. I think there was a moment a few years back where something changed for me, but then after that I've been through a lot of injuries. I think I just, with the time, I just realized that I gotta take it one day at a time.
You never know what's gonna happen in the future. You can just suddenly get injured and your career might be finished. So you've got to be out there giving 100% every day and try your best.
I think I'm accepting that I will have some bad days, as well. It's not always going to be perfect, but, you know, there are a lot of matches that I learn how to win even if I was not playing my best tennis, you know. A lot of matches that I won last year I was not playing good, but I still won them.
I think that made me stronger, and that made me learn a lot about myself, as well, and that helps me on the court right now. I'm not looking to play my best tennis. I'm just looking to play good enough to beat my opponent on that particular day.

Q. On the tour you can ask for a coach on the court and in Grand Slam you cannot. Does it change anything for you?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I never call my coach on court, anyway, so it doesn't really change anything to myself. But me personally, my position on that is more about that I think tennis is like sometimes they call it chess and movement. It's not only about how physical you are. It's also about how you choose your shots, how you choose your tactics.
I think it is very important that once we are out there on the court, tennis is an individual sport, and you have to manage it out there on your own.
You can talk to your team and coach before the match, after the match, but during the match you are out there.
My position is that we should be, you know, really playing without on-court coaching, because that's what makes the difference between top players and lower-ranked players. They're able to change the tactics or momentum or they're able to think on their own and adjust their games. Sometimes that's how you win matches; not because you're stronger, faster, or something like this.
So I think it's important, but like you said, we don't have those things in Grand Slam. So maybe for some people it makes a difference, but to me, it doesn't because I never call, really never call my coach. Occasionally sometimes I may, but very rare.

Q. Did you play against an opponent who changed completely tactic against you after see her coach?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Not completely. You know, players, a little bit they change, but that's something that's expected probably. You know, it's one thing the coach can tell you to do; it's another thing to be able to do it.
You know, it's not that easy. A coach comes and tells you, Okay. All you need is just to serve wide at, I don't know, 160 kilometers and make yourself in.
Okay. You know this, but how you actually -- you still have to do it.
I think it doesn't change a lot. Sometimes it just can help for those players that feel a little bit maybe lost or they're not sure what they're doing. It's just more about just giving them confidence or taking the pressure off them by talking to their coach.
You know, nothing really -- I don't think the tennis can change completely. Also, you know, if players do change something against me, I can -- well, I think I'm smart enough out there on the court to see it and try to adjust to their changes, as well.

Q. You seem to enjoy playing here in Qatar. You were runner-up for 2008. How much do you want to win this tournament, and what does it mean to you?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I want to win any tournament. You know, any tournament I'm coming to I want to win it. But, you know, it's too far ahead to think about winning it.
I think every single match is very difficult here. The draw is very tough. We can see, you know, all of the top players. Mostly everyone is coming here. I think the most important is to concentrate on one match at a time, you know. I have my first match ahead of me, and that's all I'm going to concentrate on.
But regarding Qatar, I definitely enjoy playing here. I have great memories from Doha. I've played a lot of great matches here. That something helps as well, you know, that something gives you a lot of confidence and just a pleasure being on the court, and I'll always get a lot of support. I have some fans here that have been following me since, you know, my success here.
So it's something good and always nice to come back to this event.

Q. All players, top players, know each other. Sometimes we have surprise from new players. What about you?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, I think we do all know each other, like you said, pretty well and we play against each other all the time.
But, you know, tennis is improving, and we will always have some younger players coming on the tour. They will always come and obviously surprise, but that's part of the game. That's what makes, you know, our tour very interesting, because you never know.
Right now it is very tough competition. There is not just one or two leaders. There are a bunch of girls that can come and win the tournament, including some young ones that are coming on the tour.
So it is just a great competition, and no matter how well you know each other, every day is a new day. Every tournament is a new tournament. We have different courts, different balls. Everywhere is different atmosphere.
It is -- you know, the most important thing is how you do on that particular day, if you're able to bring the best out of yourself or not. Whoever is able to play better tennis on that particular day will win the match, but that's great competition.

Q. How has your season been so far? Will there be any rest?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, the season started pretty good for me, you know. I made a semifinal of the Grand Slam. It's another one of the best results in the Grand Slams. And then I played another semifinal in Pattaya.
I lost, you know, third round in Dubai, which I thought may be a little bit disappointing, because I didn't think I played the best tennis. But it's okay. It's part of the game. Sometimes you will have those days.
It's the most important thing how you react to that and if you're able to improve yourself and play better the next week. But overall, it's been pretty busy for me. I played a lot of tournaments in a row, so for sure I will go back home, take some rest, and then I will fly to, you know, Indian Wells and start practicing just a few days before the tournament.

Q. Kleybanova, you didn't play so well against her or she played very well?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, she's a good player, you know. So I knew that I need, the level of the game, my level of the game should be up there in order to beat her. I think she played a very good match, and I think I was not able to adjust a little bit.
I didn't have enough time after Pattaya. Then I played Roberta in the first round, absolutely different style of game, a lot of slices, a little bit slower. So I had to, you know, stay aggressive, mix it up a lot.
Then I went on, right next day, to play against Alisa, such a powerful player, and right away, different tennis and I was just not able to -- I felt like I was up there but not able to adjust completely. And when we had some tied games out there, I had too many unforced errors on that.
Against such a good player like her, if you make those mistakes, you will probably not win the match. That's what happened. I just tried to think over again why I had those mistakes. Maybe my shot selection was wrong. Maybe I was a little bit tired. Maybe I didn't prepare myself well for the match. Maybe it was the concentration thing where I was not able and why that happened.
So I just asked those questions, we went through all those things with my coach, and now I'm back on the court practicing, so I'm trying to improve that, and hopefully I can do better this week.

End of FastScripts

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