Vera's Off-Season

Vera Zvonareva

How did the stars of the WTA spend the off-season? In the lead-up to the Aussie Open, wtatour.com will be helping answer that question...

Vera Zvonareva had a career-best season in 2010, reaching her first two Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open and finishing the season at No.2. How did she prepare for her assault on 2011? Here she is in her own words...

On her mix of on-court and off-court training...
"After three weeks off, I started focusing a lot on my fitness. I was training on court for only about two hours and then in the gym about four hours. They were long days but it's normal for the off-season and as my first events approach I've gradually increased my time on court and am spending less in the gym."

On her training base, Florida...
"I was basing myself at IMG Academies so I was in sunny Florida. It was cold for a while but I spent some time at the beach and did some shopping in Tampa or in the outlet malls nearby. I usually had dinner with my coach, trainer and hitting partner at night - there was a Thai restaurant very close by that I liked."

On her fitness trainer...
"I was working with Carlo Tosi, who works for Fysiomed in Amsterdam. He is a physical therapist but also takes care of my fitness during the off-season. He or one of his colleagues will be travelling with me throughout the 2011 season. Fysiomed is where I did my rehab after my ankle surgery in November 2009."

On her mentality for the off-season and going into the new one...
"The off-season is the time of year we start fresh and evaluate the past season, and really build the base for the upcoming season. It's a really good time to find out where you need to improve. Once the season starts, it's very difficult to fit good training blocks into your schedule, so pre-season is a really good time. I hope I can build on last season and just keep improving. It's a new year and you never know what will happen. You just go out and compete your hardest."

On how she spent her down time...
"I like to watch movies, catch up on Glee and other shows and sleep! You can never get enough sleep. The off-season was also a good time for me to catch up on schoolwork as well, because once I start to travel I know I'll get behind."

 

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