THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. What happened to your game after the first set? Second set was difficult, and then all the weather delays in the third. Talk a little bit about that.
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, I think the first set was very close and very tough. I believe that the second and third set they were also very close. Just one of those matches I think that the score doesn't really reflect what's going on in the court.
In the second set I was down 5-2, but I felt like there are only couple of points and I could have been up 5-2. So I just had to hang in there, especially with all those conditions. We started when it was very, very hot and humid, and then wind came. It got a bit windy and cloudy.
Then the rain delay, then you have to warm up, go back, and then it's hot again, humid. You know, all those conditions, they didn't make it very easy on the court. I think we both had some ups and downs in our games.
But I'm very happy the way I came back in the third set to win it from 5-2 down.
Q. How much of a factor was your confidence? You played her three times before and won all three matches. The weather comes, you're down 5-2 in the third. How much of a factor did that play in your ability to come from behind today?
VERA ZVONAREVA: You know, I was not thinking about it. I was just concentrating on my own game. I was trying to think, What do I have to do to beat my opponent today? I was not really thinking about the scores. I knew if I can come up with a good game, there is a good chance I can turn the match around or I can win it.
I always believe in myself. It was just a matter of me trying to think through what was I doing wrong, and maybe my shot selection wasn't perfect. So I just had to really put my mind into it and just to think about every shot that I'm hitting to make sure I'm hitting the right shot and going for my shots and not waiting for her to miss.
Q. Were you a lot more aggressive in the third set? It seemed to me like after the last rain delay you were far more aggressive at the end of the match than in the beginning.
VERA ZVONAREVA: I think was executing my shots better. I think there were moments in the second set, third set, where I was not going for my shots, maybe trying to be a little bit patient, and maybe not putting that much pressure on her.
I know if I play my game I can beat anyone on the other side of the net. So I had to come up and be a little bit more aggressive than before.
Q. During the delays today, did you talk with your coach about changing your strategies?
VERA ZVONAREVA: He gave me couple of tips, but the most important thing was to keep going for my shots no matter what. It's not this change my style of game or anything.
You know, I think I was losing the second set and the third set -- like I said, there were only couple of points, but maybe because I was not brave enough to go for my shots. I was just trying to maybe wait a little bit maybe for her to miss or something instead of playing my game.
So he just told me basically just got to play my game. That's it. That's what I was trying to do in the third set.
Q. After what happened to you with the ankle in Charleston, do you get more worried about conditions on the court after a rain delay?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Um, well, you can't think about it. You know, I think I'm over it. There were -- of course I was struggling a little bit during the clay court season because I think I still had worries about the court. Clay you have to slide a lot, so I was very careful and maybe was not perfect with my movement.
But hardcourts, you know, it's a hardcourt. You can control your movement. Of course if it gets slippery or if it's raining, you have to stop. I'm not gonna continue. I'm gonna be more careful about it if it's a little bit wet and we know we can slide on the lines. I'm not gonna go for it.
Other than that, when the court is dry, you got to play. Nobody is ensured against the injuries. You never know. When you are out there and you try to put 100% in it and full effort, if you think about your injuries or something, you're not gonna be able to do it and play your best game.
Q. At Wimbledon I felt like you were sliding more than a lot of players usually do. Seemed like semi-clay. Did you feel that way?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah, I always slide.
Q. On grass?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah, on any surface, even on the hardcourts, on the grass courts. And actually I'm surprised, because I think I was sliding on the grass court more than I was doing it on the clay court. So that's something to work on for the next year.
Q. Did you think you would have been able to win this match if not for the rain delay at 5-2?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I don't know. I always believe in myself. For me, doesn't matter if I'm down 6-Love, 5-Love, I still believe I can win it. I just have to think about what I'm gonna do next.
Maybe the rain delay helped; maybe not. It's hard to say.
Q. What parts of your game are you really happy with today, and what parts do you really want to focus on and improve not only to go deep in this tournament, but to have a good run at the Open.
VERA ZVONAREVA: Definitely have to be consistent, and I will definitely need to play my game a little bit more instead of having doubts in my head, Oh, maybe I should do this and this. I should make one decision at a time. Sometimes it feels like I'm making three decisions, and then I don't know which shot I want to hit. I just have to build my game slowly to where I want it to be on the hardcourts.
And of course those serves. A little bit too many double faults. That's what I need to improve, the serve consistency for my next match.
Q. When you were coming back in the third set after the second rain delay, what was really running through your mind?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Not much. Like I said earlier, I just wanted to -- I knew that I have to play my game at that point. That no matter what the score is, I just got to go out there and go for my shots. That's basically what I told myself, and that's what I was trying to execute on the court.
Q. Have you ever needed longer to finish a match? It was like six hours and 15 minutes.
VERA ZVONAREVA: I think it was the longest one.
Q. Was it?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah. Well, sometimes the rain delay can -- well, sometimes matches are delayed for the next day. But like going back and forth on the court, yeah, I think that was the longest one.
Q. The longest in one day?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah.
Q. You think you play Flavia Pennetta next. What are your thoughts on playing her?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Oh, she's a great player. She showed a great form last week, and it's gonna be very difficult, tough challenge for me. We played few times last year; always very close matches. You know, just I haven't thought about it yet. You just told me who I'm playing next anyway, so... (laughter.)
Yeah, you know, we will see tomorrow. I think I will have the same mindset: just to go out there and try to play my game and just try to have one decision in my mind and not to have too many decisions. That's it.
JOURNALIST: Do you feel you’ve been cruising through this tournament?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Actually, I don’t think so. It always looks easier from the side than it is on the court. I’ve played against two tough opponents... It was not easy for me out there, but I think I managed it quite well. I think I played the way I was supposed to play... I was trying my best on the court and it worked for me.
Q. You may be facing Kim Clijsters in the final. You’ve had your trouble with her in the past...
VERA ZVONAREVA: Definitely, Kim, she is a great player. I think we always had tough matches, a lot of three-setters or very tough ones, but I never managed to beat her before, and finally at Wimbledon, I was able to play very consistently and managed to beat her. I always believe in myself and believe I could beat anyone on the other side of the net. You have to come out there and not only know the game plan, but to be able to execute it. It is very important to play your best to beat someone in the quarter finals in such a big event.
Q. What do you think you are doing well in this tournament?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I think I am a little more consistent and a little bit more relaxed than in the previous tournaments. For me it is always hard to (adapt to) the surface and the transition between the surfaces. This week I feel a lot better. I am playing the game that I am supposed to play on the hard courts.
Q. Why do you play doubles? A lot of top players don’t.
VERA ZVONAREVA: Sometimes when you want to play those extra points, it is always good, especially with the double match formats... I enjoy my time on the court, and I have a great doubles partner. We talk, we chat, we laugh about stupid mistakes. In singles you are a little more intense and you are alone, but in doubles you support each other.
Q: How do you find the courts here? Do you find them different from Cincinnati?
VERA ZVONAREVA: They’re good. I like them so far. Pretty similar. The balls are different, but the surface has been pretty consistent.
Q. What happened to your game after the first set? Second set was difficult, and then all the weather delays in the third. Talk a little bit about that.
VERA ZVONAREVA: Well, I think the first set was very close and very tough. I believe that the second and third set they were also very close. Just one of those matches I think that the score doesn't really reflect what's going on in the court.
In the second set I was down 5-2, but I felt like there are only couple of points and I could have been up 5-2. So I just had to hang in there, especially with all those conditions. We started when it was very, very hot and humid, and then wind came. It got a bit windy and cloudy.
Then the rain delay, then you have to warm up, go back, and then it's hot again, humid. You know, all those conditions, they didn't make it very easy on the court. I think we both had some ups and downs in our games.
But I'm very happy the way I came back in the third set to win it from 5-2 down.
Q. How much of a factor was your confidence? You played her three times before and won all three matches. The weather comes, you're down 5-2 in the third. How much of a factor did that play in your ability to come from behind today?
VERA ZVONAREVA: You know, I was not thinking about it. I was just concentrating on my own game. I was trying to think, What do I have to do to beat my opponent today? I was not really thinking about the scores. I knew if I can come up with a good game, there is a good chance I can turn the match around or I can win it.
I always believe in myself. It was just a matter of me trying to think through what was I doing wrong, and maybe my shot selection wasn't perfect. So I just had to really put my mind into it and just to think about every shot that I'm hitting to make sure I'm hitting the right shot and going for my shots and not waiting for her to miss.
Q. Were you a lot more aggressive in the third set? It seemed to me like after the last rain delay you were far more aggressive at the end of the match than in the beginning.
VERA ZVONAREVA: I think was executing my shots better. I think there were moments in the second set, third set, where I was not going for my shots, maybe trying to be a little bit patient, and maybe not putting that much pressure on her.
I know if I play my game I can beat anyone on the other side of the net. So I had to come up and be a little bit more aggressive than before.
Q. During the delays today, did you talk with your coach about changing your strategies?
VERA ZVONAREVA: He gave me couple of tips, but the most important thing was to keep going for my shots no matter what. It's not this change my style of game or anything.
You know, I think I was losing the second set and the third set -- like I said, there were only couple of points, but maybe because I was not brave enough to go for my shots. I was just trying to maybe wait a little bit maybe for her to miss or something instead of playing my game.
So he just told me basically just got to play my game. That's it. That's what I was trying to do in the third set.
Q. After what happened to you with the ankle in Charleston, do you get more worried about conditions on the court after a rain delay?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Um, well, you can't think about it. You know, I think I'm over it. There were -- of course I was struggling a little bit during the clay court season because I think I still had worries about the court. Clay you have to slide a lot, so I was very careful and maybe was not perfect with my movement.
But hardcourts, you know, it's a hardcourt. You can control your movement. Of course if it gets slippery or if it's raining, you have to stop. I'm not gonna continue. I'm gonna be more careful about it if it's a little bit wet and we know we can slide on the lines. I'm not gonna go for it.
Other than that, when the court is dry, you got to play. Nobody is ensured against the injuries. You never know. When you are out there and you try to put 100% in it and full effort, if you think about your injuries or something, you're not gonna be able to do it and play your best game.
Q. At Wimbledon I felt like you were sliding more than a lot of players usually do. Seemed like semi-clay. Did you feel that way?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah, I always slide.
Q. On grass?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah, on any surface, even on the hardcourts, on the grass courts. And actually I'm surprised, because I think I was sliding on the grass court more than I was doing it on the clay court. So that's something to work on for the next year.
Q. Did you think you would have been able to win this match if not for the rain delay at 5-2?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I don't know. I always believe in myself. For me, doesn't matter if I'm down 6-Love, 5-Love, I still believe I can win it. I just have to think about what I'm gonna do next.
Maybe the rain delay helped; maybe not. It's hard to say.
Q. What parts of your game are you really happy with today, and what parts do you really want to focus on and improve not only to go deep in this tournament, but to have a good run at the Open.
VERA ZVONAREVA: Definitely have to be consistent, and I will definitely need to play my game a little bit more instead of having doubts in my head, Oh, maybe I should do this and this. I should make one decision at a time. Sometimes it feels like I'm making three decisions, and then I don't know which shot I want to hit. I just have to build my game slowly to where I want it to be on the hardcourts.
And of course those serves. A little bit too many double faults. That's what I need to improve, the serve consistency for my next match.
Q. When you were coming back in the third set after the second rain delay, what was really running through your mind?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Not much. Like I said earlier, I just wanted to -- I knew that I have to play my game at that point. That no matter what the score is, I just got to go out there and go for my shots. That's basically what I told myself, and that's what I was trying to execute on the court.
Q. Have you ever needed longer to finish a match? It was like six hours and 15 minutes.
VERA ZVONAREVA: I think it was the longest one.
Q. Was it?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah. Well, sometimes the rain delay can -- well, sometimes matches are delayed for the next day. But like going back and forth on the court, yeah, I think that was the longest one.
Q. The longest in one day?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Yeah.
Q. You think you play Flavia Pennetta next. What are your thoughts on playing her?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Oh, she's a great player. She showed a great form last week, and it's gonna be very difficult, tough challenge for me. We played few times last year; always very close matches. You know, just I haven't thought about it yet. You just told me who I'm playing next anyway, so... (laughter.)
Yeah, you know, we will see tomorrow. I think I will have the same mindset: just to go out there and try to play my game and just try to have one decision in my mind and not to have too many decisions. That's it.
JOURNALIST: Do you feel you’ve been cruising through this tournament?
VERA ZVONAREVA: Actually, I don’t think so. It always looks easier from the side than it is on the court. I’ve played against two tough opponents... It was not easy for me out there, but I think I managed it quite well. I think I played the way I was supposed to play... I was trying my best on the court and it worked for me.
Q. You may be facing Kim Clijsters in the final. You’ve had your trouble with her in the past...
VERA ZVONAREVA: Definitely, Kim, she is a great player. I think we always had tough matches, a lot of three-setters or very tough ones, but I never managed to beat her before, and finally at Wimbledon, I was able to play very consistently and managed to beat her. I always believe in myself and believe I could beat anyone on the other side of the net. You have to come out there and not only know the game plan, but to be able to execute it. It is very important to play your best to beat someone in the quarter finals in such a big event.
Q. What do you think you are doing well in this tournament?
VERA ZVONAREVA: I think I am a little more consistent and a little bit more relaxed than in the previous tournaments. For me it is always hard to (adapt to) the surface and the transition between the surfaces. This week I feel a lot better. I am playing the game that I am supposed to play on the hard courts.
Q. Why do you play doubles? A lot of top players don’t.
VERA ZVONAREVA: Sometimes when you want to play those extra points, it is always good, especially with the double match formats... I enjoy my time on the court, and I have a great doubles partner. We talk, we chat, we laugh about stupid mistakes. In singles you are a little more intense and you are alone, but in doubles you support each other.
Q: How do you find the courts here? Do you find them different from Cincinnati?
VERA ZVONAREVA: They’re good. I like them so far. Pretty similar. The balls are different, but the surface has been pretty consistent.
Her eyes are truly beautiful
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