Svetlana Kuznetsova, who will play No. 2 Simona Halep in the semifinals in Sydney, said that the Romanian has become smarter in the past year.
Kuznetsova, a two-time Grand Slam champion, is 2-3 head-to-head against Halep. They first played each other in 2011, well before Halep cracked the Top 5.
Now, the 30-year-old Kuznetsova believes that Halep is much more controlled.
“I believe she started to be more consistent,” she said. “I think she has many health issues, because I was supposed to practice with her in Dubai and she got sick. Then sometimes she gets [an] injury to something. But when she plays well, she always goes deep in the tournament. She's really [a] consistent player. I think she improved in that a lot.”
In the 2014 French Open quarterfinals, Halep blew Kuznetsova out, 6-2, 6-2, en route to reaching the final. On that day, however, the 2009 French Open winner said she was not in the match mentally.
“With all the respect to all players I play, it depends a lot on me,” Kuznetsova said. “That day she was great, but I was out of that. I remember I was feeling so bad about myself, about my game, about the pressure. But [Halep] was good by then. She just improved. I think it's also about believing in yourself, and each game of each player.”
Kuznetsova said that she now has three coaches: Carlos Martinez, Hernan Gumy, and Anastasia Myskina. They are with her at different tournaments.