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QATAR LADIES OPEN

February 25, 2011

Vera Zvonareva

DOHA, QATAR

V. ZVONAREVA/J. Jankovic
6-1, 2-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You don't like to make it easy for yourself, Vera.
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, that's a tough competition. Every opponent is very tough, and I'm just, you know, happy that I won this match and it's never easy out there.
You know, I try to fight for every point, and you could never predict how it goes, but no matter what, I'm always trying my best.
I'm glad that, you know, I won this match, because this kind of match is very, very tough. And if you get out of the tough situations and you end up winning, it feels great and gives you a lot of confidence.

Q. Did you watch the first semifinal before?
VERA ZVONAREVA: No. I was just relaxing and preparing myself for my match.

Q. You've got some pretty close games with Caroline that have gone both ways recently. I'm assuming you've got some kind of plan you're going to have, a set of weaknesses of hers that you're going to think, right, I'm going to try and get her there?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, sure, like any other opponent, you think about what you -- you analyze your previous matches and you think about how you're going to beat your next opponent. And then, you know, you step on the court and you always have to adjust a little bit, because there are always different courts, different conditions.
But that's something I will think about later. At the moment I'm just happy that I won today.

Q. When you look at her game generally and the games you've played recently, what is it that gives you -- she's pretty consistent. What part of her game do you think, okay, that gives me some hope? Because it's not just all about whether you play, is it? It's about both of you?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, you know, I think, um, yeah, like you said, she's very consistent, and against her, I just have to play my own game, try to dominate, and that's about it, you know.
At the end of the day, if we will both play well, it comes down who is a better shot maker on that particular day, because at that level, a tough opponent like her, you just have to be a better shot maker, I think, on that particular day.

Q. But you feel close to her in the rankings? I know you are close to her in the rankings, but you don't feel you're playing somebody who is crazily better than you or anything?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I always believe in myself, and I always believe if I can play my game and play my best tennis, I can beat anyone on the other side of the net. That's it. That's why I'm here. That's why I'm playing the tournament.
I'm not coming for this tournament because I'm thinking about losing here. I'm coming here, and I will try my best to win. That's it.

Q. Do you think maybe when you're playing the No. 1 player in the world, those lapses you've had in the last couple of matches when, you know, you've lost a set and maybe not played as well for a small period, you know, is she more likely to punish those than the people you've played in the last couple of matches?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, I think I played very tough opponents in previous matches, as well. You know, no matter what, you never want to have those ups and downs.
Everyone, everyone, will have a little bit ups and downs in their game during the match. As long as you don't drop your level really, really drop your level, then it's fine. You have to accept that you will have couple mistakes there and there and maybe, I don't know, lack of concentration in one game or two, but the most important is how fast you get back into it. That's about it. Especially against a top player like her, for sure you don't want to have a lot of those doubts. You try to stay as consistent as you can.

Q. You have two very tough matches. Are you in physically good shape?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, first, at the moment, after the match you're always tired, but I have enough time to recover, and, you know, I played a lot of tough matches throughout my career, and I think I know myself well, so hopefully, you know, I will do all the right things to recover and be ready for tomorrow.

Q. You played some three-setters on back-to-back days. On the other hand, Caroline has had it a little easy. How much difference is it going to make in the final?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I don't know. We will see. We will see tomorrow, you know. Sometimes, you know, those kind of matches like I played, they just give you more confidence, and sometimes more confidence is better than, you know, maybe she didn't play those tough matches.
You never know. It's a new day. It's a new challenge, and you just have to approach that way, and you have to concentrate on what's happening at that moment and not think about. So, you know, we will see tomorrow how it goes.

Q. Yesterday and today we see you when you go to lose and everybody say, Vera is going to lose. You're back. That's your tactic for this match?
VERA ZVONAREVA: No. I'm just trying my best, and I'm trying to fight for every point, and I don't really care what everyone thinks, you know. I'm out there to fight, and I'm out there to try my best to win that match.
I just keep fighting for every point, and then, you know, as soon as the last point is played, then I can go back, relax, and that's it. You know, at the end of the day we will see who wins and who loses.

End of FastScripts

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