Svetlana Kuznetsova is making her 10th appearance at the BNP Paribas Open as the 8th seed. Today she takes on fellow Russian, Anastasia Paylyuchenkova, the 21st seed. The two have played each other 8 times with Svetlana leading 5-3.

Kuznetsova is no stranger to the desert conditions as she has twice been a finalist in 2007-2008 losing to Daniela Hantuchova [18 seed] and Ana Ivanovic [2 seed] respectively.

I caught up with Kuznetsova yesterday after her victory over Caroline Garcia of France. She revealed that she is enjoying tennis perhaps more now than ever, a repeated sentiment among tour veterans. On her way to the quarterfinals, she has also taken out the crafty Italian Roberta Vinci and young American Madison Brengle dropping only one set.

She developed her gritty grinding game style as a young girl in Spain at the Sanchez Academy.  At first, when she was a kid playing but at age 14, she realized her love for the game.  She recalls that back then she was quite shy like other young Russian players. Kuznetsova is back in the top-10 at No. 8, her best since 2003. She reflected on how she had struggled in her early twenties.

Spanning a 17-year career, Kuznetsova has competed against most of the best. When asked who she has not played and would like to, no-one, in particular came to mind but she quickly transitioned to remarks concerning her friend Francesca Schiavone. The Italian, also a former Grand Slam Champion was a Qualifier in the desert. Another WTA veteran, Schiavone won her way into the main draw but fell to American Louisa Chirico. Francesca’s willingness to qualify is commendable. Not everyone with her resume would be willing to go that route and Kuznetsova expressed a huge respect for her. Sveta believes her friend can regain a solid position on the tour once she regains her confidence. No question she does the work.

Shifting back to her game and weapons, Kuznetsova reflected on the learning opportunities she had playing doubles with greats like Martina Navratilova and Amelie Mauresmo.  As a young person, she felt she did not take full advantage of those moments and wished she had paid more attention. She now plays doubles with Kiki Mladenovic of France and they are in fact still competing in the doubles draw. In this new partnership, Kuznetsova will play mentor this time.

These days Sveta works hard on both her game but also planning her schedule to keep her body in good shape and to preserve her energy for matches. With literal wings on her back, she has the game, experience, and confidence to go the distance. Lastly, for Kuznetsova fans, she wanted to say “Hi and thank you for the support.”