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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 19, 2011

Vera Zvonareva

CINCINNATI, OHIO

V. ZVONAREVA/D. Hantuchova
6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk about your next match in terms of what you need to do really well against Maria.
VERA ZVONAREVA: I guess probably I have to do all the things well in order to win the match. I just need to improve a little bit. I need to improve my consistency. I think today I played a good match overall, but still a little bit inconsistent.
I think tomorrow I will just need to be a bit more consistent and just keep fighting for every ball. That's it.

Q. What specifically do you want to improve before tomorrow?
VERA ZVONAREVA: There is no one specific thing. I think it's an overall game. Like I said, just keep going for my shots and executing all those shots and maybe not think about who is the other side of the net.
A lot of things. I just need to focus on my game, the way I like to play, and not pay attention to anything else.

Q. I haven't seen the head-to-head between and you Maria. In the matches you've lost to her, is there anything you can think of was the reason why you lost, and what's the key to not doing that tomorrow?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, there is a reason in any match. There is a reason why you won and there is a reason why you lost. Of course after I played against her I made some conclusions. I thought about it.
Of course I have experience right now, and hopefully that experience can help me in the match tomorrow. Still, it is going to be a new day. Whatever we had in the past it is already in the past. She's a different player. I'm a different player. Right now it's going to be a new match.
It's going to be interesting. I'm really excited about the match. I haven't played her in a while. Just looking forward to it.

Q. Have you happy with your year so far?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I think the year's been pretty good. Of course I always wish for better and I always want to win every single match. But if you look overall, I played some consistent tennis. And there is a lot of matches I wasn't feeling I was playing my best tennis, and I still won a lot of them. I think it gives a lot of confidence.

Q. Can you elaborate on what participating in Fed Cup means for you?
VERA ZVONAREVA: It's a huge thing for our country. Everyone supports us. For me, playing in the Fed Cup, it's something that's very important. Of course making choices I have to take into consideration my personal schedule and my health and everything.
But once I'm there, and especially when we play at home, it's a different atmosphere. It's a special atmosphere. Everyone is supporting us, and I know that it means a lot to our country. So for me, it's a special moment, and I always want to do well.

Q. You talked at the All-Access Hour about the unfair criticism Caroline Wozniacki gets for having No. 1 one and not having a slam. You're also very highly rank and haven't won a slam. In any way do you feel lucky not having that pressure on you?
VERA ZVONAREVA: You know, that's something I don't think too much about really. You know, I try to focus on my game and I try to improve my game and try to win matches. I really don't think about all the gossip that goes around it.
For me, what happens, what matters is the game and how I can make better and how I can win matches. That's all I'm thinking about.

Q. How do you feel compared to last year before the US Open? How does your game compare?
VERA ZVONAREVA: You know, I don't like to make comparisons like that. I think every year is a new year, and, you know, I think I'm a different player right now, more experienced.
But overall I feel I'm playing pretty good. I just made a finals in San Diego and I played Toronto only losing to Agnieszka both times, and now I'm again here in the semifinal. It's a huge event. I think I'm playing pretty good.
But US Open is a different story. I will start worrying about it when I get to New York and start practicing over there and thinking.
At the moment, I'm just thinking about my matches here. I think I'm improving every single day, and that's the most important thing.

Q. You said you don't think about all the gossip, just about your game. How do you assess your game? Is it a feeling, a certain number of matches won?
VERA ZVONAREVA: No, it is probably a feeling of when I'm playing on the court. I feel like there are a lot of situations that I could have taken advantage or I should have gone for this shot or this shot.
Usually it comes in the shot selection and the choices I make on the court. I feel like if I'm playing my game, I can see those choices very clearly. They just come up and everything comes naturally and I go for my shots.
Sometimes I'm feeling that I have to think too long about what kind of shot I want to hit on the court, and then I become slower and I'm not playing my game.
And then at the end of the day, if I'm playing my game, I usually have more winners and less unforced errors. If I'm not really doing really well, a lot of the times I have more unforced errors than the winners.
So that's how it goes. But I'm usually relying on my feel, how I feel the court.

Q. We've seen some tough players retire, have children, and come back. Do you think there's any chance Elena Dementieva might do that?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I think Elena, she was a great player and she's a great girl, but I think she made her choices. You know, she made the choice to have a family right now.
It's hard to say. You never know what's going to happen. I think at the moment she focusing on something else. She's studying and not really thinking about tennis too much.

Q. Do you get more confidence from winning in a close match or from just maybe blowing somebody out when maybe they weren't playing at their best because confidence is so key to the game?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, both situations are very important, because once you go through that tough match, tight moment, and you execute the shots and you win, of course it gives you a lot of confidence.
On the other hand, going out there and winning the match and keeping the level of your game and not letting an opponent get back into the match and playing the whole match very clean and winning it in straight sets and not giving away any games, that's something that's very important as well.
It shows that you can play your game, doesn't matter who is on the other side of the net. Both are important.

Q. Do you ever wake up and think, My God, I'm No. 2 in the world?
VERA ZVONAREVA: No, never think about it this way. You know, I'm not the person who's following rankings that much and what I do. But I guess, you know, since I've been No. 2 in the world, I think when I step out there on the court, I feel like, Well, some things are not working for me. I'll just -- well, I'm No. 2 in the world, so doesn't matter if they're not working. I'm still No. 2, so finds a way to win the match. That helps a lot of the times.

Q. Have you been keeping up with the men's matches here?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah. I watch quite a lot of them.

Q. Really?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah.

Q. Whether it's Fed Cup or the Olympics, a lot times we see Safin on the team, on the side. Can you talk a little bit about his role is in motivating the team?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Are you talking about Marat?

Q. Uh-huh.
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, he's not really helping that much with the Fed Cup. He's usually working with guys. Right now with the Davis Cup team.
I think past Olympics he was not really there, but he's involved with Russian Tennis Federation and he's working for the Federation now. I know that there is a fund that Boris Yeltsin created to help young juniors, and I think Marat is working with that as well.
They took a few juniors and they're helping them to arrange practice facilities and maybe send them to train somewhere in Spain when the weather conditions in Russian are not helping.
Yeah, so they're trying to develop those juniors and trying to help the transition between junior tennis into the pros. Because that's very important moment when a lot of players and juniors, they need financial help and maybe help from an experienced coach.
You know, sometimes you cannot afford a coach that's got experience, and I think Marat is doing a lot working with that. He's helping. He's very keen to do it, and I know that he wants to do it a lot.
Yeah, he's done a very good job already. Hopefully he can keep up with that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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