Career Vera Zvonareva

1 career

1.1 1999–2001
1.2 2002
1.3 2003
1.4 2004: breakthrough
1.5 2005: first injury
1.6 2006
1.7 2007: second injury
1.8 2008: rising top 10 player
1.9 2009
1.10 2010: 2 grand slam finals , best ranking
1.11 2011
1.12 2012: third injury
1.13 2013: shoulder surgery
1.14 2014: hiatus, return tennis
1.15 2015–2016: hiatus , motherhood
1.16 2017: comeback, itf title

career

1999–2001

zvonareva started compete on itf circuit in 1999, debuting @ itf tournament in tbilisi, georgia. won 3 qualifying matches there reach main draw before losing in first round. next year, won itf event in moscow, russia without dropping set, despite being unranked. event second event had played in professional career. 5 weeks later, made wta-level debut @ tier tournament in moscow, beating world no. 148 elena bovina, before losing world no. 11 anna kournikova in second round. in 2001, failed qualify wta events in key biscayne, florida , moscow, reached semifinal @ itf circuit tournament in civitanova, italy. during time, showed adeptness in juniors competition winning orange bowl under-18s event in 2000 , 2001.

2002

zvonareva won second itf circuit title in naples, florida , in july reached first singles final on wta tour @ palermo, losing mariana díaz oliva in 3 sets. achieved semifinal finishes in warsaw , sopot, plus quarterfinal finish in bol. zvonareva won 3 qualifying matches @ french open reach main draw first time @ grand slam tournament. lost there in fourth round eventual champion serena williams, 6–4, 0–6, 1–6. ranking high enough direct entry wimbledon, lost in second round 23rd seed iva majoli, 6–7(5), 2–6. @ open, zvonareva lost world no. 7 kim clijsters in third round, 6–1, 5–7, 4–6. ranking rose top 100 after french open , top 50 after open.

2003

zvonareva won title @ tier iii event in bol, beating conchita martínez granados in final, , reached 3 other semifinals (including tier ii event in linz). defeated top-10 player first time when beat world no. 10 anastasia myskina in berlin. @ french open, zvonareva defeated world no. 3 venus williams in fourth round, before losing in quarterfinals world no. 76 nadia petrova. french open results caused ranking enter top 20. reached quarterfinals in 6 out of 7 tier events contested. debut russian fed cup team in world group quarterfinals against slovenia. russia won 5–0, lost france 3–2 in semifinals. in doubles, reached first wta final @ moscow myskina. ended year ranked world no. 13.

2004: breakthrough

zvonareva won first career grand slam title, winning mixed doubles competition @ open bob bryan. won 1 singles title, in memphis, tennessee , reached final of events in cincinnati, ohio , philadelphia, losing top-10 players lindsay davenport , amélie mauresmo. in final of memphis event, zvonareva trailed hometown favorite lisa raymond 5–2 in third set, before saving 3 match points , winning last 5 games of match win title, 4–6, 6–4, 7–5. in addition this, reached semifinals of 3 tier tournaments in rome, san diego, , montreal. lost in san diego fellow russian anastasia myskina in match featured final set tiebreak ended 17–15. zvonareva , myskina teamed in final of fed cup, playing in crucial final rubber against marion bartoli , Émilie loit, pair won, 7–6(5), 7–5, seal russia s first fed cup title.

zvonareva ended year ranked world no. 11. in august, reached then-career high of world no. 9. because of several withdrawals, zvonareva able compete @ wta tour championships, event reserved top 8 players in world. unable win match , exited @ round-robin stage.

2005: first injury

zvonareva obtained invitation hong kong tennis patrons association play in watsons water champions chellenge 2005. defended memphis title, defeating meghann shaughnessy, injured in second half of 2005 (from june december). ranking dropped no. 11 no. 42.

2006

zvonareva @ 2006 kremlin cup.

in 2006, zvonareva won first women s doubles grand slam tournament @ open, partnering nathalie dechy of france. obtained second mixed doubles title @ wimbledon, partnering andy ram of israel. defeated americans bob bryan , venus williams, 6–2, 6–3. garnered success in singles competition, winning 2 titles in season first time in career. included first tournament win on grass, @ dfs classic in birmingham, england. other title came in cincinnati, played flawless match against serena williams in semifinals, , beat katarina srebotnik in final.

2007: second injury

the 2007 season year of mixed fortune zvonareva. @ 2007 pacific life open, stunned world no. 1 maria sharapova, defending champion, 4–6, 7–5, 6–1, in fourth round, marking first victory on reigning world no. 1. however, fell in next round li na. @ next tournament, family circle cup, forced retire when playing dinara safina , down set, due left wrist injury. injury kept out of european clay-court season, grass-court season, , of north american hard-court season. on returning tour, reached third round of open, losing serena williams. @ remaining tournaments on schedule, reached quarterfinals or better @ 4 out of five, semifinal finishes in luxembourg , quebec. 1 final came during first week of year, in auckland, new zealand.

2008: rising top 10 player

zvonareva began year losing wildcard marina erakovic, ranked world no. 153, @ asb classic in auckland, new zealand. reached final of tier iv moorilla hobart international in hobart, australia, did not play final against eleni daniilidou because of ankle injury. injury forced retire in first round match @ australian open against ai sugiyama, while trailing 3–6, 1–1.

she reached final of tier qatar total open in doha, beating dinara safina, sybille bammer, , li na along way. in final against world no. 5 , fourth-seeded maria sharapova, zvonareva lost in 3 sets. in march, @ bangalore open, zvonareva lost in quarterfinals venus williams. zvonareva reached quarterfinals of tier pacific life open in indian wells, california, before losing eventual champion ana ivanovic, 1–6, 4–6. 2 weeks later, zvonareva reached semifinals of tier sony ericsson open in key biscayne, florida, lost fourth seed jelena janković, 1–6, 4–6.

on clay, zvonareva reached third final overall , second tier final of year @ family circle cup in charleston, south carolina. en route final, defeated world no. 5 jelena janković , world no. 8 elena dementieva, first time in career defeated 2 top-10 players in same tournament. in final, lost fifth seed serena williams in 3 sets. in may, zvonareva won first wta title in 2 years. @ tier iv ecm prague open, zvonareva defeated third seed victoria azarenka in final. sixth career singles title. lost venus williams in third round of tier internazionali bnl d italia in rome, , dementieva in fourth round of french open.

on grass, zvonareva lost first match @ international women s open in eastbourne, united kingdom , second-round match against tamarine tanasugarn @ wimbledon.

during north american summer hard-court season, commonly known open series, lost in first round of bank of west classic in stanford, california, second round of east west bank classic in los angeles, , first round of tier rogers cup in montreal. @ beijing olympics, zvonareva lost in semifinals fifth seeded dementieva, 4–6, 6–7(3), defeated li na, 6–0, 7–5, win bronze medal. these results caused zvonareva s ranking rise career-high-equaling world no. 9. 2 weeks later, zvonareva seeded eighth @ open, lost in second round tatiana perebiynis of ukraine, 3–6, 3–6.

in september, zvonareva helped russia victory against spain in final of fed cup. zvonareva won opening match of tie in madrid, defeating anabel medina garrigues, 6–3, 6–4. @ guangzhou international women s open, tier iii event, defeated zheng jie in straight sets in semifinals, before beating peng shuai in final. reached semifinals @ china open in beijing, losing three-set match top-seeded janković. @ tier ii porsche tennis grand prix in stuttgart, zvonareva lost in quarterfinals, again janković, 6–7(8), 6–7(5). in hometown event, kremlin cup in moscow next week, zvonareva beat second seed dinara safina in straight sets in semifinals, lost janković third time in 3 weeks in final in straight sets. in second round match against medina garrigues @ zurich open, zvonareva retired match while trailing 3–6, 0–3. however, reached final of generali ladies linz in austria, beating marion bartoli in semifinals, 6–0, 6–1, before losing final ivanovic in straight sets, hitting 32 unforced errors.

to finish off year, zvonareva qualified year-end sony ericsson championships (open top 8 players) second time in career. accrue enough points qualify, had played 6 consecutive tournaments after open. in first round-robin match, won against compatriot svetlana kuznetsova, 6–2, 6–3. zvonareva beat ivanovic, 6–3, 6–7(5), 6–4, before completing clean sweep of group defeating world no. 1 janković, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4. reached final defeating olympic gold medalist dementieva, 7–6(7), 3–6, 6–3, lost three-setter wimbledon champion venus williams, 7–6(5), 0–6, 2–6.

2009

vera zvonareva @ 2009 open.

zvonareva seventh seed @ australian open. defeated tenth seed nadia petrova in fourth round, 7–5, 6–4, , 16th seed marion bartoli in quarterfinals, 6–3, 6–0. lost world no. 3 dinara safina in semifinals, 3–6, 6–7(4). tournament, however, caused zvonareva s ranking rise world no. 5, highest of career @ time.

in february, won pattaya women s open, international event in thailand, defeated sania mirza in final. played barclays dubai tennis championships, premier 5 event, defeated marion bartoli in third round, before losing virginie razzano in quarterfinals, 6–7(7), 5–7.

in march, zvonareva fourth seed @ first premier mandatory event of year, bnp paribas open in indian wells, california. won title, overcoming santa ana winds , defending champion ana ivanovic in final. in doubles final, , victoria azarenka beat fellow unseeded tandem gisela dulko , shahar pe er.

at sony ericsson open in key biscayne, florida, second premier mandatory event of year, zvonareva beat tathiana garbin of italy in second round, before being upset in third round li na, 4–6, 6–3, 2–6. zvonereva had beaten li previous week in fourth round of bnp paribas open.

at family circle cup in charleston, south carolina, zvonareva third seed , received first-round bye. beat rossana de los ríos in second round, 6–3, 6–2. in third round against virginie razzano, forced retire due ankle injury. zvonareva tore 2 ligaments in ankle, later forced withdraw russia s fed cup tie italy. ongoing ankle injury forced withdraw internazionali bnl d italia in rome , mutua madrileña madrid open, , 2009 french open.

zvonareva seeded seventh @ wimbledon , met great britain s georgie stoop in first round. game close, being abandoned due bad light @ end of first day @ 1 set apiece. zvonareva went on win, 7–6(0), 4–6, 6–4. zvonareva beat mathilde johansson in second round. zvonareva withdrew against 26th seed virginie razzano in third round, due recurrence of ankle injury.

in 2009 İstanbul cup, upset mariya koryttseva, 2–6, 6–1, 4–6. in first tournament in 2009 open series, competed in 2009 la women s tennis championships, lost in quarterfinals eventual champion flavia pennetta, 4–6, 2–6. reached third round of 2009 western & southern financial group women s open , of 2009 rogers cup, losing daniela hantuchová, 6–7(6), 6–0, 6–7(5), , maria sharapova, 2–6, 6–7(3). defeated nuria llagostera vives, anna chakvetadze, , elena vesnina, before missing 6 match points , crumbling flavia pennetta, 6–3, 6–7(6), 0–6, @ 2009 open. competed in 2009 toray pan pacific open, lost compatriot alisa kleybanova, 6–3,4–6, 2–6, in second round, after receiving bye in first round. followed competing in 2009 china open, reached quarterfinals, losing marion bartoli, 6–3, 5–7, 2–6.

zvonareva competed in kremlin cup in moscow first seed. defeated in second round tsvetana pironkova, 0–6, 2–6. because of loss, did not qualify 2009 wta tour championships in doha, did win spot alternate. due withdrawal of dinara safina, zvonareva set play 2 matches there. however, played 1 match against caroline wozniacki, lost, 0–6, 7–6(3), 4–6, in dramatic match in both players suffered injuries. withdrew tournament, citing ankle injury, , last match played co-alternate, agnieszka radwańska. finished year ranked world no. 9.

2010: 2 grand slam finals , best ranking


zvonareva @ 2010 open

zvonareva obtained invitation hong kong tennis patrons association once again play in hong kong tennis classic , won championships compatriots maria sharapova , yevgeny kafelnikov. seeded ninth @ australian open, made fourth round, winning first 3 matches against kristína kučová, iveta benešová, , gisela dulko. lost victoria azarenka, 6–4, 4–6, 0–6, after leading 6–4, 4–1. due loss, zvonareva fell out of top 10. top seed , defending champion @ 2010 ptt pattaya open, zvonareva defeated ksenia pervak in first round, alberta brianti in second round, fifth seed sybille bammer in quarterfinals, , fourth seed yaroslava shvedova in semifinals. in final, defeated local favorite tamarine tanasugarn in straight sets, 6–4, 6–4, thereby defending title. @ 2010 dubai tennis championships, zvonareva defeated compatriot elena vesnina in 3 sets in first round, , following double bagel against qualifier kirsten flipkens. defeated jelena janković in straight sets reach quarterfinals, lost azarenka, 1–6, 3–6.

despite being defending champion @ bnp paribas open in indian wells, california, zvonareva lost fourth-round match against samantha stosur, 2–6, 5–7. loss, fell out of top 20. @ 2010 sony ericsson open, zvonareva lost justine henin, 1–6, 4–6, in fourth round, after defeating melanie oudin , sara errani in straight sets.

her next tournament 2010 family circle cup in charleston, south carolina, seventh seed. beat melanie oudin in straight sets, 7–5, 6–2, in quarterfinals. advanced second final of year , second family circle cup final after top seed , world no. 2 caroline wozniacki retired while trailing 5–2 in semifinals due sprained ankle. zvonareva overwhelmed in final samantha stosur, 0–6, 3–6.

zvonareva s next tournament internazionali bnl d italia, where, 15th seed, lost petra kvitová, 4–6, 0–6, in second round. @ mutua madrileña madrid open, lost venus williams, 5–7, 3–6, in second round, after defeating melanie oudin, 6–3, 6–4. zvonareva seeded 21st @ 2010 french open. defeated alberta brianti in first round, upset anastasia rodionova in second round in straight sets. next tournament 2010 aegon international in england, lost maría josé martínez sánchez in 3 tight sets, 3–6, 6–3, 5–7, in opening round.

zvonareva reached first grand slam singles final @ wimbledon, 21st seed. defeated nuria llagostera vives, andrea hlaváčková, 15th seed yanina wickmayer, fourth seed jelena janković, eighth seed kim clijsters, , tsvetana pironkova reach final, fell in straight sets world no. 1 serena williams, 3–6, 2–6. zvonareva rose world no. 9 following tournament.

zvonareva seeded third @ 2010 mercury insurance open in san diego. defeated dominika cibulková in 3 sets in first round, before falling coco vandeweghe. seeded sixth @ 2010 western & southern financial group women s open, zvonareva received bye second round, faced compatriot maria kirilenko. in match several rain interruptions, zvonareva found herself down 2–5 in third set before rain delay. coming onto court, zvonareva rallied take third set , match, 7–5, 2–6, 7–6(2). lost 11th seed flavia pennetta in third round. @ 2010 rogers cup, zvonareva had bye in first round , beat yaroslava shvedova in second round, 6–2, 6–1, Ágnes szávay, 6–3, 6–3, in third round , kim clijsters, 2–6, 6–3, 6–2, in quarterfinals. after 2 days of rain, zvonareva returned on monday, winning semifinal against victoria azarenka, retired when trailing, 7–6(6), 1–0. zvonareva beaten caroline wozniacki in final, 3–6, 2–6.

as seventh seed, zvonareva reached second career , second straight grand slam final @ 2010 open, lost second seed kim clijsters, 2–6, 1–6. had defeated zuzana kučová, sabine lisicki, 25th seed alexandra dulgheru, andrea petkovic, 31st seed kaia kanepi, , top seed caroline wozniacki. zvonareva attained career-high ranking of world no. 2 following open.

zvonareva s first tournament after open 2010 toray pan pacific open, second seed. advanced quarterfinals, before falling world no. 10 , seventh seeded elena dementieva. competed in 2010 china open, rallying set down against kirilenko in third round, 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, , beating french open champion schiavone, 6–2, 6–0, in quarterfinals. tenth victory on italian in ten career meetings. win ensured zvonareva rise world no. 3. defeated li na in semifinals, before falling top-seeded wozniacki in final, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6. zvonareva qualified year-end 2010 wta tour championships in doha, qatar, second seed. in white group kim clijsters, jelena janković, , victoria azarenka. zvonareva went 3–0 in group , advanced semifinals, lost caroline wozniacki. finished season career-high rank of world no. 2.

2011


zvonareva @ 2011 australian open

at hong kong tennis classic, joined russia s group , won in final against europe maria kirilenko , yevgeny kafelnikov. second seed @ 2011 medibank international sydney, zvonareva received bye second round, defeated flavia pennetta, 7–5, 7–5. zvonareva seeded second @ 2011 australian open in singles. defeated sybille bammer, 6–2, 6–1, in first round, breaking bammer 4 times in row. zvonareva defeated unseeded bojana jovanovski in second round, 2–6, 6–3, 6–1. in third round, zvonareva defeated 31st seed lucie Šafářová in straight sets, 6–3, 7–6(9). zvonareva defeated unseeded iveta benešová in round of 16, 6–4, 6–1. defeated 25th seed petra kvitová in quarterfinal, 6–2, 6–4. in semifinal, defeated third seed , eventual champion kim clijsters, 6–3, 6–3.

at 2011 ptt pattaya open, zvonareva top seed , seeking third consecutive title , second title defense. defeated tamira paszek, 6–4, 6–2, in first round, qualifier nungnadda wannasuk, 6–1, 7–5, in second round, , peng shuai, 6–4, 4–6, 6–4, in quarterfinals. in semifinals, zvonareva upset fourth seed daniela hantuchová, 7–6(3), 6–4. second seed @ 2011 dubai tennis championships, zvonareva received bye second round. there, defeated roberta vinci, 6–3, 6–1. in third round, upset 15th seed alisa kleybanova, 6–3, 6–2.

zvonareva picked first title of 2011 in late february @ 2011 qatar ladies open. second seed, receiving bye second round, defeated dominika cibulková, 6–1, 6–2. in quarterfinals, defeated daniela hantuchová, 7–5, 6–7(5), 7–5, in match lasting on 3 hours, after trailing 5–4 in third set. defeated former world no. 1 jelena janković, 6–1, 2–6, 6–4, in semifinals, , current world no. 1 , top seed caroline wozniacki, 6–4, 6–4, in final. zvonareva s first title in on year , third time had defeated reigning world no. 1.

zvonareva third seed @ 2011 bnp paribas open , had bye second round. despite letting 6–3, 5–1 lead escape her, defeated timea bacsinszky, 6–3, 7–6(4). in third round, in match lasted on 3 hours, upset 25th seed dominika cibulková, 4–6, 7–6(4), 6–4, despite saving 5 match points. zvonareva third seed @ 2011 sony ericsson open bye second round, defeated dinara safina, 3–6, 6–3, 6–2. in third round, faced 28th seed jarmila groth, defeating in straight sets, 7–6(4), 6–2. in fourth round, faced 15th seed marion bartoli, prevailing 2–6, 6–3, 6–2. in quarterfinals, zvonareva faced ninth seed agnieszka radwańska, whom defeated, 7–5, 6–3, reach semifinals in key biscayne second time, last time being in 2008. despite winning 2 of 4 previous matches after trailing set in tournament, victoria azarenka, eighth seed, dispatched zvonareva in semifinals, 6–0, 6–3. zvonareva led russian fed cup team in semifinal tie against italy. defeated both sara errani , roberta vinci in straight sets ensure spot russia in final.

zvonareva kicked off clay-court season @ 2011 porsche tennis grand prix in stuttgart, germany. second seed, received bye second round, defeating anastasia pavlyuchenkova, 3–6, 6–4, 6–2, before losing samantha stosur in quarterfinals. second seed @ 2011 mutua madrileña madrid open, beat patty schnyder , elena vesnina, before being upset 16th seed , eventual champion petra kvitová in third round. @ inaugural 2011 brussels ladies open, after first round bye, defeated qualifier galina voskoboeva, after dropping first set in second round. in quarterfinals, blew out world no. 28 , sixth seed alexandra dulgheru of romania, 6–0, 6–1, losing 1 point on serve. run ended in semifinals, upset 6–3, 6–3 eighth seed peng shuai of china. zvonareva seeded third @ 2011 french open , defeated unseeded lourdes domínguez lino in first round, 6–3, 6–3. in second round, defeated sabine lisicki, 4–6, 7–5, 7–5, despite trailing 5–2 in third set , having save match point. zvonareva avenged loss @ previous year s french open defeating anastasia rodionova in third round, 6–2, 6–3. in fourth round, top remaining seed, zvonareva came against 15th seed anastasia pavlyuchenkova. match showed sporadic form both women, until pavlyuchenkova prevailed, 7–6(4), 2–6, 6–2.

beginning grass-court season @ 2011 aegon international top seed, zvonareva defeated heather watson, 6–3, 6–3, , serena williams, 3–6, 7–6(5), 7–5, lost samantha stosur, 4–6, 7–6(4), 6–4, in quarterfinals. zvonareva second seed @ wimbledon, defeating alison riske, 6–0, 3–6, 6–3, in first round , elena vesnina, 6–1, 7–6(5), in second round, before falling tsvetana pironkova, 6–2, 6–3, in rematch of previous year s semifinal match. zvonareva suffered ankle injury during singles match , subsequently withdrew doubles competition.

zvonareva s hard-court summer began @ inaugural baku cup, top seed. zvonareva defeated nigina abduraimova, kristína kučová, anna tatishvili, , mariya koryttseva reach final, defeated ksenia pervak, 6–1, 6–4, twelfth wta title. @ mercury insurance open in carlsbad, california, top seed , made final, lost agnieszka radwańska, 6–3, 6–4. making final, zvonareva achieved career-high winning streak of 9 matches. zvonareva went on play in rogers cup in toronto, canada, third seed. after receiving bye second round, defeated nadia petrova, 7–5, 6–4, before again falling agnieszka radwańska, 6–4, 7–6(4). despite loss compared 2010 performance, zvonareva rose world no. 2, matching career-high ranking. @ 2011 western & southern open in cincinnati, second seed , received bye second round. defeated ekaterina makarova, petra martić, , daniela hantuchová en route semifinals, fell fourth seed , eventual champion maria sharapova, 2–6, 6–3, 6–3. @ open, zvonareva second seed , defeated qualifier stéphanie foretz gacon, kateryna bondarenko, 30th seed anabel medina garrigues, , 22nd seed sabine lisicki reach quarterfinals, lost ninth seed , eventual champion samantha stosur, 6–3, 6–3. unable defend runner-up points 2010, fell world no. 4.

zvonareva began asian hard-court swing @ toray pan pacific open in tokyo, fourth seed , received bye second round, defeating tsvetana pironkova, iveta benešová, maria kirilenko, , petra kvitová—all in straight sets progress final first time, lost ninth seed agnieszka radwańska, 6–3, 6–2. next played @ china open in beijing, third seed , received bye second round result of making final in tokyo. lost in third round ana ivanovic. after beijing, zvonareva became sixth qualifier year-end wta tour championships. @ home tournament, kremlin cup, reached quarterfinals, lost no. 8 seed , eventual champion dominika cibulková, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4.

at wta tour championships, zvonareva placed in red group alongside world no. 1 caroline wozniacki, 2011 wimbledon champion petra kvitová, , agnieszka radwańska. in round robin play, fell kvitová 6–2, 6–4 before rebounding defeat wozniacki 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, fourth victory on reigning world no. 1. faced radwańska in final round robin match, falling 1–6, 6–2, 7–5 after not able capitalize on 3 match points serving @ 5–3. virtue of highest games won percentage of group after kvitová, zvonareva became second qualifier semifinals red group. lost victoria azarenka 6–2, 6–3, , ended year world no. 7.

2012: third injury

zvonareva @ 2012 summer olympics

zvonareva began 2012 season @ 2012 apia international sydney. seeded 6, lost in opening round compatriot svetlana kuznetsova 6-1, 6-2. seeded 7 @ 2012 australian open, beat alexandra dulgheru in first round 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 6-3. in 2nd round, defeated lucie hradecká 6-1, 7-6(3). in 3rd round, zvonareva lost compatriot ekaterina makarova 7-6(7), 6-1. zvonareva experienced more success in doubles tournament partner kuznetsova, unseeded pair, reached final, beating defending champions gisela dulko , flavia pennetta in process. zvonareva , kuznetsova defeated sara errani , roberta vinci 5–7, 6–4, 6–3 title.

seeded 1 @ 2012 ptt pattaya open, zvonareva beat qualifier varatchaya wongteanchai , akgul amanmuradova in straight sets. however, in quarterfinal match, retired down 6-2, 4-6, 2-2 7th seed sorana cîrstea due left hip injury. seeded 6 @ 2012 qatar total open, zvonareva defending champion. receiving 1st round bye, against monica niculescu in 2nd round match. retired in 2nd round trailing 7-5, 3-2 niculescu due same left hip injury. seeded 9 @ 2012 bnp paribas open, zvonareva got 1st round bye. won 1st match since pattaya beating kimiko date-krumm in 2nd round 6-3, 6-4. zvonareva pulled out of 3rd round match versus klára zakopalová due viral illness. @ 2012 sony ericsson open zvonareva 9th seed , again, received 1st round bye. stunned in 2nd round 18 year old wildcard garbiñe muguruza blanco 6-4, 6-3.

zvonareva began clay court season @ 2012 family circle cup in charleston, south carolina. seeded 4 , receiving 1st round bye, beat kateryna bondarenko in second round 6-1, 6-1. in 3rd round, beat stefanie vögele 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. zvonareva lost in quarterfinals 9th seed , eventual finalist lucie Šafářová in straight sets 6-3, 6-3. seeded 10 @ 2012 mutua madrid open, zvonareva lost in 1st round world number 29 petra cetkovská 6-2, 6-2. zvonareva missed 2012 french open due right shoulder injury.

seeded 12 @ 2012 wimbledon championships, zvonareva beat mona barthel in 1st round 2-6, 7-6(3), 6-4. in 2nd round, defeated sílvia soler espinosa 6-1, 3-6, 6-1. in 3rd round, zvonareva faced kim clijsters. clijsters led 6-3, 4-3 when zvonareva retired due respiratory infection.

representing russia @ 2012 summer olympics in london, zvonareva defeated sofia arvidsson in 1st round 7-6(3), 6-4. in 2nd round, beat francesca schiavone 6-3, 6-3. zvonareva suffered worst defeat of entire playing career, losing 6–1, 6–0 eventual gold medallist serena williams in 3rd round. zvonareva had never scored lower 2 games prior defeat against williams.

zvonareva withdrew 2012 open, due same illness forced retire wimbledon match against kim clijsters in june. having not played tournaments since august due illness, lost rankings points earned in last year s open, tokyo , beijing tournaments.

zvonareva ended year ranked 98, lowest ranking since 2002.

2013: shoulder surgery

zvonareva announced withdrawal 2013 australian open, citing shoulder injury, wound being serious enough necessitate surgery although missed entire tennis season throughout year. in october, zvonareva confirmed intention return @ 2014 shenzhen open.

2014: hiatus, return tennis

zvonareva @ 2014 wimbledon championships

in 2014, after one-and-half year hiatus, zvonareva officially came @ 2014 shenzhen open wildcard. drew world number 3, li na, , lost in straight sets 7–5, 6–3. @ australian open, zvonareva defeated in 1st round australian wildcard casey dellacqua 6-2, 6-2.

playing wildcard @ 2014 ptt pattaya open, zvonareva defeated fellow wildcard peangtarn plipuech in 1st round 6–3, 6–2. lost in 2nd round 4th seed, compatriot, , eventual champion ekaterina makarova 6-0, 6-2.

zvonareva entered 2014 bnp paribas open wildcard fell in 1st round peng shuai 4-6, 6-0, 7-5.

at 2014 wimbledon championships, reached third round after defeating british wildcard tara moore , rising star donna vekić. lost in 3rd round zarina diyas 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-3.

zvonareva announced play $10,000 prize money event in hong kong, last itf tournament of year. played no. 2 seed , advanced quarterfinals, withdrew tournament.

2015–2016: hiatus , motherhood

zvonareva used protected ranking play @ 2015 shenzhen open. started tournament upsetting 3rd seed , last year finalist peng shuai in 1st round 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. beat qualifier Çağla büyükakçay in 2nd round 6-3, 7-6(5). in quarterfinal match, zvonareva retired 3-2 down 8th seed timea bacsinszky due lower injury.

at 2015 australian open, zvonareva won first round match against qualifier ons jabeur 6-2, 6-3. lost 2nd round match world number 1 , eventual champion serena williams 7-5, 6-0.

entering main draw wildcard @ 2015 ptt pattaya open, zvonareva advanced quarterfinals after defeating qiang wang 6-2, 6-2 , 8th seed shuai zhang 7-6(6), 6-3. lost quarterfinal match marina erakovic 2-6, 7-6(6), 7-5. competing in dubai @ 2015 dubai tennis championships, defeated in 1st round world number 31 camila giorgi 6-4, 6-2.

she played @ 2015 monterrey open, defeated no.6 seed alison riske 6-4, 6-0. defeated in 2nd round kristina mladenovic 4-6, 2-6.

she lost in 1st round @ 2015 indian wells masters polona hercog 6-1, 6-1. defeated in 1st round of 2015 miami masters russian compatriot anastasia pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 3-6, 7-5. next, played @ 2015 katowice open in katowice, poland. in first round beat italian karin knapp 7-5, 6-4. however, in 2nd round, defeated klára koukalová of czech republic 6-1, 6-4. last match play 2 years.

in 2016, zvonareva got married , gave birth first child.

2017: comeback, itf title

zvonareva came tennis 2 years hiatus - last match being katowice open in april 2015 - , debuted in $15,000 itf tournament in istanbul. lost in main draw british katie boulter after retiring in second set. qualified $25,000 tournament in fergana, uzbekistan, having been alternate in qualifying draw.

zvonareva won first itf title in sharm el sheikh since 2002 s naples $50,000 tournament. defeated slovak tereza mihalikova in 3 sets. became overall third itf title in career.

zvonareva won first match when returned wta tour , played @ 2017 connecticut open. receiving wildcard in qualifying draw, defeated anastasia rodionova in 3 sets. however, retired second round match achilles injury, after losing first set 7–5.

the russian got open qualifying rounds, reaching second round lost jamie loeb in 3 sets. participated @ wta 125k tournament in dalian, reaching final.