Published>Sat, Sep 11 10 06:37 AM
Vera Zvonareva once caused a prison riot and, offering reporters a rare glimpse into her life off the tennis court, admitted she would love to have dinner with Matt Damon.
On the court, the Russian made a splash by knocking out number one seed Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 6-3 in the semi-finals of the U.S. Open Friday.
When playing, she wears her heart on her sleeve, regularly showing her emotions but, outside of tennis, she gives little away.
On Friday, she was all smiles at Arthur Ashe Stadium, a far cry from a year ago in New York when she suffered a very public breakdown after losing to Italy's Flavia Pennetta.
She smashed racquets, ripped bandages off her leg and burst into tears after the defeat.
Regardless of the result in Saturday's final against defending champion Kim Clijsters, she promised to once more show her emotions.
"I play with passion but I leave it on the court," said Zvonareva, who celebrated her 26th birthday on Tuesday.
"Off the court, I'm very calm and just not that emotional at all. Tennis is an emotional game but, as long as you know which emotions are good for you, which are bad, you can use it to your advantage."
In her post-match news conferences during the U.S. Open fortnight, she has been reserved in her comments, giving little away about Zvonareva the person.
She allowed her defences down for a short while after the Wozniacki match to admit that Damon would be her ideal dinner date before turning red with embarrassment.
But when pushed on other subjects such as last year's dramatic exit at the U.S. Open, she has dismissed it by saying it is "something that was in the past."
Similarly she has refused to dwell on her only previous grand slam final at this year's Wimbledon when she was blown off court by Serena Williams.
It was during this year's Wimbledon that a riot broke out at a young offenders institute in Kent, England, when prison guards refused to let inmates watch Zvonareva's quarter-final against Clijsters.
It remains to be seen whether Zvonareva, who is currently studying international economic relations, forces a repeat of her own personal riot from the 2009 U.S. Open in the final.
"I'm just trying to do my best - sometimes I'm happy, sometimes I'm not, sometimes I have to be hard on myself, sometimes I have to pump myself up, sometimes I have to say, 'Okay, it's time to relax,'" she said.
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