AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Date: 2005-01-17

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 17, 2005

Svetlana Kuznetsova
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
The Moderator Questions, please.

Question Can you talk about the match.
Svetlana Kuznetsova (Inaudible) I had exhibition this year before and I haven't been nervous, which surprised me, but I been just calm. I knew I had better speed than she did, but she had already some matches and it's always tough to play qualifier. But I was very confident there. I've been so well. I just was putting the ball back in the game and trying to find my game. I think it's went pretty well for me.

Question There have been rumors that you tested positive after the exhibition tournament. Do you have any comment on that?
Svetlana Kuznetsova Whose test?

Question It's a rumor that you have been tested positive after an exhibition tournament.
Svetlana Kuznetsova Have I been positive or...
The Moderator It's a rumor.

Question There's been a positive test.
Svetlana Kuznetsova A positive test. Well, the main thing I heard yesterday, it was that somebody wrote something in the newspaper. But nobody knows nothing yet, nobody contact me. So I don't know nothing about this really. It's really funny situation, but nobody told me nothing, just that press talks about it and nothing else. But the players will know nothing.

Question If some of you in the tournament has been doped, are you surprised you don't know it yourself?
Svetlana Kuznetsova You know, I wouldn't -- it's hard to say no. Firstly, we have to know what's the thing. I would be wondering why it was, why it happened to somebody of us. Because last year -- we had meeting two days ago, and everybody had the paper because the players asked how many times everybody been tested, you know, in the year. And like I been tested 11 times. I think I'm the most player who been tested. Other players, they been tested the same kind amount of times, like 10, 9, 8. So I pretty sure that everybody's pretty clean. Maybe something happen, it was like mistake, but you never know. We really have to see what was the problem, what was it positive somebody.

Question Were you tested in Belgium?
Svetlana Kuznetsova Yeah. I think everybody been tested. Let's see what happens in some time, and let's see what was it, you know, maybe. Because now the antidoping program, it doesn't allow us to take nothing, you know. So even when you're sick, even if somebody's have some problems, we cannot take even normal pills that everybody's taking.

Question Do you usually get drug-tested at exhibitions, though? Is it unusual?
Svetlana Kuznetsova It was my first exhibition I ever played. I played only two in my life, it was Belgium and it was Hong Kong. In Hong Kong I haven't been tested. Like before Belgium, last tournament I played, it was Fed Cup. I been tested every day, I been tested four times.

Question Four times?
Svetlana Kuznetsova Four times a week. Four times at Fed Cup. We played against Austria. Each match we are tested. And against France, each match they tested. So, I mean, and they been tested, Nathalie. Elena didn't play Fed Cup. But anyway, what was it, Masters was last tournament, and everybody been tested there. I mean, I don't think this is the main thing to wonder of, you know. I don't think it's going to be big problem, but we'll see.

Question Were you tested in the off-season? I mean, it's a very short off-season.
Svetlana Kuznetsova I mean, my season was four days, so I don't really think that it's needed, you know (smiling).

Question Was it a distraction before you played today?
Svetlana Kuznetsova No, not really. I mean, what happened, it's kind of shocked a little bit, no, like somebody been tested. But after, if you start think about this with yourself, you know, you just see the papers. I mean, I pretty sure it's nothing serious with some of us.

Question Have you been extra careful with what you put in your body?
Svetlana Kuznetsova Yeah, definitely, definitely. You been tested, you checking what you taking, like especially during the tournament, you know. But maybe something. Because one day, you know, we were in a meeting and we were like -- they said us, "Be careful what you take." We say, "Okay, so can we..." There is a lounge in US Open. There is a bars, what they sell, whatever, Power Bar or whatever it was. Say, "Are we allowed to take this?"
They say, "You never know what is gonna be inside. We cannot tell you nothing for sure," so...

Question Do you think it's possible you may have taken something accidentally? Is that possible?
Svetlana Kuznetsova I think it's possible to every player. I think. But what I say, we have to check what's gonna be out there. You know, if it's comes out, what's gonna be out there. Maybe it was mistake or maybe it was nothing serious, so...

Question Do you think it was unfair it was announced to the media before the players were notified?
Svetlana Kuznetsova I think definitely it's unfair to every of player because every of us is thinking like what's going on, you know. I'm not worried that much about it because the true anyway comes out. I'm pretty sure myself I'm not using any anabolics or whatever it's called, I don't know. So it's just doping. I am definitely not using nothing to push myself up or in game or something. I pretty sure about this, I pretty calm with this.

Question In other sport if you're tested positive you're suspended immediately. In tennis it can take half a year or a year. What do you think about that?
Svetlana Kuznetsova Yeah, it's like this maybe in different kind of sport. But I think like this situation, you know, we don't know what happened, you know. You just know about this now. So this is big discussion, everybody thinking. But after, in the ends, maybe it's come up some like funny thing or whatever. And you have to know what was it, you know. And after it's big process - when did you take something? If you did, what was it? You never know. I think it's okay if you do it in three months, they suspend the player. Because I think it's going to be big mistake if they can suspend something for nothing.

Question Do you think this announcement should have waited until at least after a B sample, a tribunal? It seems it's only after an A sample this announcement has been made.
Svetlana Kuznetsova I think this announcement shouldn't be made at all now for the moment because it's Australian Open coming. They don't know nothing for sure yet. They don't know what was the thing what player took, and they don't know who -- they know who's it, but they don't announce it. And they didn't announce it, I guess, to the players - well, I don't know anything about it. This is my point. I have no idea. I just hear it from you guys. One reporter call to my room yesterday and ask me a question. I was like, "I don't know."

Question Have you spoken to Elena Dementieva about it?
Svetlana Kuznetsova No, I didn't. I haven't seen her.

Question Any contact with the Russian Tennis Federation?
Svetlana Kuznetsova No, not at all. Everybody knows, the Russian federation, my phone number. Nobody called me. Nobody did anything, I don't know.

Question They announced it was a player, they didn't know who it was, they did say it wasn't Henin-Hardenne, they basically left it for the three of you guys.
Svetlana Kuznetsova Yeah, it's hard to say something of it. It was just like Justine's exhibition, you know, and they want to leave her alone kind of, you know. But whatever. If they feel like this, if they think it's going to be better, I don't mind, you know, anyway.

Question So you're not going back next year?
Svetlana Kuznetsova If they want me, I will go. I mean, depends, you know. I had very long year last year and it was very hard. And still I went for this exhibition.

Question Was it a blood test?
Svetlana Kuznetsova No, no.

Question Did they identify, the agency that took the sample, did they identify who they were?
Svetlana Kuznetsova I don't know anything about this.

Question You're not sure who the testing agency was?
Svetlana Kuznetsova It was a Belgian -- it was not the tennis agency, it was not the WTA, I think, agency. It was Belgium ministry or whatever. I have no idea. You know, every time -- I mean, I pretty sure that I'm fine with everything. And I go there and whatever they ask me to do, antidoping and drug testing, I go and I do this, you know.

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