Svetlana Kuznetsova Loves Dogs, Tigers, Elephants and the US Open
Svetlana Kuznetsova (Photo: (C) 2014 Chris Levy @tennis_shots for TennisEastCoast.com)
Two-time Grand Slam Champion Svetlana Kuznetsova won her first slam in the US, so she’s always happy to summer in the States. She spoke with me at yesterday at the Citi Open, a WTA International-level event in Washington, DC. Due to a change in security policy at the tournament this year, no one, not even Grand Slam champions, are allowed in the lower seating bowl without a ticket. Kuznetsova shrugged off her denial of access to a qualifying match over the weekend and mentioned that Martina Navratilova had run into the same problem at another tournament.
Svetlana Kuznetsova (Photo: (C) 2014 Chris Levy @tennis_shots for TennisEastCoast.com)
Svetlana Kuznetsova (Photo: (C) 2014 Chris Levy @tennis_shots for TennisEastCoast.com)
She loves her dog, and wears her pride on her shirt, a gift from Chinese clothing sponsor Qiaodan which features her American Bully, Dolce. Pressed on whether her love for animals extended beyond the canine variety, she says she likes “Tigers, Elephants, many animals’. Unlike Dolce, who travels with her on a regular basis, tigers and elephants just won’t fit on the plane.
—Stephan Fogleman, Tennis East Coast
Tennis Atlantic 