the whole interview
It's been a year since you had become the number one in the world. Do your remember that moment well?
- Yes. It was a rather strange experience - I had just withdrawn from a tournament, and received news about becoming the number one the same day. It was at Morgan Chase tourney in Carson.
Last week I played with boys (didn't get that part. What boys? - ) there, and recalled that moment. It was a really big moment for me, but I can't allow myself to focus on the past. I must look to the future.
- What happened to you for the last year?
- Each year means a lot for me, as a tennis player and as a human being. My injuries made me to reassess my career. When I was 16-17, I just played tennis, not thinking much about it. I never had to withdraw during tournaments before, but I was forced to do so at several tournaments last year. It was a completely new experience for me - I don't like to leave work unfinished. But I think I've grown because of that.
- Have you got rid of your injuries?
- Yes, last two weeks I was able, for the first time in a long while, to train without fear of discomfort or pain. During first week I've spent a lot of time working on my overall fitness. After that I've played several training matches with boys from the local club and now I am ready for my first tourney since the Wimbledon.
- Is it important for you to feel 100% injury-free?
- Yes, it's very important. Now I am able to concentrate on my game, not on my shoulder. I am thinking much more clearly now when I am on the court.
- Are you still thinking about past Wimbledon? Mauresmo played really good against you, but it seemed that you didn't play your best. It seemed that you had a chance to win that match.
- Yes, I've said the same thing just after that game. I knew I made a lot of tactical errors, especially in third set, when I had initiative.
- Ability to control the flow of the game - is it important for you to learn that skill?
- Of course. Top players never play one-dimensional tennis, they always have plan B and can change the way the game is going, if the things are looking bad for them. In that semifinal everything went my way, and then I stopped thinking. And that has cost me the game. One always learns from one's mistakes. I hope that next time I will be better tactically and will be able to find the winning strategy and stick to it.
- Have you seen the video of that semifinal?
- Yes, before I resumed my training.
- I guess, you wanted to break the VSR at some moments?
- Not really. Firstly, I've watched it on PC, and it would be a pity to break it (haha..loves it..) , and secondly, I knew what I would see.
- Did you watch it with your dad?
- No, I watched it alone. I saw dad for the first time since Wimbledon just yesterday. He was in Russia.
- What did he do there?
- Hiking in the mountains. What else can he do? (I don't get this part at all)
- What else did you do since Wimbledon? Have you been in St. Tropez with your (female) friend, as you wanted to? (By the way, what's the right English word for a female friend of a female?)
- No, I've had a change of plans. I was in NY instead, with my friends and my grandmother. We showed her the city. Central Park, the place where WTC have been before 9/11, and so on.
- Have you grandmother been in NY before?
- No, so I've had to be a tourist guide for a while. Also, while in NY, I spent a day shooting an ad for Nike. After NY I went to a spa resort near LA to relax, and after that resumed my training.
- You were at the Andy Roddick match in LA, weren't you?
- Yes, it's a right thing to do - to support your friends. (laughs) But please don't ask anything else on that topic. You know me good enough to understand that I won't say a word more about it!
(HAHA!.... Maria once said you can't really have guy friends... so Maria what's Andy then?? hahaha)
- How your perfume is doing? Is it sells well?
- Yes, very well. It's the best selling perfume in Mexico and second or third in Japan. By the way, my second perfume will be on the market really soon. It will be called "Namaste".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namaste - Who came up with this name?
- I did. I know it from my yoga exercises.
- Are you still practicing yoga?
- Yes, I do.
- Serena Williams acting aspirations are common knowledge, and she catches a lot of flak from the press because of it. Have you thought about it, too?
- I don't really know do I want to try it or not. I've never tried acting before, only a little for ads. But, honestly, I cannot imagine myself spending 70% of my life in trailers, living on chocolate bars. (haha i love it!!) And it seems to me that an acting career is just that. You are always waiting - for the light to be set up properly, for the crew to take its positions, for the approval of the shooted material by the director/producer. I am not suited for it .During such moments I feel myself like a poodle on a leash.
- But you still want to try?
- I never say "no" to new interesting things. But anyway, filming in a movie takes weeks, even months. So it's impossible for me until the end of career. And even then, I don't think I will be able to do it on a constant basis.
- Have you been offered any parts?
- Yes. But when I hear, that for a minute on the screen, I'll have to spend a week in a studio or in a trailer, I ...
- Well, but if it will be on your terms?
- Well, then I would probably try. I really like to test myself , whether I can do something or not.
- Are you a good actress?
- Excellent - I am really good at playing at my team feelings and getting what I want. (laughs)
- Name something you are not good at.
- Lots of things, cooking for example. I only can cook pasta. Or make a fruit cocktail - put the things in blender and hit the button.
- You have a lot of things in your life besides tennis. How are you managing to keep things in balance?
- You should know your priorities. Tennis gave me a lot of possibilities, and I like to experiment with them. When I was a child and played tennis day in and day out, I didn't know how it will affect my future. It turned out that my work provided me with a lot of fascinating possibilities, and I am enjoying them fully. But I always know what is my greatest pleasure, and it's winning against tough opponents. Until I continue to feel that way, tennis will be my number one priority. The moment I stop feeling that way, I'll quit.
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