Indian Wells: Having finally broken her French Open jinx last year, Svetlana Kuznetsova is banking on a similar breakthrough at the Indian Wells WTA tournament where she has twice finished runner-up.
Russian Kuznetsova is the number one seed for the high-profile event in the California desert and she has targeted a 13th WTA Tour title to bury memories of a stuttering start to this season.
"I prepared pretty well for this year and I know I am playing well but I need some matches to get myself going," Kuznetsova told reporters at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
"So far, this year has not been very nice. I think I overdid my weight training and it was so hard for me to move at the start of this season."
The Russian world number three has advanced no further than the fourth round in her three WTA appearances this year and she blamed her fitness coach for an excessive lifting programme during the off-season.
"My (fitness) coach was wrong so I have switched coaches again," Kuznetsova said. "I didn't think I was supposed to do all that and for me to bring up my speed this season was hard.
"So I am working a lot on speed now. For me, without movement, it's pretty hard to play."
Kuznetsova is making her seventh appearance this week at Indian Wells where she was runner-up in 2007 and 2008.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, March 11, 2010, 11:08