Svetlana Kuznetsova

Nickname(s) : Sveta, Kuzzy, Kuzya
Country : Russia
Residence : St. Petersburg, Russia
Date of birth : June 27, 1985 (1985-06-27) (age 24)
Place of birth : St. Petersburg, then Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height : 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Weight : 73 kg (160 lb; 11.5 st)
Turned pro : 2000
Plays : Right; Two-handed backhand

Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova born June 27, 1985 in St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) is a Russian professional tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 6. She won the 2004 US Open and 2009 French Open singles titles and was the runner-up in singles at the 2006 French Open and the 2007 US Open.

Family life :
Kuznetsova was born in Leningrad. Her father, Aleksandr Kuznetsov has coached five Olympic and world cycling champions. Her father's protégés include her mother, Galina Tsareva, a six-time world champion and holder of 20 world records, and Svetlana's brother, Nikolay Kuznetsov, a silver medalist at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Kuznetsova also tried out cycling in her early years, but it bored her. She focused on tennis instead and was sent to Spain when she was 13 years old for better training and coaching also leading her to speak fluent Spanish. Despite training in Barcelona, the Spanish Tennis Federation did not see Kuznetsova as a possible future champion.

Playing style :
Kuznetsova is an all-around player as she has adapted her game to all surfaces. Her game is characterized by her strong serve and her heavy forehand. Kuznetsova's serve is aided by her powerful physique, and she is often considered to be one of the physically strongest players on the tour along with Venus and Serena Williams. Many tennis experts say that her powerful inside-out forehand is one of the best in the women's game. Kuznetsova is capable of hitting winners of both wings.

Her volleys are very effective, and she is capable of producing deft touch. Her game is strengthened by her footwork and movement around the court. She is among the few players (along with Jelena Janković and Kim Clijsters) who are capable of sliding on all the major playing surfaces. She is also capable of producing spectacular shots like running shots, passing shots, and between-the-legs shots when in form, but, on an off-day, her shots can fly all over the court.

Coaching :
Kuznetsova underwent coaching at the Sanchez-Casal academy in Spain and she was coached by Emilio Sánchez and Stefan Ortega along with other coaches at the academy. But her major coaching relationship was with Stefan Ortega who was a regular face in her player's box and helped catapult her game. But after a series of dismal results in finals Kuznetsova's ended her relationship with Sanchez-Casal academy and moved to Moscow on the advice of Tennis Maestro Roger Federer and started coaching with experienced Russian coach Olga Morozova.

They ended their relationship after the BNP Paribas Open in March 2009, after which Kuznetsova was without a coach.As of May 2009 her new coach is former Russian tennis player and Fed Cup Coach Larisa Savchenko.Within a short span she was able to win the French open with her new team and she acknowledged all her coaches so far in her victory speech at the french open.