CANCUN, Mexico — Last March, Vera Zvonareva and Laura Sigmund won the doubles title at the Miami Open.
Then mother Zvonareva, 37, who is considering moving to Dubai with her family and suffers from chronic right shoulder pain, told her partner she was done with the season.
Earlier this year, long after Sigmund left and committed to playing with Kirsten Flipkens, Zvonareva almost shyly asked her if she wanted to renew their partnership.
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Sigmund, who was sitting next to Zvonareva during the interview, interjected: “Yeah, that’s what I want to know.”
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Like the story of Zvonareva’s long and winding professional tennis career, the answer isn’t simple. She never announced her retirement, but after giving birth to daughter Evelina in 2016 and subsequently experiencing multiple failed comebacks, Zvonareva was “90 percent” convinced last year that she had retired.
Spoiler alert: Zvonareva is 39, four years older than the other Cancun qualifiers and ranked 16th in doubles. This is her highest ranking in 17 years. A few months ago, she and Sigmund, a recent U.S. Open finalist, weren’t even part of the year-end conversation. Now they are the sixth seed.
In the world of tennis, Zvonareva has been around for generations. When she turned pro in 2000, qualifiers Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff were not yet born. In 2010, Zvonareva reached the singles finals of Wimbledon and the US Open, losing to Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams respectively. Competitors at the WTA Finals in Doha that year included Zvonareva, Caroline Wozniacki, Jelena Jankovic, Elena Dementieva and 21-year-old Victoria · Azarenka.
In an era when former world number one Ashleigh Barty can retire at 25, how is it possible for Zvonareva to still be a viable player at the top of her game at 39? What about the players who perform at the level?
“I love this sport,” she said. “I’ve always had this perfectionism in me. When I start doing something, I want to be the best that I can be. There’s obviously a huge difference between the way I look at tennis now and the way I looked at tennis when I was 20 Different. I’m a lot more relaxed about many, many things.
“If I lose the game, it doesn’t hurt me too much because I know I gave it my all. I think it helps me to continue my career at this age because I enjoy the moment. I Thinking that eventually, you’ll have some wins, it’ll motivate you to come back and try again.”
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Other doubles players are surprised by Zvonareva’s longevity.
“Passion,” Demi Schules said.
“Dedicated,” echoed her partner Desirae Krawczyk. “You love competing, you love touring. But it’s making sacrifices. She’s doing it for her daughter and she’s doing it for herself. It’s actually amazing.”
Instant connection
Zvonareva ended that landmark season in 2010 as the world’s second-ranked singles player. She was a regular at the WTA Finals, advancing four times from 2004-11 and reaching the final in 2008, where she lost to Venus Williams.
Early in her career, she played an extensive doubles schedule, reaching the top ten in 2006, but she gradually began to focus on singles. Then the injuries began to accumulate, especially to her right shoulder.
She won her fourth Grand Slam doubles title at the 2012 Australian Open but limped through the season and achieved her goal of representing Russia in the Olympics. Zvonareva underwent surgery in 2013 and never became an effective singles player again.
Zvonareva got married in 2015 and gave birth to a daughter in 2016.
“From that point on,” she said, “I had no intention of coming back.”
But the draw proved irresistible. She played only a small number of singles matches in 2017 and the following three years, and also participated in some doubles matches.
Zvonareva played four matches with three different doubles partners in 2020 before deciding to play with Sigmund at the U.S. Open for the first time.
“I remember it very clearly,” Sigmund, 35, said. “we won.”
This is Sigmund’s first Grand Slam title and Zvonareva’s fifth title.
Injuries and life situations on both sides prevented them from playing a cohesive game. When Zvonareva left last year’s title in Miami with an Achilles injury, it seemed like it was over.
At this point in the narrative, Zvonareva and Siegmund began to interrupt and add to each other’s words like an old couple. Sigmund, curious and indeed unaware of key parts of Zvonareva’s account, took over the role of reporter and launched into a lively Q&A.
Sigmund wanted a permanent partner and he started working with Flipkens in 2023. But back home in Dubai, Zvonareva was invited to compete in a pro-am show in January. She accepted it without thinking twice.
“I lived there and he asked me – how can you blame me for saying yes?” Zvonareva said. “I thought, ‘Wow, I just want to see that.'”
“Then,” Sigmund said, “you crush it. And then you say, ‘Hey, remember me?'”
Their first game of 2023 is Miami, where they are the defending champions. They lost the second game. But then they reached the semifinals in Charleston and won the WTA 125 in Paris before everything started to gel. They reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, won the title in Washington, D.C., and reached the finals at the U.S. Open.
Now, they’re in Cancun. It was a Back to the Future moment for Zvonareva; her first (and only) doubles match at the end of 2005 was with Elena Likhovtseva partner.
“Wow,” said Katarina Siniakova, who won this year’s Australian Open with Barbora Krejcikova. “It’s great that she’s feeling healthy and playing so well.”
Can she still see herself playing at the age of 39?
“No,” Siniakova replied.
Sigmund always knew she and Zvonareva would play well together – as long as they could play.
“When we have the ability, yes, we at least do a good job,” Sigmund said. “I know if we get through the whole year, for me, the finals is always your goal.
“I’m glad we’re finally here.”