Vera Zvonareva Interview after her match
with Tsvetana Pironkova
Wimbledon 2010
By LadyDragon
WIMBLEDON, United
Kingdom --(LadyDragon.com)
02/07/10-- Vera Zvonareva Interview after her match with
Tsvetana Pironkova.
Q. Is fitness
okay after your doubles?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah, felt pretty good on the court. I
think we actually played really well with my partner;
didn't spend many hours on the court.
It was great, and I'm very excited about, you know, our
win today.
Q. How will you spend the rest of the day? Serena said
she's going to be watching Desperate Housewives.
VERA ZVONAREVA: No, I ran out of those (smiling). I'm
just joking.
You know, just relaxing, getting some treatment. Yeah,
maybe watching a little bit of some semifinal, men's
semifinals. That's about it.
Q. Can you draw much on your previous matches with
her, or they've been so long ago there's not much
relevance?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, there is always something you can
remember about those matches and use it for the future.
But I know that it's going to be a new day. I never
played her on the grass. It's going to be a very tough
challenge.
You know, Serena is one of the greatest players and also
greatest champions. So it's not going to be easy. But,
you know, I'm going to go out there and try my best.
Q. Do you remember the first time you dreamt of this
moment, making the final?
VERA ZVONAREVA: You mean like in general?
Q. Yes.
VERA ZVONAREVA: You know, I think every single kid who is
watching TV and watching Wimbledon on TV wants to be in
the final, wants to take part at Wimbledon and then
eventually be champion of it.
So I think, uhm, everyone who eventually became a
professional tennis player has this dream since they're
very young.
Q. Could you talk a little bit about your studies in
diplomacy. Are you actively studying?
VERA ZVONAREVA: At the moment, no. I had to take one year
off. It's a three-year course. I had take one year off
due to the surgery and all these things, and I was not
able to keep up.
I still had to do couple exams this year to finish from
the previous one. But starting September, it's gonna be
my last year. So I will have to, you know, start taking
some classes and showing up.
Q. What are some of the classes you envision taking?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Uhm, well, my favorite one was in the
international economic relations. That's the class.
Also world diplomacy. International affairs. That was
very interesting one. And a little bit of statistics and
world trade organization. Those are my favorite ones.
Q. I don't mean to be rude, but could you talk a
little bit about your emotions. You had a great display
in Charleston and some other places.
VERA ZVONAREVA: Tennis is an emotional sport. If you
don't have any emotions, you will never be able to win.
You know, you go out there to give your best. And, you
know, sometimes you just -- I think, you know, it doesn't
matter how emotional, what you show; it's more important
what you have in there. If you believe in yourself or you
don't, or you know what to tell yourself or you don't
know what to tell yourself.
It doesn't mean if I break the racquet I'm going to stop
playing or something. No. I think with an experience and
maturity, I learn a lot about myself, and I know where I
have to pump myself up and where I have to calm myself
down. That's the most important thing.
But emotions, I think they're good. They should be there.
It's sport. It shows that you care, that you trying your
best out there.
Q. Novak just double-faulted at a key point and
smashed his racquet and then got a warning. Do you think
in any way that the rules might be a little bit too
tight?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah, I think if you look back at those
times when John McEnroe used to play, he used to do
whatever he wanted and he never got fined or penalized. I
think sometimes they're strict.
You know, there are some times you can just bounce the
racquet back and it breaks. In the rule, it's automatic
fine or whatever. You know, it's something -- it's part
of the game. Emotions are part of the game.
Of course, you cannot just throw the racquets all the
time and say things. But sometimes a little show of
emotions I think is good. It should be there. Otherwise
we also become like robots, you know. It's difficult.
On the court you don't see the differences between
players because they're not allowed to express themselves
sometimes.
Q. Do you think your emotions have gotten in the way
of your success, or is that a misperception?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Uhm, I don't know. I don't care what
everyone says, whatever everyone thinks.
Q. Has it been something you've had to learn how to
deal with?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, of course. But I think it's not
only emotions, you know, it's something that comes with
experience. It's how you go out there and how you able to
bring the best out of yourself on the court.
It's what you learn along the way. You know, you can get
sometimes emotional and play your best tennis; and then
you see the most calmest person in the world, tennis
player who never says anything, who is never upsets about
anything and could never win a match.
What's better? You know, you never know. It's whatever
helps yourself to perform the best way.
Q. Have you had much opportunity to watch Serena this
Wimbledon? If so, what do you make of her serve? It seems
rather powerful at the moment.
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, I got the chance to play her in
doubles, so I got the feeling of how she plays. But
Serena is very talented player. She can serve hard, but
she can also serve with a precision. She doesn't need to
use the full power. You know, she can really put the
balls on the lines, and that's what makes it difficult
against her.
But, you know, I got the feeling in the doubles, you
know, she serves well, but there are many good players
that serve well, as well. She's not the only one.
So, you know, we will see tomorrow what's gonna happen.
Q. How about the rest of her game?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, she's No. 1 in the world, you know.
She's a very good player. But, you know, it's hard to
say. She has an all-over-the-court game that is very
good. But she lost a few matches in the past. It's always
possible to beat her.
I think I will just have to find my way tomorrow. I will
just have to try to play the game that's bothering her
the most.
Q. I think the general feeling is that you're not
going to have any more of those outward emotional
outbursts. Listening to what you're saying, I'm not sure
you would feel that way. Do you think you still might
break a racquet?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah, of course. Yeah, of course. It
happens. You know, sometimes you need to do it. You
cannot keep everything inside. If you're not happy about
yourself, sometimes you need to break the racquet and
move on.
If there is something inside of you that's stopping you
from bringing the best out of the yourself, you need to
scream at yourself, pump yourself up, break that racquet,
I will do it if I know it will help me to perform better.
Why not?
Q. You talked about international economic relations.
If you win tomorrow, there will be quite an international
economic happening. Will you be pleased with the money
you earned? Secondly, can you imagine lifting the plate
at the end?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, you know, first of all, I'm
thinking about my match tomorrow. I really don't care
about anything else. I think in my head right now it's
about how I'm gonna go out there and how I'm gonna try to
do my best.
Everything else around, I don't think about it.
Q. Why is it happening for you right now?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Uhm, I don't know. You know, I think
sometimes it's hard work, sometimes it's experience,
sometimes it's maturity, everything together. Maybe if
you put all these things together, that will bring the
results.
You know, it's very difficult to say why now and why not
two years ago, why not if five years. I don't know what's
gonna happen in the future. But I'm just trying to live
in the moment. I'm trying to enjoy this moment and trying
to do my best.
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