WIMBLEDON, DAY 5

Rising Russians aim to topple Americans

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

Svetlana Kuznetsova

Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA, Inc.

FROM WIMBLEDON – Come hell or high Black Sea water, Russian women are taking aim at supplanting the American as the major force in women's tennis.

The have a long ways to go before they can consistently challenge the likes of top 10-ers Venus and Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati and Lindsay Davenport, but they are making serious in roads and come this time next year. Nyet may be the operative word when American woman are attempting to raise trophies.

There are currently 13 Russian women in the top 100 and five remaining at Wimbledon – tenth-seed Anastasia Myskina, No. 15 Elena Dementieva, No. 16 Vera Zvonareva, No. 33 Svetlana Kuznetsova and 16-year-old Maria Sharapova. The Americans have seven left, but four are over the age of 26 while Russia's oldest player is the 21-year-old Myskina.

Zvonareva, Kuznetsova and Sharapova are all 18 and younger, while the US's youngest player left in the draw is the 21-year-old Serena – which is not to dismiss the five-time Grand Slam champion staying power in the least. But should the three Russian teens continue their rapid rises, Myskina and Dementieva pick it up another level and French semifinalist Nadia Petrova get over her horrific loss to Venus on Friday, by summer's end, it's possible there will be six Russian women in the top 15.

But that doesn't mean that the raging Russians are ready to pull past the Americans just yet.

"Were not that strong mentally," Myskina told tennisreporters.net. "Plus they are stronger and little bit bigger. But we are trying."

WILL THEY SLAM?

Anastasia Myskina

Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA, Inc.

The real question is whether the Russians have top-five players in their ranks and whether one of the is capable of winning a Slam any time soon. Many of the Russians writers say that their countrywomen are inherent chokers, which all the players are well aware of. Getting rid of that label is difficult in the first place, but is even harder when you are not sure if there's isn't some truth to it.

"I really want to believe we are going to win a Grand Slam soon, but it's hard to say," Myskina said."Everybody wants this. Everyone practice like 10 hours a day. But it's hard to say if it's going to happen. I want to believe it, but, I don't have complete faith."

Who will be the first Russian to take a Slam? Myskina thinks it could be Zvonareva, the deadly serious groundstroker who upset Venus at Roland Garros.

"She could the one, but they are all really good." Myskina said. "Maria hits the ball so hard and is not scared at all. She just goes on the court and hits. Maybe it’s just because it’s her first year and nobody knows her so she can take advantage of that. Vera unbelievable. She was mentally weak last year but now she's a really strong person."

Part of Russia's rise has to do the decision of Russian parents post-glasnost to push their athletic daughters into the rich world of pro tennis. Part of it also has to do with the players themselves wanting to prove themselves. Throw in some nasty intramural battles and you have the right ingredients for a nation of the rise.

"It's incredible," Myskina said. "We are really hungry and try to compare with each other. When you have 13 Russians and want to play Fed Cup, play on the Olympic team, be No. 1 in Russia, you have to play unbelievable. It's really good competition for us because we try so hard to beat each other."

What the Russian have to avoid, as the writers say, is choking. After her hard fought victory over countrywoman Lina Krasnoroutskaya Thursday – in which she nearly let go of numerous opportunities to close out the contest – Myskina said that she made the bad mistake of watching Daniela Hantuchova’s tremendous gag to Shinobu Asagoe the evening before and it infected her mind.

"I was really nervous at the end in my head," said Myskina, who will play Conchita Martinez Saturday. "I was thinking I could lose the match just like Daniela did. Plus when you play against Russian, it’s really hard, you want to prove you are better. It’s a mental game."

VERA GOES AFTER VENUS, AGAIN
Zvonareva, who beat Uzbekistan’s Iroda Tulyaganova in straight sets Friday, will get another shot at Venus in the fourth round on Monday. Venus considers her loss to Zvonareva a one-off, given that she was injured in Paris.

"I didn't even consider what she done had done because I made like 70 unforced errors," Venus said. "I don't think I'll do that this time. That will be the death of me. … But she has a solid all around game and displayed some good qualities at the French."

Zvonareva’s not afraid, although she's knows that grass and clay are entirely different surfaces. It’s American versus Russia for the umpteenth time and whoever believes in herself more will come out the victor.

"I'm pretty confident right now," Zvonareva told tr.net. "I've beaten a lot of top players. [Venus'] serve is really great and will be really tough to return on grass. I'll need to hold my serve. But if you go on court and don't have confidence in yourself, you shouldn't play this sport."

Now there’s a champion-in-the-making mentality.