I Love What I Do And I

People Always Ask About Young People Like Me Being Forced Into Things. I Play Tennis Because I Love It. I Think Russians Might Be Tougher Than Other People. When I Arrived In America I Was Young, But I Already Knew What I Wanted. I Think That When You Start From Nothing, When You Come From Nothing, It Makes You Hungry. I Am Proud Of Where I Came From And I Know What I Want. I Want To Win.

I Spent A Whole Year When I Was Injured Just Trying To Get My Arm Back To The Point Where I Could Hit A Tennis Ball For More Than 30 Minutes A Day. I'd Hit For 15 Minutes And It Would Feel As If My Arm Was Going To Fall Off.

Of Course, Everyone Knows My Story Of Being Born In Russia And Moving To The United States At 7. For A Few Years People Would Say, 'well, She's Living In The United States, But She's Russian.'

I've Been Very Competitive By Nature From A Young Age, Whether It Was Eating A Bowl Of Pasta Faster Than Somebody Else, Or Always Wanting To Be The First One In Line.

You Control Your Own Wins And Losses.