World No.9 Vera Zvonareva ended the 2009 season with a right ankle injury and a surgical procedure, but the Russian is getting back into form at the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy, preparing for the next year.

Zvonareva had a great start of 2009. She reached Australian Open semifinals, and won titles at Pattaya City and Indian Wells. Then she sustained the ankle injury at Charleston in April, which put her away from competition until June. At the end of the season, she withdrew from the Sony Ericsson Championships with the same injury.

(source: Nick's Picks via Ehm Seeker)

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour interviewed Vera Zvonareva, Elena Dementieva, Jelena Jankovic, Samantha Stosur and Svetlana Kuznetsova about their favorite place for a holiday.

Poor Samantha Stosur, she had to go to Bali instead of Hawaii.

World number nine Vera Zvonareva had a surgery on her right ankle in Rotterdam, and is now resting in an Amsterdam hotel.

In her latest diary entry on her new official website, the Russian is sharing details about the procedure and her future plans.

All seem to be fine; no pain in my leg so far but certainly there is some inconvenience.

The surgery was done in one of Rotterdam’s clinics, so on Thursday I had to move to Amsterdam but I was picked up and transported by the car. At present I walk on crutches. The operation was performed by a reputed surgeon Nick Van Dyke who operated on many football players and now helps Cristiano Ronaldo.

Zvonareva will stay in Amsterdam for two weeks. Afterwards, she will travel to Florida to practice.

The 25-year-old is hoping to be ready for the Australian Open. (photo: chascow)

It didn’t look like that in the beginning, but the match between Caroline Wozniacki and Vera Zvonareva turned into a dramatic encounter at the Sony Ericsson Championships.

Wozniacki let a 6-0 5-2 lead slip when Zvonareva evened at one set apiece after the second-set tiebreak in which she even saved two match points. Wozniacki built a 3-1 lead in the third set, but the leg that caused her withdrawal from Luxembourg last week stated hurting again. Then Zvonareva won four of the next five games for a 4-3 lead. Still, Wozniacki didn’t give up and despite pain and tears that I have to admit frightened me, the Dane won the match 6-0 6-7(3) 6-4.

The match against Zvonareva was Wozniacki's second marathon in two days. In her previous match she beat Victoria Azarenka after losing the first set and saving a match point in the third.

Zvonareva was last year’s runner-up and this year she entered the Championships as an alternate, after Dinara Safina’s withdrawal. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)

Vera Zvonareva lost to Tsvetana Pironkova 6-0 6-2 in the second round of the Kremlin Cup, which automatically qualified Jelana Jankovic for the Sony Ericsson Championships.

Jankovic is now five points ahead of Zvonareva in the race to the Sony Ericsson Championships and will be among the elite eight players of the season competing in the singles competition in Doha. The Serb has joined Dinara Safina, Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Venus Williams and Victoria Azarenka.

Russian Zvonareva, top seed at the Kremlin Cup, lost to Bulgarian qualifier Pironkova who secured only her fourth win on tour this season and her first since April. Still, Zvonareva is not disappointed about the outcome: "Maybe I'm even happy. Finally I will have time to restore my health and start the new season in full strength."

Defending Kremlin Cup champion Jankovic, who has now qualified for the season-ending Championships for the third time in her career, followed up her guaranteed qualification by beating Lucie Safarova 7-6(5) 6-3 in the second round in Moscow.

Zvonareva and Agnieszka Radwanska will be alternates for the Sony Ericsson Championships. They both had their chance to earn that last Doha berth at the Kremlin Cup, but Jankovic prevailed. (source: BBC, photo: Ralf Reinecke)