Triumphant return at 41: Former world no. 2 Vera Zvonareva storms back in Dubai

The former world No. 2, Vera Zvonareva, has made another return to the courts, this time at the age of 41. The Russian returned to competition at the W100 Dubai tournament, where she defeated top-250 player Tara Wurth (No. 238) with a score of 6-3, 6-4, after receiving a wildcard from the organizers.

The Russian had a notable career with 12 titles in 30 disputed finals, including her best Grand Slam results as a runner-up at Wimbledon 2010 (losing to Serena Williams) and the US Open 2010 (losing to Kim Clijsters).

Zvonareva took a break from her career between 2015 and 2016 due to injuries. It was around August 2016 that she announced her definitive farewell to tennis after revealing she had become a wife and mother. She continued working as a commentator for Eurosport in the following years while focusing on her family life.

Despite the announced retirement, Zvonareva returned to the courts in 2017, playing in ITF tournaments, driven by her passion for the game. The former world No. 2 also had a successful doubles career, winning three Major titles: the 2006 US Open alongside Nathalie Dechy, the 2012 Australian Open alongside Svetlana Kuznetsova, and the 2020 US Open alongside Laura Siegemund. She also won two mixed doubles titles at the 2004 US Open and 2006 Wimbledon.

Following her return in 2017, Zvonareva played several doubles tournaments over the years, and made a few appearances in singles. By 2024, she was flirting with a comeback, playing in some Challenger and ITF tournaments, in addition to participating in some qualifying rounds, the last of which was in Strasbourg 2025, where she lost to Ashlyn Krueger in straight sets.

Her last victory before this came in March 2024 against Sebastianna Scilipoti at the W35 Alaminos-Larnaca clay-court tournament in Cyprus. This time, on hardcourts, she returned to winning ways, defeating the world No. 238 Wurth of Croatia—a former top-150 player currently 23 years old.

In mid-2023, Zvonareva was involved in a controversy after being denied entry to Poland. "The Border Guard prevented a Russian tennis player from entering Poland. Vera Zvonareva, using a visa issued by France, tried to get into our country on a flight from Belgrade to Warsaw," the Polish ministry said in a statement amid the tensions between Russia and Ukraine. "After arriving from Serbia, the tennis player stayed in the transit zone of Warsaw Chopin Airport and today after 12:00 she flew to Podgorica."

The situation even drew comments from her former Billie Jean King Cup Russian Team colleague, Svetlana Kuznetsova, who criticized the decision to deny her entry. Her former colleague said: “Zvonareva was supposed to play in a tournament in Poland, but was refused entry by border guards when she arrived in the country. It's strange to read that. What threat can an athlete represent for Poland?”

During that same year, Zvonareva continued with several appearances in the doubles category alongside the veteran German Laura Siegemund. They had a great year, reaching the US Open final and qualifying for the WTA Finals, where Zvonareva secured her 7th doubles title alongside Siegemund after defeating Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez in a match played in Cancun.