"Next season I want to win the Slam in doubles again"

The past year has been extremely successful for Veronika Kudermetova, who won her first Grand Slam tournament. In doubles, together with Belgian Elise Mertens, she became the best at Wimbledon in the summer. And in November, their tandem won the final WTA tournament in Riyadh, repeating a similar success in 2022. In early December, Kudermetova took part in the Trophies of Northern Palmyra exhibition tournament in St. Petersburg. In an interview with Izvestia, the 28-year-old tennis player shared her impressions of performing in front of her compatriots, explained her successes with Mertens, told why Mirra Andreeva and Diana Schneider were among the leaders of the doubles, and also appreciated her performance in singles in 2025.

"We took some uncomfortable steps and turned the tide of the match."

— Are the emotions of playing on the territory of your country special?

— Yes, the very realization that you are playing in Russia, that everyone around you is Russian—speaking, it doesn't matter if they are your family or completely unfamiliar fans who have come to watch tennis. This is what makes the difference with the tournaments during the season, which are now all held outside our country. The atmosphere in St. Petersburg feels different — so homely.

— In addition to participating in the Northern Palmyra Trophies tournament, have there been opportunities to come to Russia in recent years, when the Kremlin Cup and St. Petersburg Open were removed from the WTA calendar?

— Unfortunately, it turns out to be very rare in Russia, because our calendar of the season is extremely busy. But whenever possible, I always try to return to Russia and spend all my time in my native Kazan, training there and spending time with my family.

— What is the reason for your successful doubles match with Alice Mertens?

— We already had a successful season in 2022, when we also won the final tournament. Then we stopped performing together, but now we've started playing together again. How do we successfully perform together? We are very experienced players, we work well together, we have very good communication. That's why we perform well in pairs. The results speak for themselves.

— Do you and Mertens have any other level in doubles that needs to be conquered after winning Wimbledon?

— I think you can always make progress. Next season, of course, I want to win the Slam again, add even more titles to my piggy bank. And we will work on it. Probably, in some other tennis aspects, you can add a few new doubles combinations to your game. As, for example, we had at the recent final tournament, when we took certain uncomfortable aspects for ourselves and turned the tide of the match.

— Last year, the bright Russian tandem of Mirra Andreeva and Diana Schneider appeared in doubles, who took silver at the Paris Olympics, and in 2025 they gained a foothold among the leaders and qualified for the final tournament. How can you explain their success?

— They are both good singles players with a certain high level of play. I think their youth, enthusiasm and ability to fight to the last ball allows them to show all their best qualities in doubles. They are distinguished by these three components.

"Top players are famous for the fact that they have fewer psychological fluctuations"

— How would you rate the past season in singles for yourself?

— The last two seasons in singles haven't been going well for me. I started this year on the 75th place in the WTA rankings. And I finished on the 30th. In principle, the progress was obvious. It was important to me that my relative return to the tennis elite in terms of ranking took place. Because after I was in the top 10 in 2022-2023, my expectations of myself were much higher. By doing so, I passed myself on. Now I can say that I have found a new self. And I'm really happy about it — this is the most important victory for me last season.

"What if I get up at the ballet and start yelling?"

Former world number one Daniil Medvedev — about trying to make a show out of tennis, crazy fans in China and the main events of the season

— What is the reason for the widespread instability in women's tennis, which has happened in recent years not only to you, but also to many other players, up to the leaders of the tour?

— Probably, it's still psychological instability. We have emotions, it's hard to control ourselves somewhere, there are a lot of stressful situations on the court. The ability to keep yourself within the bounds of what you have to do on the court is one of the main components of success in women's tennis. It is very difficult to achieve this. Therefore, among our women, everyone can beat everyone. But the top players are famous for the fact that they have fewer of these psychological fluctuations than most tennis players.

— What tasks do you set for yourself next year?

— Keep moving up. In singles, you definitely want to get into the top 15.

— Is there a target for Grand Slam singles tournaments?

— Of course, I will demand the maximum from myself. My maximum result is the quarterfinals. I want to move on and improve this result. I am working on this, which is indicated by two good matches at the tournament in St. Petersburg. Of course, there is something else that can be improved in terms of the game. But I hope that next year I will move to the best stage of my career.