Kuznetsova won’t go to London 2012 as substitute

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Published time: June 25, 2012 10:07
Edited time: June 25, 2012 14:07

Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova says she won’t be satisfied with a role of substitute player in the country’s tennis team for London 2012.

­“I don’t know why people think this way, but I won’t be going to the Olympics as a substitute. I’ll be playing a series of tournaments in the US instead,” Kuznetsova wrote on her Twitter page.  

The Russian Tennis Federation’s President Shamil Tarpischev, said that only the four highest ranked female players will represent the country in singles competition at the Games.

At the moment, those are World No.1, Maria Sharapova, Vera Zvonareva, who’s ranked 12th, as well as Maria Kirilenko (19) and Nadya Petrova (20).   
Kuznetsova currently occupies the 35th spot on the WTA Rankings, but she still can improve her position if she does well at Wimbledon, which kicks off on Monday.

The 26-year-old was part of Team Russia in Beijing 2008, but lost to home crowd favorite Li Na in the first round.

Meanwhile, her compatriots dominated the podium in the Chinese capital, with Elena Dementieva beating Dinara Safina for gold, and Vera Zvonareva claiming the bronze medal.