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Concentration hardest thing for me: Svetlana

Svetlana Kuznetsova has admitted an occasional loss of focus is what prevents her from producing the terrific tennis seen at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships more consistently.

The Russian 16th seed, 25, has played some sublime shots throughout this week at the Aviation Club, where she’s beaten higher-ranked opponents Francesca Schiavone and Agnieszka Radwanska on the way to Saturday night’s semi-final with Italy’s Flavia Pennetta.

However, like most enigmatic sportspeople, continually finding that form on a regular basis is more challenging than it would appear on court at times.

“Concentration is the hardest thing in the world for me,” Kuznetsova conceded. “I try to manage it. I just try to focus, do some routines and it helps.

“But, I definitely cannot expect from myself to be good at every match as I lose concentration sometimes and you can see it easily.

“I have to accept it though and go through it. This is the only thing I can do.” Kuznetsova has sort help from sports psychologists in a bid to alleviate such costly mental lapses, but the advice coming back appears to be the same every time.

“I’ve had a few, but I actually know what to do,” the 2009 French Open champion said. “The thing is just a matter of me doing it.

“Every time I go to a psychologist, they say the same things to me and I’m like: ‘Yeah, yeah...I’ve heard it 22 times,’ but I don’t do it.

“It’s a simple thing too. For example, when you start to play tennis, what’s the first thing they tell you when you go on the court? They tell you: ‘Look at the ball.’

“It’s frustrating, but – sometimes – even athletes don’t look at the ball. It’s the very simple things that you just have to do all of the time consistently. Then, you’re going to be good.

“It’s me and how I am because, when I was young, the coaches always told my mum: ‘She’s good, but she’s everywhere, so she’s never going to be good.’”

Kuznetsova has had a chequered career in terms of coaches, having received guidance and tuition from Emilio Sanchez, Stefan Ortega, Olga Morozova, Larisa Savchenko and Loic Courteau prior to her current link-up with Carlos Cuadrado.

The 2004 US Open winner is adamant though she doesn’t necessarily make life any harder for those individuals who work with her, adding: “I don’t count myself as uncoachable, but I’m never going to say I’m easy – not at all.

“I’m nice, but I’m also open and straight. For example, with Olga, I like – and love – her. She’s a great person and she loves me. But, we don’t go together because we have the same characters.

“I have to be able to talk to – and like – a person; I definitely have to choose a person that I’m comfortable with and can trust.

“The first person that gets into my team gets tested. This may not be very easy, but I do some test to check out the person. I am always nice to people however and always care about people too much. So, I don’t think I’m too bad, yet perhaps you should ask my past coaches.”

alex@khaleejtimes.com

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