Svetlana Kuznetsova: the body needs sport, it is the best cure for everything

On the eve of the Kremlin Cup, “Championship” met with Svetlana Kuznetsova, the eighth racket of the world, the first racket of Russia, a two-time Grand Slam winner in singles and just a charming girl. Due to the athlete’s busy training schedule, our interview took place somewhere between a couple of abs and a jog on the track. Read more about training, preparation for tournaments, love for boards, dancing and recovery after grueling workouts in the material.

– Svetlana, how do you keep fit between tournaments?
– I really like practicing, I would train even every day. But anyway, so many years of professional sports make me feel sore after games, my whole body hurts. That’s why I need to take some time between competitions to rest and recover. Fitness helps me to keep in shape, in Moscow I often attend training sessions at World Class Pavlovo: I work out with a trainer or try something that is very different from my usual workouts, it’s very interesting.

– What have you already tried?
– I recently attended a group Body Pump class. After that training I walked for three days like a penguin (laughs), because my whole body was sore. In general, I try not to experiment so that I don’t get injured. That’s why in fitness everything is simple: I prefer a boxing lesson or a dance class to a grueling workout.

The main thing for me is the feeling of comfort, I try to listen to my body.

– What attracts you to dance training?
– I go to hip-hop, dancehall, in general, in principle, any kind of dance. It can be quite difficult at classes, because I’m an athlete and I’m used to more mechanical movements learned over the years. Dancing develops freedom and plasticity in my body. I feel much better on the court afterwards. So dancing is a good additional training for coordination and endurance.

– Do you train every day even in the off-season?
– Yes, if we talk about my usual day, when there are no complicated trainings, I try to do an elementary set of exercises: 15-20 minutes on the elipse, a few approaches on the mat, stretching. The main thing for me is the feeling of comfort, I try to listen to my body. I try to accustom myself to yoga, but it’s too static for me.

– Nowadays it is very fashionable to divide your workouts into different days: “leg day”, “arm day”, etc. What approach do you use in your training process?
– I believe that everyone should find their own approach. As you feel, that’s how you should do it, so it’s right for your body. I have several types of workouts. Of course, by itself, it’s tennis workouts. If I’m getting in shape, if I haven’t played in a while, I start more gently. In addition to on-court training, there are also days when I pay attention to physical training: a day of running and a day in the gym. In general, my tennis schedule is so tight that, for example, a normal warm-up before practice lasts about 40-45 minutes.

– What happens at the finish line when preparing for a match?
– Just before the competition the intensity of training of course decreases, four days before the match you start to train more gently. We arrive at the competitions 3-4 days in advance depending on the continent where they are held. Already at the tournament my training lasts about two or three hours a day – this includes warming up, playing on the court and some functional exercises. And before the games, it’s all down to an hour and a half.

– There are tournaments all over the world. How do you cope with acclimatization?
– Of course, when we go, for example, to Australia, we try to arrive much earlier than at European competitions because of the change of time zones and climate. I prefer to go and do sports right after the airplane. For me it is the best recovery after a long flight. I think it is a mistake to go to rest in a room. The body needs sport, it is the best cure for everything.

I’m very happy to see sporty people around me, because non-sporty people don’t usually come to tennis.

– Does your diet change before competitions?
– I am always in favor of proper nutrition, not to get full and not to overeat. In the evening – a balanced dinner with fish or meat and vegetables. Oatmeal in the morning. And so… many people probably know that tennis players eat a lot of pasta before the match, just to get energy. I also try to drink as much water as possible and include sports drinks in my diet during, before and after the match.

– How do you recover after intensive training?
– I go to the sauna to get a good steam. In fact, I even like hamam much more. My friends and I often get together and go to the spa to relax. Among my favorite places in Moscow, where I often go, I like Beauty SPA by World Class Zhukovka, it is always quiet, peaceful and the atmosphere is conducive to relaxation. When you live in a big city and have such a busy schedule, lots of meetings, lots of things to do, the spa is ideal for putting your thoughts in order and recovering.

– You have lived and trained a lot not in Russia. Does the attitude to sport and healthy lifestyle differ in different countries?
-It’s different everywhere, of course. In America, for example, there are a lot of people who are fanatical about sport, about all sorts of supplements, pills and special nutrition. They are all so “muscular” there, but you can see that all this is not natural, while the rest of the population eats hamburgers in McDonald’s. In Australia the locals are very fond of sports in any form, in Spain “Paddle” is very popular – it’s such tennis on a small court. It’s hard to compare, but I really like it when people do some kind of physical activity. Plus I am very pleased to see sporty people around, because non-sporty people, as a rule, do not come to tennis(smiles).

– And where do you feel most comfortable training?
– Actually, here, in Moscow, is the best place for me, but to work for the result, training camps are the best, when you go somewhere far away and there is only tennis and physical training for you.

– Not too long ago, you revealed that you really fell in love with wakeboarding. Are there any places you enjoy riding the most?
– I don’t have enough time for favorite places to appear (smiles). Last year in November I was with my parents in the Maldives and there was wakeboarding, I was happy to diversify my training process with it. I try to be careful, because it is very dangerous for a professional athlete to do any other sports, because they develop and hammer other muscle groups. That’s why I skate rarely, but I get a lot of pleasure!

– How do you feel about snowboarding?
– I really like boards in any form. When I was a kid in St. Petersburg, my mom used to take me to the hill and I really liked snowboarding there. I remember that I hit my tailbone, but it didn’t stop me (smiles). In the summer I rode a skateboard, then I got a longboard, then a remote control longboard. I like to try everything, I’m a music lover.

–What sports besides tennis are you interested in watching?
– I like to go to NBA matches in America and watch American soccer. In Russia I follow our basketball team. And of course, when, for example, the Olympics take place, it is impossible to be away, you watch absolutely everything and worry a lot.