PILOT PEN TENNIS
Date: 2006-08-24

PILOT PEN TENNIS

August 24, 2006

Svetlana Kuznetsova
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT
The Moderator Questions for Svetlana.

Question Have to be pretty pleased with the way things went today.
Svetlana Kuznetsova Well, I'm very happy about the first and third set especially. I don't know what happens, but especially yesterday, the day before yesterday, when I played Tatiana, and today in the second, happened completely the same story: I just stopped, you know. I'm feeling that I'm stopping and not doing anything about it. But, well, in the third set, I get myself going, otherwise it's not going to happen what I want to happen.
Yeah, this is how I have played today, but I am happy because when I'm on the move and I'm concentrated, I'm doing the right things. I mean, she barely had chances, you know. What the score was in the third set, 6-3?

Question 6-2.
Svetlana Kuznetsova So it was 6-3, 6-2. Basically, I don't think I played anything in the second. She played very well the third set also. In second she played good, but I didn't do much. So playing like this, I think I can do well and I can improve.

Question Maybe it's just that you like playing three sets.
Svetlana Kuznetsova Well, like I feel that I can handle, you know, I feel fit. I don't see a problem to me to go in three sets.
But this is also a problem, you know, because I could have finished in two and then save energy and go home. I like to be out there, but it doesn't make sense, you know, to play a three-setter (smiling).

Question Did you sense anything from Elena in the third set, that she was getting tired, frustrated? Seemed like a lot of things weren't going her way in that set.
Svetlana Kuznetsova Well, I think she played pretty similar. But the thing is, when I play right tactically against her and I put my game on, I keep her back. You know, I don't give her easy ball to, say, her forehand. I'm serving well. I think I'm dictating the game. It depends on me.
I think she played pretty good the third set. I think she played even better than second. I made her play already good because I gave her chance in second to come back, and she got confidence, then it was harder to change the game again. I think I played good enough in the third.

Question I think you broke her seven times in the match. Something about her serve you were able to capitalize on?
Svetlana Kuznetsova Well, I mean, everybody knows that her serve is not the best thing in her game. But still she's improving the serve, and sometimes she can serve to the backhand. Because I played her in US Open final, then I was right all the time, I was almost standing there all the time to play the forehand. Now she's improving.
Still she's not confident. You can see, she makes lots of double-faults. Her best thing is return. So I think it's kind of normal that she gets broken so many times during the match. But to me was the main thing to keep my serve.

Question Do you feel as if you're playing at the same level you were two years ago?
Svetlana Kuznetsova It's so hard to compare because it's completely different. I think I'm playing better because when I played in 2004, the US Open, I got my groove on just for seven matches. Well, then I won Bali, I played the final in Beijing, I had match point. But it's completely different. I was playing because I was feeling good. I was on the move, I was feeling good. I played unbelievable.
But now this year I play consistent, you know, all the matches. I've been beating good players. I'm more consistent. I think more on the court. I think I'm more mature. You can see it, it's completely different. I'm more fit, I'm working a lot about everything what has to do with the tennis, so I think I'm doing better.

Question Can you talk about how the Russian women are playing in general going into the US Open. Seems like you're playing pretty well.
Svetlana Kuznetsova Yeah, I'm getting matches, I'm happy about getting confidence because I had the long break after Wimbledon, so today was very important match for me to go to the US Open.
Then Elena, she won LA tournament. So, I mean, she's good player on the hard court. And Maria, she lost the final. She withdrew from Montréal. But it looks like -- she won San Diego. She's in very good shape also. But hopefully Nadia will feel better because she had problems with her leg. It's tough to get back. Vera Zvonareva is improving also. She won Stanford. She's doing good.
Everybody looking good. So hopefully we can do well.

Question Is it nice to have so many fellow Russians on the tour? Do you hang out together?
Svetlana Kuznetsova We don't hang out much together because everybody's from different place. But it's not like nice we're all compete between each other. It's nice when we play Fed Cup because we have like Dream Team, you know, because everybody's so good. But when you on the tour, I think it's very good for us that we compete between each other because it push us harder up, we compete between each other, we want to do better one than another. So this is very good.
It's not feeling nice, you know, it feels more pressure, but it's pushing you up.

Question Do you sense back home in Russia there's a lot of excitement there's so many top Russian players on the tour now? Do you get that sense at all?
Svetlana Kuznetsova I think we have lots of fans, (indiscernible) going on, players coming up, so we have more people coming to watch, more fans of tennis.
But I think life is a little bit hard in Russia, so not many people put attention on tennis and stuff. But it's different because I've been traveling a lot and I spend more time out of Russia. When I see other players from other countries being in own country, they get so like, Oh, you're so good. In Russia, nobody gets this. It's like normal. Yeah, it's good you did good result, you have lots of money. This seems like they care a lot about that.
It's not much. We don't like get so much attention or something. I didn't feel it. I don't know if other players did.

Question Henin-Hardenne looks like she's on her way to meeting you in the semifinals. How have you fared against her on hard courts?
Svetlana Kuznetsova Well, anywhere I played her, it was very close matches. So I think this is very important for me before US Open. Justine is playing very well. She's very strong mentally. She has very good tactics. She has much more experience than I do. This is advantage to her. But I'm younger, I hit strong the ball. If I do the match that I strategy, I think I have chances.

Question Are there any players on the tour that, when you play them, the result is not in your hands? You say when you play Elena, it's down to you.
Svetlana Kuznetsova Yes, I think with Elena it's similar way, most of the matches, because I think I'm powerful player, I move pretty well, I'm improving. I serve well. I have to dictate the game, you know. Most of the players, like when I play Martina, you know, Hingis, she's so smart on the court, but it still depends on me because she's not going to hit me winners. The one who hits more winners is me. I going to mistake it or I going to make it. Most of the time it depends on me. Also it's a little bit hard sometimes, they don't do mistakes; you just have to find your way out.

Question You're going to hit the winners. It's up to you whether you hit the winners or make mistakes. That's the kind of strategy you would play against another top five player or would you change that?
Svetlana Kuznetsova No, no, no, not against Justine. I mean, I can go for winners. But this is the problem to me sometimes because I go for too much because I want -- I see the ball. You know, sometimes lately I'm talking to my coach, you know the commercial with Ronaldinho, Joga Bonito, 'play beautiful'. I like to play beautiful. But this is not the key. You don't win the match with one beautiful shot. I love to do that, but that is not the thing.
This is my problem, I got to play more consistent and I got to play the game and play the points out, not making winners or stuff. So I got to play very concentrated and playing the right strategy against especially top five players. Is not only about making winners, not at all.

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