Kuznetsova sets sights on Paris clay

Dubai: Former US Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova is targeting the French Open this year.

Having won the US Open in 2004, Kuznetsova feels that she is a better player now. The element of consistency should stand her well as she attempts a triumph in Roland Garros.

"The idea is to keep growing each year. The growth need not be restricted to the tennis. It should also include the personal dimension," Kuznetsova said.

Last year was profitable for the sombre Kuznetsova. She picked up three titles in Miami, Bali and Beijing. "I think I got better. I am getting more consistent now and I am showing a more complete game now," Kuznetsova stated.

"I came so close at Roland Garros last year and I wish the next Grand Slam could be the French Open," Kuznetsova hoped.

'No longer desperate'

"I am no longer desperate. I am composed and cool, learning how to mix my game so that I have a more telling effect on the ultimate results," she added.

It is ironical for her to be a tennis player, especially as she hails from a family of cyclists. Her father Alexandr Kuznetsov has coached six Olympic champions and world champions.

He is currently employed by Lokomotiv, a top club in Russia. He also coached her mother Galina Tsareva, a six-time world champion holding 20 world records, and Svetlana's brother Nikolai Kuznetsov, a silver medallist at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

When Svetlana started playing serious tennis, the family decided to shift her to Spain. "Not many people in Russia believed in me, so I had to make the move for the sake of my career," she said.

"My aim is to keep growing each year. I get more mature and so I try and derive more out of life each day," she added.