Catch up on Episode I of Insider Diaries here.
Alla Kudryavtseva began her Australian Summer hoping to revive her singles ranking and reach new heights with good friend and doubles partner, Vania King.
But first, she had to brave the 16-hour flight.
“I cannot stand air travel,” she told WTA Insider. “Maybe I chose the wrong career, but it actually developed through the years. I didn’t start out that way; I was never particularly comfortable, but recently it’s been very hard.”
Kudryavtseva was far more comfortable once she landed on the court with King; in their first tournament together in almost seven years, the dynamic duo reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open with back-to-back upsets over No.11 seeds Samantha Stosur and Yaroslava Shvedova and No.5 seeds Elena Vesnina and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
“I feel like we’ve been on the court this entire time. There was only one point in our first match where we got caught on the same side of the court, but that happens in doubles – someone is crossing or your opponent plays a drop shot.
“I thought Vania was behind me, but we got passed. We just looked at each other and started laughing, ‘That’s not so bad for our first match!’ That also speaks to our confidence; we knew we still going to win. We were just like, ‘Oh my god, look at us, after six years getting caught on the same side of the court, like two amateurs!’
“Otherwise, I think we move in sync, and have a good understanding of doubles. Both of us are comfortable at the baseline and the net. I would imagine it’s not so easy to play us, because there’s not one person that you’d pick who might break down.
“Bethanie and Lucie kind of ruined it for everyone, though, right?” she added with a laugh. “In their first tournament together, they won the Australian Open and we’re like, ‘Oh, we only made the quarterfinals.’ But it’s working.”
For a player resolved to take a more positive approach to tennis, the Russian couldn’t have picked a better partner than King, who was playing in just her second major tournament after a back injury sidelined her for most of 2015.
“I’ve never played with someone who celebrates this much! She was so happy to win every single match; that’s a lot to do with being away from tennis, but it was so contagious.
“After our first round, I was still treating it like it was a job. I told her, ‘We got through it.’ But she said, ‘We didn’t get through it, we WON! Oh my god!’ It was such a refreshing feeling. She doesn’t take anything for granted, she takes every match we win at full value.
“I fed off of that energy. Being so much on the tour – god bless! – I haven’t had a big injury or missed time on the court, so I don’t remember what it’s like to have that excitement for every single match. But we should be excited.
“I’m really thankful that we are able to play right now because it gives me that different outlook and feel for the game, that different kind of vibe.”
As the pair honed their own vibe, they had to face down familiar opposition in Shvedova, with whom King won Wimbledon and the US Open in 2010, and Pavlyuchenkova, who had played with Kudryavtseva throughout last season and were first alternates together in Singapore. Looking ahead proved crucial to victory – in more ways than one.
“When you’re on the same side of the court, you shouldn’t be looking back. You shouldn’t know whether your partner is hitting a forehand or backhand; you should feel it and go where the ball flies.
“So when Vania asked, ‘What are our tactics?’ I said, I can tell you what she’s like a singles player because I’ve played her, but as a doubles player, I was on the same side! I wasn’t trying to analyze what doesn’t work for her; I was trying to analyze how we could build on our strengths.
“It’s never easy to play your friend or your ex-partner, but I focused on my team and our chemistry, what works for us, and the positives that we took from that match. After a very long career on the tour, you learn to let things go, and let people go. You just move on and play tennis; you can’t focus on whom you’re playing.”
The win over Pavlyuchenkova and Vesnina proved to be their best of the week, one that gives them even more confidence as they prepare to reunite for Indian Wells and Miami.
“It was a good test for us to lose that first set and see how we work as a team when things don’t go our way. In the previous two matches we won the first sets quickly; it’s easy to get along when things are going well.
“I love the fact that we kept communicating and talking on the changeovers, trying to find the tactics that would work. We kept trying to find that extra energy that would bring us up in the match. That was huge for us, just to be able to come back from behind.
“I’m really excited for us to continue testing ourselves against the best teams in the world; that’s where I want to be and that’s where Vania wants to be as well. I’ve already tried to talk to her about Singapore – she played in Doha with Slava – so I tried to be like, ‘Well in Singapore, they have the Infinity Pool!’ It’s really far away but it was great to be on the court with her and I’m looking forward to that again; she has a great spirit about her and we’re both very motivated.”
Following a tight two-set loss to No.13 seeds Karolina Pliskova and Julia Goerges, Kudryavtseva and King traveled to an ITF Challenger in Launceston; despite not playing doubles, the two friends still managed to find their way onto the same court when they met in the semifinals.
“She watched me play my quarterfinal, and she cheered for me. After the match, she came up to me in the gym and gave me a huge hug. I actually asked my coach to take a picture; I said, ‘Look at us; we’re playing against one another tomorrow but now we’re hugging! It’s so cute!'”
Their first match in four years came down to the wire, with the Russian emerging victorious after a final set tie-break and going on to finish runner-up in her first singles final since June. A tough loss in Australian Open qualifying ultimately led to her first wins of the season in Launceston, an important step in her singles comeback.
“They say hard work pays off, but unfortunately, I haven’t ever really felt that. It probably does pay off in the long run, but you want that instant gratification, and for the results to come faster.
“So it was actually nice to get some early singles results, because there has been a certain degree of insecurity. I’ve asked, ‘Am I doing the right thing? There is Dubai and Doha, a lot of doubles points to defend, money to make.’ Your coach is there to help you look at the bigger picture, and you trust that person, but you can’t help but have some doubts.
“Being in the finals of Launceston was a reminder that I really can do it. I can be out on the court for three hours, compete and run and cover the whole court – not just half!”
Active as ever on social media, Kudryavtseva enjoyed having the news of her resurgence hand-delivered – in 140 characters or less.
“The result helped me jump those 49 spots. Someone told me that on Twitter; I love how fans tell you where your ranking goes, or sometimes they’ll let you know things like, ‘Hey, did you know you lost your last nine matches on clay?’ You’ll reply like, ‘No, I didn’t know that, but thanks! That’ll give me confidence!'”
A brief respite allowed the Russian to recharge ahead of a six-week stretch in the States, first a flight to another Challenger in Rancho Santa Fe – where she is due to play King in the second round – then the chance for a singles wildcard in Indian Wells qualies should she win the BNP Paribas Open’s pre-qualifying tournament.
“Tennis is tennis, and singles is singles, and I’m just trying to get as many matches and as much confidence as I can. I thought it was a good opportunity for me to play, especially considering that during those four weeks of Indian Wells and Miami, it’s unlikely I’ll get to play any singles otherwise.”
Two months into her turnaround season, the OG Austin Ace is indeed getting her groove back, surrounded by a supportive team and making new strides both personally and professionally.
“It’s great to have friends on tour. It’s even greater to be playing doubles with your friends on tour. I think I have a really nice thing going; my coach is great, my doubles partner is great, her coach is great. We’re laughing all the time; even when we’re not together, we’re still messaging, keeping in touch.
“It’s just nice to have those kinds of connections, like when it was Vania’s birthday, we went out for dinner in Launceston; two days later it was her coach Tarik Benhabiles’ birthday too; he was my old coach, as well, and so we went out for dinner again! It’s just been a really good time.
“Life on tour is hard, there’s a lot of pressure, travel, and stress. It’s nice to have people who are there for you and give you hugs, even before you have play each other the next day. Results are important, but I think as long as I keep this energy, results will manifest.”
Catch up on the first installment of Insider Diaries here and follow Alla on Twitter @AllaK11!
