Huber and Petrova on Their Loss

Written by: Staff on 14th September 2010

Huber and Petrova on Their Loss |

An interview with:

LIEZEL HUBER and NADIA PETROVA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Liezel, you said some pretty moving words out there about the ups and the downs. What does tennis teach us about the world about us?

LIEZEL HUBER: I think sometimes people think because we’re athletes, we can only relate to sport or maybe if somebody is, you know, in a job, they can only relate to that, but I think we, as athletes, are very fortunate. We can bring something good from the sport back to the normal life. We can kind of relate.

So in the tough times that we, are and maybe when you lose a point or you lose a close match like this when you’ve actually had an opportunity, you could walk away from it and sulk and not learn, or you could just say, Okay, this is an opportunity to grow. And if you do okay in the bad times, imagine how good you’re gonna do when times turn around.

Regardless whether we would have won or would have lost, I would have told you exactly the same thing. There’s always a reason for something. This being a great week, two weeks for Nadia and I, it’s very disappointing, I’m not going to tell you otherwise, it’s very disappointing, but I believe it’s their time. They played great. They outsmarted us. They deserved to win this.

But of course everybody wants to win, but they had the good performance today.

Q. Could you think of too many other endeavors where a woman from South Africa would come to the United States of America and then meet up with a great Russian athlete like Nadia?

LIEZEL HUBER: Oh, no. I mean, I am from a third‑world country. I’m very proud of where I grew up, but who would have ever thought that…

NADIA PETROVA: Even Nadia from Russia, being here in the United States playing the final with Liezel Huber?

LIEZEL HUBER: Yeah, I’ve always looked at the Russians as being remarkable athletes. They’re always strong and they always excelled. Nadia has obviously excelled this week. Doubles is not her forté. She’s a great doubles player, but she’s excels in singles. You will see she’s gonna be in the top of the singles. She is a top singles player.

Just thinking ‑‑ I mean, there were times when South Africans weren’t allowed to go to Russia, so how amazing is it that we have accomplishment together at such a big event?

Q. You brought up the South African situation. Today you were playing in a stadium named after the athlete who, more than any other athlete, was against apartheid. Does that have meaning for you?

LIEZEL HUBER: I think when I grew up in South Africa in apartheid, I was so young. We were coming to the States and then were allowed back in competition, and I didn’t even know what this mean. Why were we out of competition?

We just went to schools with only white people, and we only lived in neighborhoods with white people. We had no idea. We were kids. That kind of was the norm.

I guess if you give somebody just candy to eat and that’s all they’re used to and now you’ve got to give them vegetables, or somebody only eats canned vegetables and now they don’t even know what the fresh ones are like, that’s how we grew up. It wasn’t our fault.

But definitely living in this country and knowing what’s right and wrong, I’m very privileged that I could live here now and see what is right and how everybody should be equal.

Q. Nadia, you’ve had tremendous runs in Slams, the French, et cetera, and many moments of triumph. That was a rather incredible match point, sort of had the scramble aspect to it. What’s the feeling when you know your opponent has just hit a beautiful shot?

NADIA PETROVA: There’s nothing you can do. I mean, I could just applause her. Well done. We were trying out hard and to give all today, and absolutely no regret.

Q. On a much lighter note if I could, you’ve had a lot of fun with some of ‑‑ the peach cream dress, I recall, from Indian Wells. What happened to the great striped outfit you had earlier? I was looking forward to that. I didn’t see that.

NADIA PETROVA: Well, it’s been a little bit too colorful, and I don’t know, it didn’t bring me luck in singles, so I decided not to continue playing the Open with it. I kind of wanted to match with Liezel. That’s why I’m wearing black with a bit of peach.

Q. Do you think you guys can play some more together?

LIEZEL HUBER: Well, we’re both set with different partners for the rest of the year, you know, but sometime we’ll play again together and hopefully we’ll win a Slam.

Q. Help me out in terms of the Fed Cup. Are you going to be in, or you don’t know, or what’s the story there?

LIEZEL HUBER: Well, I mean, I would expect to be in. I don’t see a reason why I wouldn’t be in the team. I think I’m the team, Melanie’s the team, Bethanie’s the team, Mary Joe’s the team. I don’t see why that should change. Doesn’t matter if the Williams sisters play. We will just have a bigger team.

NADIA PETROVA: That would be the wise thing to keep the one who has been competing. It was up to them. They brought the team into the final. How can someone else step in and take the glory of it? I don’t think it would be right. Everybody has to be treated the same.

LIEZEL HUBER: The main thing is we’re looking forward to November. We want to bring the trophy home. A win is a win.

Q. But it must mean a lot to you as a new citizen to ‑‑ I mean, Navratilova was famous for playing for the American team.

LIEZEL HUBER: Yeah, I haven’t missed a Fed Cup tie. You know, as long as they ask me to play, I’ll play. My goal is to play in the next Olympics, so that’s why I’m very loyal to Mary Joe and the Fed Cup team.

I hope to be a Fed Cup captain one day. Why wouldn’t I keep playing?

Q. My question is, though, inwardly, does it give you a lot of pride or meaning to play for the American team?

LIEZEL HUBER: Yeah. I mean, I am more nervous then than I would have been, you know, playing in the match than today. I play my best tennis there. I wish I would have played probably my best tennis today, but maybe I saved my best tennis for the Fed Cup tie. It’s gonna be fun.

Q. Can you speak about playing against Vania?

LIEZEL HUBER: Vania hasn’t been on the team for this whole year, but she’s been on the team before. When we played against Russia, we were on the same team.

She’s a great player, and you can see a huge improvement in Vania, and hopefully Vania will be on the team next year. I don’t know if she will be on this next team, but she will be on the team next year.

Topics: Athlete, Close Match, Endeavors, Job, Liezel Huber, Nadia Petrova, Opportunity, Remarkable Athletes, Russia, Russians, South Africa, States Of America, Tennis, Third World Country, Tough Times, United States Of America, Ups