Vera Zvonareva

Vera Igorevna Zvonareva, Вера Игоревна Звонарёва,  born September 7, 1984 is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six and turned professional in 2000. She has reached a career high ranking of World No. 2 and is currently ranked World No. 3 by the WTA.Zvonareva has won eleven WTA Tour singles titles and reached the finals of the 2008 WTA Tour Championships, 2010 Wimbledon Championships and 2010 US Open. She also was a bronze medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Early life

Zvonareva was born September 7, 1984 in Moscow to Igor Zvonarev and Nataliya Zvonareva (née Bykova). Igor played Bandy in the USSR championship with Dynamo Moscow, while Nataliya played field hockey and was the bronze medalist at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Vera was introduced to tennis at the age of six by her mother, although no other members of her family play tennis.

2010

She obtained an invite from the Hong Kong Tennis Patrons' Association once again to play in the Hong Kong Tennis Classic and won the championships with her compatriots Maria Sharapova and Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

Seeded 9th at the Australian Open, she made it to the fourth round winning her first three matches against Kristína Kučová, Iveta Benešová and Gisela Dulko. She eventually lost to Victoria Azarenka 4–6, 6–4, 6–0, after leading 6–4, 4–1. Due to this loss, Zvonareva fell out of the Top 10.

As the top seed and defending champion for the 2010 PTT Pattaya Open Zvonareva defeated Ksenia Pervak in the first round, Alberta Brianti in the second round, No. 5 seed Sybille Bammer in the quarterfinals and No. 4 seed Yaroslava Shvedova in the semifinals. In the final, she defeated local favorite Tamarine Tanasugarn in straight sets, 6–4, 6–4, thereby successfully defending her title.

At the 2010 Dubai Tennis Championships, Zvonareva defeated compatriot Elena Vesnina in three sets in the first round, and then following it up with a double bagel against qualifier Kirsten Flipkens. She then defeated Jelena Janković in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to Azarenka 6–1, 6–3.

Despite being the defending champion at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, Zvonareva lost her fourth round match against Samantha Stosur 6–2, 7–5. With this loss, she fell out of the top 20. At the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open Zvonareva lost to Justine Henin 6–1, 6–4 in the fourth round after defeating Melanie Oudin and Sara Errani in straight sets.

Her next tournament was the 2010 Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina where she was the 7th seed. She beat Melanie Oudin in straight sets 7–5, 6–2 in the quarterfinals. She advanced to her 2nd final of the year and 2nd Family Circle Cup final after top seed and World No.2 Caroline Wozniacki retired while trailing 5–2 in the semifinals due to a sprained ankle. Zvonareva was then overwhelmed in the final against Australian Samantha Stosur, losing 6–0, 6–3.

Zvonareva's next tournament was the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, where, as the 15th seed, she lost surprisingly to Petra Kvitová, 6–4 6–0 in the second round. At the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open she lost to Venus Williams 7–5, 6–3 in the second round after defeating Melanie Oudin 6–3, 6–4. Zvonareva was seeded 21st at the 2010 French Open. She defeated Alberta Brianti in the first round, but was then upset by Anastasia Rodionova in the second round in straight sets.

Zvonareva's next tournament was the 2010 AEGON International in England, where she lost to María José Martínez Sánchez in three tight sets 6–3, 3–6, 7–5 in the opening round.

Zvonareva reached her first Grand Slam singles final at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, where she was seeded 21st. She defeated Nuria Llagostera Vives, Andrea Hlaváčková, 15th seed Yanina Wickmayer, 4th seed Jelena Janković, 8th seed Kim Clijsters and Tsvetana Pironkova to reach the final where she fell in straight sets to World No. 1 Serena Williams. Zvonareva rose to World No. 9 following the tournament.

Zvonareva was seeded 3rd at the 2010 Mercury Insurance Open in San Diego. She defeated Dominika Cibulková in three sets in the first round before falling to Coco Vandeweghe in a shock loss.

Seeded 6th at the 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open, Zvonareva received a bye into the second round where she faced compatriot Maria Kirilenko. In a match with several rain interruptions, Zvonareva found herself down 2–5 in the third set before another rain delay. Coming back onto court, Zvonareva rallied back to take the third set and the match 7–5, 2–6, 7–6(2). She lost to 11th seed Flavia Pennetta in the third round. At the 2010 Rogers Cup Zvonareva had a bye in the first round and beat Yaroslava Shvedova in the second round 6–2, 6–1, Ágnes Szávay 6–3, 6–3 in the third round and Kim Clijsters 2–6, 6–3, 6–2 in the quarterfinals. After two days of rain, Zvonareva returned on Monday, winning her semi-final against Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, who retired when trailing 6–7, 0–1. She was then easily beaten by Caroline Wozniacki in the final 6–3, 6–2.

2011

At this year of Hong Kong Tennis Classic, she joined Russia's group and won in the final against Europe with her compatriots Maria Kirilenko and former male player Yevgeny Kafelnikov. As the second seed at the 2011 Medibank International Sydney, Zvonareva received a bye into the second round, where she was defeated by Flavia Pennetta 5–7, 5–7. Zvonareva was seeded No. 2 at the 2011 Australian Open in singles. She defeated Sybille Bammer 6–2, 6–1 in the first round, breaking Sybille Bammer 4 consecutive times. Zvonareva defeated unseeded Bojana Jovanovski in the second round 2–6, 6–3, 6–1. In the third round Zvonareva defeated No. 31 seed Lucie Šafářová in straight sets 6–3, 7–6(9). Zvonareva defeated unseeded Iveta Benešová in the round of 16, 6–4 6–1. She then defeated No. 25 seed Petra Kvitová in the quarterfinal 6–2, 6–4. In the semifinal she was defeated by No. 3 seed and eventual champion of the 2011 Australian Open, Kim Clijsters, 3–6, 3–6. In the doubles competition she was seeded No. 13 with her partner Elena Vesnina. In the first round they defeated the unseeded pair Monique Adamczak and Isabella Holland of Australia, but were defeated in the second round by unseeded pair Chuang Chia-jung and Hsieh Su-wei.

At the 2011 PTT Pattaya Open, Zvonareva was the top seed and was seeking her third consecutive title and second title defense. She defeated Tamira Paszek 6–4, 6–2 in the first round, qualifier Nungnadda Wannasuk 6–1, 7–5 in the second round, and Peng Shuai 6–4, 4–6, 6–4 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Zvonareva was upset by the No. 4 seed Daniela Hantuchová 6(3)–7, 4–6. As the second seed at the 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships, Zvonareva received a bye into the second round. There, she defeated Roberta Vinci 6–3, 6–1. In the third round, she was upset by the No. 15 seed Alisa Kleybanova 3–6, 2–6. Zvonareva picked up her first title of 2011 in late February at the 2011 Qatar Ladies Open. She was the No. 2 seed, receiving a bye into the second round, where she defeated Dominika Cibulková 6–1, 6–2. In the quarterfinals, she defeated Daniela Hantuchová 7–5, 6(5)–7, 7–5 in a match lasting over three hours after trailing 5–4 in the third set. She defeated former World No. 1 Jelena Janković 6–1, 2–6, 6–4 in the semifinals, and current World No. 1 and top seed Caroline Wozniacki 6–4, 6–4 in the final. It was Zvonareva's first title in over a year and the third time she defeated the reigning World No. 1.

Zvonareva was the No. 3 seed at the 2011 BNP Paribas Open and had a bye into the second round. Despite letting a 6–3, 5–1 lead escape her, she defeated Timea Bacsinszky 6–3, 7–6(4). In the third round, in a match that went over three hours, she was upset by the No. 25 seed Dominika Cibulková 6–4, 6(4)–7, 4–6 despite saving five match points. Zvonareva was the No. 3 seed at the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open with a bye into the second round, where she defeated Dinara Safina 3–6, 6–3, 6–2. In the third round, she faced the No. 28 seed Jarmila Groth, defeating her in straight sets, 7–6(4), 6–2. In the fourth round she faced the No. 15 seed Marion Bartoli, prevailing 2–6, 6–3, 6–2, and then in the quarterfinals Zvonareva faced the No. 9 seed Agnieszka Radwańska, whom she defeated 7–5, 6–3 to reach the semifinals in Key Biscayne for the second time, the last time being in 2008. Despite winning two of her four previous matches after trailing a set in the tournament, Victoria Azarenka, the No. 8 seed, dispatched Zvonareva in the semifinals 0–6, 3–6. Zvonareva lead the Russian Fed Cup team in their semifinal tie against Italy. She defeated both Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in straight sets to ensure a spot for Russia in the final.

Zvonareva kicked off her clay court season at the 2011 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. As the second seed, she received a bye in the second round, defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 3–6, 6–4, 6–2 before losing to Samantha Stosur in the quarterfinals. She was the second seed at the 2011 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, where she beat Patty Schnyder and Elena Vesnina before being upset by the No. 16 seed and eventual champion Petra Kvitová in the third round. 

Playing style

Zvonareva is a baseline counterpuncher with good offensive capabilities. She is known for her fitness and speed, owing to her excellent lateral movement, and can therefore outrun many opponents during rallies. Her groundstrokes are powerful and are usually hit very flat, with minimal topspin, though she herself admits that she can adjust her style of play to the court conditions when needed. This was proven when Zvonareva won the Indian Wells tournament in 2009 against Ana Ivanović despite the windy conditions. Her best shot is her two-handed backhand. Also with a strong first serve with an average speed of 100mph and average second serve speed of 86mph. Zvonareva's primary weakness is her mental fragility, which costs her matches when she self-destructs. Many tennis analysts, including Lindsay Davenport and Pam Shriver, have noted that Zvonareva has matured mentally and is able to keep control of her emotions for the duration of a match, evidenced by her runs to the 2010 Wimbledon and 2010 US Open finals.

Formerly coached by Sergey Demekhin, she is now currently coached by Karen Krotov.

Personal life

In 2007, Zvonareva graduated from the Russian State University of Physical Education with a degree in Physical Education. She is currently studying for a second degree in international economic relations at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow.