	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

TEB BNP PARIBAS WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS

October 24, 2011

Vera Zvonareva

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

THE MODERATOR: This 27-year-old from Russia, she's making her fifth appearance here. She owns 12 singles titles, here from Russia. Vera Zvonareva.

Q. First question is about your shoulder. Is it okay?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, the test revealed no extra damage, so it's just -- it was aggravated probably with hours of playing, and I had some inflammation, but it's doing okay now. You know, I'm taking it easy on certain movements that's still bothering me.
But overall it's much better. I should be okay.

Q. You've had your share of injuries over the years, and yet this is your fourth appearance here. Only one player has done better who is playing. How have you managed to cope with the injuries and still be pretty consistent?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I think every single player gets injured throughout the career, and injuries, unfortunately it is part of being a professional athlete. I think I learned along the way how to manage my injuries and how to, I don't know, to take care about all of them and so I can go out there and perform the best I can.
Still nobody's insured and still it happens, and those things that -- you just have to have some experience, and then you know how to deal with it. From my experience, I can now, I think, deal with it much better, and I know that it is part of the game. No matter what, I have to go out there and be professional and perform. If I need some time off, I have to take it.
You know, then I still have to go back and try to come back. So as long as I'm committed to tennis and as long as I'm enjoying playing, it doesn't matter, you know. I have to go out there and try my best every single day.

Q. It's been said that your academic efforts and charitable contributions have actually helped your tennis because it's given you balance in your life. Do you still feel that?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah, definitely. You know, it is helping a lot to keep your focus on something else, but also, you know, I don't like to do just tennis, tennis, tennis.
I would love to develop myself not only as a player but as a person, as well. I would love to get some knowledge outside of the tennis court.
I think that that's helped a lot. On some occasions it could be a little bit too much, you know. And sometimes I feel maybe a little bit tired of not being able just to go back home and just relax and do nothing, really, for a few days. That's really impossible, because either I have to practice every single day, or as soon as I get a day off or two, I'm committed to something else. You know, I'm thinking about having some meetings about my charity or I have to read some extra books and go to school. It could be tiring.
But at the same time, it does help me to take my mind off tennis court and focus on something else. So it's, you know, I just have to manage it really well and I think I'm -- so far I have been doing pretty good.
I would love to keep going and to keep doing a lot of different things besides just playing tennis.

Q. You've obviously changed coaches quite a lot this year. It's been a good year, but it hasn't been as good as last year. Are you happy with your team, or do you feel that there are going to be more changes?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, I think people have a long perception on my years. Yes, I made two Grand Slam finals. Obviously there was, you know -- those were highlights of my last years and how maybe I made it to the No. 2 in the world.
But at the same time, this year was a very consistent year. You know, I look at it a bit different. It's been a very good year.
Last year I made it to two Grand Slam finals. Great. But at the same time I had few losses in the early rounds.
This year I was going deep into every single tournament, like I didn't have first-round losses or second round. I have been playing pretty consistent.
And I think you cannot just look at it, okay, that was last year, that was because of my coach or this -- sometimes I could say that. Sometimes I could say, No, I'm a player. I'm feeling -- I don't know. I know myself, and I know that last year I was ready physically. Mentally it was -- it didn't really matter who was around me at that time. You know, I was feeling great, and I was playing great tennis.
This year maybe I wasn't feeling physically as good. Mentally was a little bit tired. And maybe those are the reasons why I was not able to maybe go sometimes farther than I did in some tournaments.
But overall, you know, I choose people to work with, and I'm always happy, you know, about my team. I try to learn, and I try to listen to them. And then if I feel they gave me everything they could, that I can't learn anymore, I can't get any other, I don't know, their opinion is nothing new to me, then I think it's time to change.
And I think I'm not the only one. There are a lot of players who think this way. Overall I'm happy with people around me. When the moment comes that I feel like it's not working anymore, then we will stop working.

Q. You said something about things you'd like to do outside tennis. Can you give us some advice? What do you like outside tennis exactly?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, I'm attending diplomatic academy at home, and I love studying. That's something that I always loved in my life. You know, even a kid, when I was going to school, I was happy about it. Most kids hate going to school. I used to love it.
I always love learning. I don't know. It doesn't really matter what it is. Just anything new, I would love to learn and try.
Then I'm also focusing on some charities. I think it's very important for my country, because charity is not something that is very common in Russia. And by doing this and making people learn about it, charities -- we actually got a lot of people now involved in charities, much more over the past couple of years. I think it's very important, because our country is huge and we have a lot of people and a lot of companies that can do charities.
I think it should grow. If I can make a little small input into it, I'm happy about it. Otherwise I don't have much time to do anything else, you know. Otherwise I have to keep practicing, have to keep traveling and playing tennis.
But if I get the chance to learn something, I will definitely do it.

Q. Your colleague before you, they talk about fiancÃ©, boyfriend, husbands. We never hear anything about that about yourself. Can you say something? Do you have a boyfriend, official boyfriend?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, I'm not planning on getting married any time soon, because I think I'm committed to tennis.
Other than that, you know, I don't really like to talk about my personal life, because, you know, I think I'm quite a public person. Personal, it's something that I want to leave to myself, you know. It's something that I really don't want anyone to know. That's why I don't, you know, talk about it all the time. There is no reasons.
You know, I can talk to everyone about anything, about tennis, about my public things, but there are also times when I just want to go back home and I just want to be myself. I just want some privacy, and that's it.

Q. But in the same time, the world of beauty must be very important to you, because in the past you had a coach which was a model, very well-known in Italy by Armani. And you just did some photos, very nice photos, nude photos about yourself. So the word "beauty" must be very important.
VERA ZVONAREVA: You know, I don't know. I think -- you know, each person is beautiful in its, you know, and however -- you can have millions of people, and each person can have a different opinion about myself or any other person, you know.
Some people can like one person, the looks. Another person may not like the same type of looks. You cannot really, you know, generalize everybody.
I think it could be probably stupid. But, you know, I'm a tennis player, and I'm one of the best tennis players in the world, and I'm a public person. Of course I, you know, I don't want to look terrible. Of course I want to look good. I want to present myself in the best way I can off the court.
When I'm on the court, I'm a tennis player. You know, I have to do my job out there. I'm not really thinking about anything else.
You know, tennis comes first. You know, I know if I'm not one of the best tennis players in the world, nobody will pay attention to me and nobody will be in this room right now and nobody will be interviewing me.
So I think for me the most important part is to be very good at what I do. I'm a professional tennis player, and the first thing, I want to be good at tennis.

Q. I asked the same question to Maria Sharapova. Three years ago Russians dominated tennis in Beijing in 2008. You won the bronze medal. Next year in London Olympics, what's your opinion? You want to compete? Will you medal again?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, Olympics is a special event. I think that was the best experience of my life to be out there, and to be part of the Olympics, to live in the Olympic Village and to represent my country.
I definitely look forward to try my best to qualify for the Olympic team, and of course if -- you know, if I get the chance, I would love to fight for a medal. I think that's the dream of any athlete in any sport.
That will be an amazing experience for me if I will get the chance to represent my country once again. It's definitely very important, and, you know, right now I'm trying to play my best so I can qualify and experience that once again.

Q. You're one of the more experienced players in this event, and you've been to the finals a couple years ago. What does it take to do well at an event like this? It's the end of the year, it's kind of a different format with the round robin. Talk a little bit about what kind of mindset you have to have to do well.
VERA ZVONAREVA: You know, I'm a bit scared about when I have to think about I'm one of the experienced players out there. It seems like, you know, I'm not that young anymore. But, you know, I had a great experience when I qualified the first time for the Championships.
It was I don't know how many years ago, and the Championships was held in LA. I think I was overwhelmed by the whole atmosphere of it. The attention I was getting, you know, now I think the end of the year I just have to really focus on one match at a time and not think about what's going to happen after or the next day.
You really have to try to, I don't know, give your best like it is the last match of the year, and then you can just think, I don't know, the vacation after. Because I know everyone is tired, and it is very difficult to keep your concentration every single day because you are already physically and mentally a little bit tired.
But at the same time, I think that just the whole atmosphere of the Championships, it is special. And it is special to be among the best players of the world, and I think the most important is to go out there and enjoy that you are part of it, that you are one of the top eight players. You're not really thinking about anything else.
I think the best advice I can give is just enjoy this moment, because you never know if you will get another chance to be out there and another chance to be able to play the Championships.
I think that's the mindset I will go into it with, because I have been there a few times, and I know how tough it is to be here again today and I have to -- I have to enjoy this moment.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297