Zvonareva Escapes the Shadow
Last Sunday, Vera Zvonereva, who ended the 2008 season by losing to Venus Williams at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships, captured the 2009 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, defeating Ana Ivanovic in the final. It was Zvonareva’s ninth career title. Alhough she’s earned over $6 million in prize money, this is definitely Zvonareva’s most high-profile title. For years, Zvonareva has played in the shadow of the other more famous Russian female tennis stars, e.g. Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Elena Dementieva,
Dinara Safina, etc. However, in the past year, Zvonereva has made major mental and emotional strides. Zvonareva has always had the tennis talent, but she was frequently seen in tears during matches. Vera’s strong play in the past year has shown that she has quietly strengthened the mental and emotional aspects of her “game.” As a result, Zvonareva is now a serious contender for a Grand Slam title in 2009. In addition, the top of the women’s game is a constantly shuffling deck of players and the year-end Number One ranking appears up for grabs for the second year in a row. The rest of the season looks rather intriguing!
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