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BNP PARIBAS OPENMarch 12, 2012Nadia PetrovaINDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA N. PETROVA/S. Stosur THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Players don't usually like to talk about revenge, but that must be a nice victory after the US Open? NADIA PETROVA: It sure feels good. Yeah, after that loss in NewYork it's been hard. I was very pumped coming out today. I wanted to turn everything around. I wanted to win and walk off the court with a W. Q. The tennis you played in that first set, when did you last play that well, do you think? NADIA PETROVA: Um, I must‑‑ well, I don't really think I played unbelievable in the first set. My composure was perfect. I took the time. No errors. I must say Sam didn't play her best. She was framing balls. She was not really putting a lot of first serves. So that actually helped me to get the lead in the match, and then she picked up her game in the middle of the second set. That's when she started to play Sam's game. Q. You were so close so many times to winning that match. You were two points from victory at one point. At one point you were serving at 5‑4 to win the match. You had a great serve and they called it a let. You missed one match point. Did you have a feeling that this is just something that was going to get away from you? NADIA PETROVA: Um, you don't actually think that way. But after losing the second set didn't feel really good, because, you know, I had chances to break and to get lead of 3‑Love was a bit unlucky there. Serving for the match I was out of challenges. The first shot the ball was on the line when they called it out, because my team was sitting right there, and everybody agreed on that. So that could have given me 15‑love, then 30‑Love lead. You know, I could have maybe just closed it in two sets. So that was a bit disappointing. Then another match point in the tiebreaker, Sam served unbelievable right on the line; nothing I could have done. It was tough battle in the third set, and I was really pumped when I broke her at, was it 6‑5? When she was serving for the match. I was pumped. I knew this was my time to win the match. Q. So it's been a very slow start to the year for you ‑ up until this tournament. Injuries? Just not... NADIA PETROVA: No injuries. I've traveled the whole of 2010 with a hitting partner and didn't have a coach in the beginning of the year. So I felt like I need to do something if I wanted to continue playing well and moving forward, because I felt like I was stuck. Obviously I was a bit unhappy. Didn't have the good run in Australian Open. I had a bit of a disappointing Fed Cup match, as well. So kind of mentally a little bit down. And then I start working with Ricardo in Memphis, and we had a good two weeks' preparation coming into this tournament. So I feel much better. Now all I need is just matches. Q. So was it your intention at the beginning of the year not to have a coach? NADIA PETROVA: I was looking for a coach, and it's very tough. Q. You have had a lot of them, too. NADIA PETROVA: I have had a few. I'm very picky. I really wanted to have the best, and with Ricardo, I mean, I know him for almost like 10 years. He's been on the tour and worked with great players. I never had an opportunity to work with him; I always wanted to work with him. I was always trying to find that opportunity to work, but it just didn't ‑ actually for both of us ‑ didn't work until now. Q. Why do you think there are so few women who are coaches on the tour? NADIA PETROVA: Because women have families and kids and they choose not to travel. They choose to stay at home. It's tough. It's much easier to be a male coach and have the wife and the kids stay at home. It's really difficult to be a full‑time female coach on the road. Q. Do you look at your career or your future the same way you did, say, in 2006 when you had the five titles and came into Roland Garros as a favorite, or do you have a totally different perspective now? NADIA PETROVA: Um, well, I do feel like, you know, this is‑‑ I'm pushing towards the end of my career. I still know that I have a couple good years left. So I want to maximize. I want to give it all, so then I can, you know, say I have done it all, no regrets. Q. A few players from Russia have been offered deals to go play for Kazakhstan regarding the Olympics. Has anyone ever approached you? NADIA PETROVA: No. Never happened to me and at this stage, it's a little late for me to be switching my nationality. Q. I also heard something about you changing the spelling of your name. NADIA PETROVA: No, that was false. I do have a lot of issues with‑‑ Amy, can you help me out with that? THE MODERATOR: I can answer that later. It's more just documentation. NADIA PETROVA: Yeah, it's more the documentation, so there's nothing... Q. To get back to this match for a minute, you scored 21 points more than she did; you had 15 aces to her 2. With those figures you'd think you would win easily. NADIA PETROVA: Right, but I had a lot of unforced errors, too, like 40 or something. (Smiling.) Q. Do you still see yourself as a top three player? Is that realistic for you? NADIA PETROVA: I want to get back into top 10. I think that would be great. I have been out of that category of players already for a couple of years, and it would be a nice thing for me to challenge the new players like, let's say Kvitova, Azarenka. They're all young, full of energy. They're hungry, you know, for the titles and for No. 1 spot, so... Q. Do you think it's the injuries that hold you back? NADIA PETROVA: No, I have been fine. I didn't have that many injuries except just I had vertigo last year for six weeks right in the middle of the season which actually threw me off completely with my physical preparation and also match play. So that was tough to get back into the season. But right now I'm healthy and looking forward to play as many matches as possible. Q. You bought a place in Miami, right? You have had it for a couple of years. Am I right to say you're going to try to be a U.S. citizen? NADIA PETROVA: Applied already for Green Card. Q. You did? Last year? NADIA PETROVA: Yes. Q. Want to talk about that, the why and... NADIA PETROVA: I'd like to live in the States when I'm done with my career, and I think, you know, I have traveled world and I feel very comfortable in South Florida. I like the lifestyle. I like the weather. It's just a perfect place for tennis. Q. You've lived a lot of places, too, and you've lived in some nice places. Compared to those others, what really attracts you to Florida or the U.S. altogether? NADIA PETROVA: Weather, number one. I mean, everything's so easy. I don't know. You just come, you need to go to the pharmacy, drug store, it's 24 hour open. You know, everything is here just for the people, you know. I just feel very comfortable here, relaxed atmosphere, and I don't have to stress. I don't have that crazy traffic like it is in Russia. I don't have those cold winters. I feel just comfortable here. Q. Do you think that the toughness of the life and the tradition in Russia in a way does help Russian players in terms of their drive? NADIA PETROVA: Well, definitely. We do have this tough mentality. Maybe we're a little too hard on ourselves because we want to be perfect. When things are not going our way we can just get a little bit carried away. But we have a really good work ethic, and if we set our mind to something, we will make sure we get it, easy way or the hard way. Q. About nine players now have withdrawn from the tournament due to illness. Is that something you're aware of and worried about? NADIA PETROVA: Definitely washing my hands as much as possible. I think I'm going to have a sanitizer in my racquet bag. I'm trying to eat outside of site, so trying to take as many precautions as possible. Q. Is this something a lot of players have been talking about? NADIA PETROVA: Yes, and I have also seen something on the news yesterday that there is some kind of a virus going on here in the desert area. Gotta be careful. Q. Talk about playing your doubles partner. NADIA PETROVA: Yes. Q. Talk about that and your relationship. NADIA PETROVA: We have a good relationship. We like playing doubles together. I think we are a good team. It's not that easy to play your doubles partner, especially we do practice quite a lot, warm up together, spend a lot of time together. It maybe a little bit kind of in a way uncomfortable. But she wants to win, I want to win, and we just have to put those things aside and go out there and do your best on the court. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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