Third-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova was stunned when people told her that Roger Federer, the top-ranked ATP player and ten-time Grand Slam champion, thinks that she will be the one to win Roland Garros.
Kuznetsova logged on to the Internet to check whether that’s true. When she saw Federer’s words: “I like her game, she plays well,” she couldn’t believe it and had to pinch herself.
“The Russian press told me and I thought ‘No, it was a joke’. So I wanted to check it myself and read this on the Internet,” Kuznetsova said after reaching the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.
“If I would have to choose a compliment from anybody, it’s definitely the best I ever heard. Roger is a legend and to hear him say that is almost a dream.
“It’s unbelievable to hear my hero say this about my tennis.”
Kuznetsova, a runner-up in the 2006 French Open, is eager to play the best she can, and live up to Federer’s expectations by winning the title on Saturday.
“If he likes my game, I would like to prove it more,” she said.
In the quarterfinal she will play the rising Serb Ana Ivanovic. In their head-to-heads Ivanovic leads 2-1. On hard courts they are tied, but Ivanovic leads 1-0 on clay. (source: Reuters)