When I travel, I love speaking to women around the world about the things that inspire them, the fashions they like, what makes something good and what would make it even better.

I learned there's a big difference between juniors and the pros.

When I walk through that gate to the court, that's my escape. I block out everything, good and bad.

There are so many roads you can take that will lead you the wrong way, that nobody will hear your name.

When I'm down or maybe when it's close in the match, I feel like I'm still in it. I don't feel like I'm letting down. Mentally, I'm still really, really tough.

I love yoga. I do yoga when I have time, which is not very often.

I've been playing against older and stronger competition my whole life. It has made me a better tennis player and able to play against this kind of level despite their strength and experience.

I don't follow other players or the tournaments they play. I have my own schedule and do my own thing. I never really think, 'Oh, I want to be or play like so-and-so.' I just like being myself.

Sometimes I feel my arm is like a swan's neck - so weak.

There are days when I go out on the court and I feel like I can't miss a ball.

You have your bad moments in your career and your good moments. And it's been a good ride so far, but it's not over yet.

As an individual, I take every match seriously, no matter who I'm going to play.

I look forward to the challenges.

The forehands or backhands don't mean much after three hours.

I'm an athlete. I go out there and fight my heart out.

My parents had a normal life in Russia and they could have easily kept living a normal life, working and raising a child in Russia.

I love competing.

I heard endless conversations between my parents when I was going to sleep about how we would survive, how we would continue. All of them were about trying to make me better.

You control your own wins and losses.

I definitely feel Russian inside, even when I'm in America I feel Russian.

I try not to hit a swing volley and run back. So my swing volley is kind of that transition to the net. It's been one of my favorite shots ever since I was young.

I'm not a huge gym person, so I try to stay away from the gym. But I love to run on the beach or go for a walk. It's better than riding a stationary bike.

I love playing for my country, getting the support. Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so early. And maybe they can achieve it, too, just to get that in their minds.

I still love things that you don't even need to pay for. Going to the beach and being around five of your friends and having a good time means so much more than going out and spending hundreds of dollars.

When you are young, you are a little naive.

If I can create something that allows a woman to feel better - that is the true reward.

I'm focused on going out every day and doing my best.

When you travel so many weeks a year, it's always nice to have a home-cooked meal.

I never really had an idol.

I help design my own tennis clothes.

When I make a commitment I stick to it.

There's not many firsts in my career, as I have been a part of many tournaments and fortunate enough to win many.

I think it's so cool to be tall. Even when I'm not wearing heels people tell me I'm tall and I always take it as a complement. The good thing is I can always see everybody in the room.

I love street style, seeing how girls wear pieces and how their pair accessories with their outfit. How they pair shoes with a bag and go to day to night and change things up.

I have a very big sweet tooth and I love treating myself to something that I wouldn't necessarily eat during the tournament such as a nice-sized cake.

I don't get to do as much sightseeing as I would like to.

I don't do heavy weights at all.

I go to yoga classes and work on my core.

I love what I do and I love being an athlete, but I also love all the things that have come with it.

I'm never standing still and that makes my life pretty exciting.

My family and I built my whole career from scratch.

I hit a ball for a living, but I have that passion to keep learning.

I find a lot of inspiration in street style and watching women walk, the way they wear things and what they're wearing.

Tennis has given me this wonderful life and I'm very grateful for it.

Through my travels, I find inspiration in street style and how young women create their individual looks and identity.

I love to collect modern art.

Whether you win a match or lose a match, in terms of your emotions, it's important to be pretty levelheaded.

After being on the court for six hours, being on TV is very glamorous and fun for me. But tennis is always going to be my priority. It's not going to be this thing when all of a sudden TV will get in the way of that.

I'm always that annoying person that pulls out the camera in the middle of dinner and starts taking candids.

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.'