Fed Cup - Official Team Nominations for 2007 Finals
September 10, 2007
The ITF has received the Official Team Nominations for the 2007 Final between Russia and Italy, to be held September 15-16 in Moscow, and they are as follows:
Russia
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Anna Chakvetadze
Nadia Petrova
Elena Vesnina
Captain: Shamil Tarpishchev
Italy
Francesca Schiavone
Flavia Pennetta
Mara Santangelo
Roberta Vinci
Captain: Corrado Barazzutti
Under Fed Cup regulations, each team may change up to two of its nominations up to one hour before the draw.
This is the 45th Fed Cup Final and the first time that these two nations have met at the last stage. Russia has a 3-0 lead in their the head-to-head record, with the most recent meeting being in 2005 at Brindisi in Italy. The Russians won that first round tie 4-1 on their way to being crowned champions for a second year running and are No.1 in the Fed Cup rankings, having won the title eleven times.
The only player who remains from that 2005 tie is Francesca Schiavone, who will lead the Italians at the Small Sports Arena “Luzhniki” as they attempt to defend their Fed Cup title. The talismanic Schiavone was the heroine of Italy’s semifinal tie against France, defeating Amelie Mauresmo on her way to winning all three of her rubbers and is ready to hit top form in Moscow. “It’s going to be very tough. They have some of the best players in the world, but I will give my best for Italy”, Schiavone said. The Italians make only one change from the semifinals with Flavia Pennetta coming in for Tathiana Garbin and crucially, they have the same team that defeated Begium in the final last year.
On paper, the Russians have an incredibly strong line-up with three of their four players ranked in the Top 10. World No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova will head the Russian team, along with No. 6 Anna Chakvetadze, who are playing exceptionally well, having both reached the semifinals of the US After missing the semifinal against the USA with a shoulder injury, Kuznetsova can’t wait for the Moscow clash. “We will all be together fighting for our country, it’s going to be very exciting.” Finally, there is Nadia Petrova, currently ranked No. 8 and Elena Vesnina, who partnered each other in that decisive rubber victory in the semifinal.