The career of Svetlana Kuznetsova is slowly coming to an end. But the Russian still has a lot to say.
Svetlana Kuznetsova has not played much lately, especially not very successful. The 33-year-old Russian’s last appearance was at the WTA tournament in Guangzhou, where she finished in round two against Qiang Wang. As the current number 107 in the world rankings, the Russian, who suffered a wrist injury in early 2018, is no longer in the top league.
As a two-time major winner, however, Kuznetsova’s opinion still has weight in tennis. And “Kuzi” has no problem expressing her opinion. Even if it’s uncomfortable.
Asked about an incident during a doping test with Serena Williams in June 2018, which the 23-time Major winner delivered only reluctantly and after a longer delay, Kuznetsova said a few days ago in an interview: “I don’t know what happened to Serena in the concrete case.
“But I know that Serena has more influence than anyone else, not even on the men’s tour. Serena can afford things you would never let other players get away with. In the situation mentioned, most other players would have been simply told: “Don’t get upset.”
Something like this would never happen to Serena Williams. “I don’t know how often it’s tested for doping,” concluded Kuznetsova. “It looks to me like it’s all the same to me. But if Serena thinks she’s being treated unfairly, why doesn’t she say so?”