Vera Zvonareva returns to Wimbledon after qualifying win

Vera Zvonareva will return to Wimbledon for the first time in four years after coming through qualifying on the grass courts of nearby Roehampton.

The 33-year-old Russian, who lost to Serena Williams in the 2010 final, beat Caroline Dolehide 6-2 6-3 in the final round of qualifying on Thursday.

Now ranked No.141, the former world No.2 last played in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament at the 2015 Australian Open.

A succession of injuries began Zvonareva’s slide down the rankings and she did not play a match for two years between 2015 and 2017, getting married and giving birth to daughter Evelina during that time.

After returning to the tour in 2017, she is now back on the Grand Slam stage.

A former finalist at #Wimbledon, @verazvonareva will be in tomorrow’s main draw for the first time since 2014 after a commanding Qualifying victory over Caroline Dolehide… pic.twitter.com/VgluQSRo5V

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2018

“I have never played at Roehampton but it’s part of the game, you have to start all over again,” said Zvonareva.

“I had no ranking so I had to start playing some lower level events as well, also to assess myself.

“Once you have such a long break you really don’t want to go and start playing big events right away – you need to get physically in shape, mentally also it’s very difficult to focus on every point once you have’t played for so long.”

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A finalist at Wimbledon, the US Open and the WTA Finals, and a four-time Grand Slam doubles champion, it would not be surprising if motivation was an issue as she tries to make her way back up the rankings.

Injuries continue to hamper her progress, with Roehampton her first tournament for a month because of more physical issues.

“I had to try to look for professional people who could try to assess me and guide me – like a fitness trainer and physios – to create a team, a base, and just be in the gym, be on the court for many hours a day, getting treatments, working out,” she said.

“That’s  what I’ve done – seven, eight hours a day, you just train. And that’s the only way you can get back in shape.

“For me it’s about enjoying the game now. I don’t really need motivation, I just like the game.

“If I wasn’t playing professionally now, I would still be going to the gym, still doing something. Because I like to work out, I like to run. When I was away from tennis I did some half-marathons, 10k races. I enjoy it a lot. It’s part of my life.”

The half-marathons will have to wait for the foreseeable future as Zvonareva has no plans for this Wimbledon to be her swansong.

“If I get back in shape and I win a couple of matches and slowly climb up the rankings, then yeah I can get back to the level I was before probably,” she said with a smile.

“But you never know.”