Svetlana Kuznetsova gives tips on tour decorum

Svetlana Kuznetsova has a reputation for being one of the most popular players on the WTA tour, and she explained what it takes to get along with her fellow pros in the locker room.

“I mean, for everybody it’s different,” Kuznetsova told reporters at the WTA Finals. “You know, for every player—first of all, you got to behave on the court. There is huge respect [for being] like fair, fair game. Some players, they don’t do that ... On the court, as they say, everything goes, and they don’t judge the champions.

“...Then you just don’t talk bad behind somebody, which many players, they do like to talk.”

That doesn’t mean that there can’t be some slip-ups.

“Sometimes you can be angry and sometimes you can say things," the two-time Grand Slam champion said. "And sometimes when you are wrong you got to tell the person, ‘I was wrong and I’m sorry,’ or whatever it is.”

The 30-year-old Russian’s standing among her fellow players is a demonstration of that belief, especially given her many years on tour.

”Not many people I see doing that," the veteran said. "Things like that, people value. When you have respect from players, you can see that.”