World No. 50 Veronika Kudermetova, the 28-year-old Russian tennis player, spoke about her approach to long waits before scheduled matches.
Q: Initially, your match [in Rome] was scheduled for a relatively early start, but now it`s evening, quite dark already. How did you spend those hours waiting?
A: Actually, it was fine, I`m not complaining. I arrived, practiced, ate, then did various recovery procedures before the match, and waited for maybe just an hour and a half to two hours. There have been worse situations, so it was okay.
Kudermetova also commented on the demanding tournament schedule. The player competed in the doubles final in Madrid on May 3rd and traveled to Rome the very next day.
Q: So, you stayed in Madrid until the very last day, playing the doubles final on Sunday. When did you arrive here, and have you had time to adapt?
A: I flew in on Monday and have practiced twice already. It`s difficult, of course. The conditions here are completely different; even though the balls are the same, their flight is totally different, the speed is different, the courts are different, and everything is quite specific. So, you need more time to adapt. I wish I had more.
Additionally, Kudermetova commented on the first-round singles loss of her sister, World No. 57 Polina Kudermetova, at the Rome tournament in Italy. The 21-year-old was defeated by World No. 88 Elena-Gabriela Ruse (Q) of Romania with a score of 7/6(10), 4/6, 2/6.
Q: Your sister lost today; did you follow her match at all?
A: Yes, I watched the first set and the second set until the score was 4-4, and then I went to my own match. Of course, it`s disappointing that she couldn`t win, but she fought until the end. I think tough matches like that, where there`s fierce competition, can be very beneficial for her.
Q: And have you had a chance to see her already?
A: Yes, just for a minute. Of course, she`s upset, but that`s part of a sports person`s life. Sometimes we`re sad, sometimes we`re happy.
The 28-year-old Veronika Kudermetova won her first-round match against Italian Lucrezia Stefanini with a score of 7/5, 6/2, advancing to the next round where she will face American Amanda Anisimova (17).
Marcus Prine