Petrova aims to recapture glory of '06 title

Nadia Petrova participated in Monday's All-Access Hour, a time for the top players in the Family Circle Cup field to answer questions from journalists and sign autographs for fans.

The event was held just outside of Family Circle Cup Stadium, and Petrova couldn't help but notice the spoils of her success from the 2006 tournament, when she defeated Patty Schnyder 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 to win the title. There, hanging from the stadium, was a giant poster of Petrova.

"It was one of my goals. Every time I came here, I saw pictures of the champions. It was my goal to have my picture up there," said Petrova, who is playing in Charleston for the first time since '06. "I have to make sure I leave Charleston with a picture of me standing next to my picture."

Petrova opted not to play in Charleston in '07 and missed last year's event because of a right quadricep strain. She's played in four Family Circle Cups and has reached the quarterfinals two times.

"Many players do love coming here," Petrova said. "This tournament, to win it is every player's goal. It can change the momentum of the whole season, so every one is hungry to win it.

"It's good to see some new faces who are trying to win this, and it's good to see some of the older girls as well. It's a good mixture, and it's going to be an interesting tournament."

Petrova is the No. 4 seed behind Elena Dementieva, Venus Williams and Vera Zvonareva. She currently is No. 10 in the world.

The victory in Charleston three years ago helped catapult her to No. 3 in the world. Her ranking has dropped. She finished last year ranked No. 11, marking her sixth straight year that she was in the top 20.

Late last year, she contracted viral meningitis and missed three weeks of the season.

But she returned to form and is hoping to have a big year. Her best finish this season was reaching the third round at the Australian Open.

"I just have to play aggressively and stay focused and I can do well here," Petrova said.

Zvonareva is hoping to go one step further in this year's Family Circle Cup. She reached the final last year, but fell to Serena Williams, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. She's ready to play in her first clay-court tournament of the year.

"I'm looking forward to it," Zvonareva said. "I have some great memories here, so many good matches even though I lost in the final last year. It's a new year, a new start and I have a good feeling."

Zvonareva said making the transition to clay is part physical, part psychological.

"Some times it takes me a couple of days to get used to it. Sometimes it takes a bit longer," she said. "You never know. I am looking forward to my first match, that's going to be a good test for me because no matter how much I practice on clay, it's always different in a match."

She has a tough clay-court schedule. She will head to Europe and play in tournaments at Stuttgart, Rome and Madrid to get ready for Roland Garros.