 Dementieva at the2010 US Open | |
| Country (sports) |  Russia |
|---|---|
| Residence | Monte Carlo, Monaco |
| Born | (1981-10-15)15 October 1981 (age 44) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Turned pro | 1998 |
| Retired | 2010 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $14,867,437[1] |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 576–273 |
| Career titles | 16 |
| Highest ranking | No. 3 (6 April 2009) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (2009) |
| French Open | F (2004) |
| Wimbledon | SF (2008,2009) |
| US Open | F (2004) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | SF (2000,2008) |
| Olympic Games | W (2008) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 152–86 |
| Career titles | 6 |
| Highest ranking | No. 5 (14 April 2003) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (2005,2006,2007) |
| French Open | 3R (2004) |
| Wimbledon | SF (2003) |
| US Open | F (2002,2005) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | W (2002) |
| Olympic Games | 1R (2004) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Career record | 1–1 |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (2004) |
Elena Viacheslavovna Dementieva (Russian:Еле́на Вячесла́вовна Деме́нтьева,[jɪˈlʲɛnədʲɪˈmʲenʲtʲjɪvə]ⓘ; born 15 October 1981) is a Russian former professionaltennis player.[2] She wasranked world No. 3 in women's singles and world No. 5 in women's doubles by theWTA. Dementieva won 16WTA Tour-level singles titles, including an Olympic gold medal at the2008 Beijing Olympics, adding to a silver medal from the2000 Sydney Olympics. She was also the runner-up at the2004 French Open and2004 US Open, and reached seven othermajor semifinals. Dementieva was part of the victoriousRussian team at the2005 Fed Cup. In doubles, she won six titles, including the2002 WTA Championships withJanette Husárová, and was runner-up in two US Open finals.
Dementieva announced her retirement from the sport after the2010 WTA Tour Championships. Between 2003 and 2010, she only ended one year, in 2007, outside the top 10. She is considered to be one of the most talented players never to have won a Grand Slam tournament.[3][4]
Dementieva was born in Moscow to Viatcheslav, an electrical engineer, and Vera, a teacher—both recreational tennis players. She was rejected byDynamo Sports Club and theCentral Red Army Tennis Club at the age of seven, before enrolling atSpartak Tennis Club, where she was coached for three years byRauza Islanova, the mother ofMarat Safin andDinara Safina. She then moved to the Central Red Army Club with Sergei Pashkov, when she was eleven. She was later coached by her mother Vera and her older brother Vsevolod. She has homes inMonte Carlo, Monaco; Moscow, Russia; andBoca Raton, Florida, United States.[5][6] On 16 July 2011, Dementieva married hockey playerMaxim Afinogenov in Moscow.[7] The couple welcomed their first child, Veronika, in April 2014.[8] Their second child, a boy named Sergey,[9] was born in May 2016.[10]
Dementieva played and won her first international tournament,Les Petits As in France at the age of 13. In 1997, she entered theWTA top 500. She turned professional in 1998 and entered the top 100 in 1999.
In 1999, Dementieva represented Russia in theFed Cup final against the United States, scoringRussia's only point when she upsetVenus Williams 1–6, 6–3, 7–6, recovering from a 4–1 third set deficit. She played her firstGrand Slam main draws, qualifying for the Australian Open, French Open andWimbledon, along with receiving a direct entry into theUS Open. She reached the second round at the Australian Open and French Open, made a first-round exit at Wimbledon and reached the third round of the US Open. In 2000, she entered the top 20 by winning more than 40 singles matches for the second straight year and earned more than $600,000. She became the first woman from Russia to reach the US Open semifinals in singles,[11] where she lost toLindsay Davenport. At the2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Dementieva won the silver medal, losing to Venus Williams in the final.[12] In 2000, Dementieva was named theWTA Tour's Most Improved Player.
2001 was the second straight year in which Dementieva finished in the WTA's top 20. During the year, she became the top-ranked Russian player, a position previously held byAnna Kournikova since December 1997. Dementieva, however, suffered a shoulder injury in Australia. To keep playing matches, she altered her serve, adding slice and changing her motion. After her shoulder healed, her service motion stayed the same. She had double faulted as many as 19 times in a match and hit 50 mph first and second serves. In 2002, Dementieva and her partnerJanette Husárová reached the final of the US Open[13] and won the year-endingWTA Tour Championships. In singles, Dementieva defeated a top ranked player for the first time, beating world No. 1Martina Hingis 6–2, 6–2 in the quarterfinals in Moscow. Dementieva reached the final of that tournament, losing toJelena Dokić.
Dementieva played the most tournaments among year-end top 10 players (27) and won $869,740 in prize money. At theBausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, she won her firstWTA Tour title, defeatingAmanda Coetzer, world No. 9,Daniela Hantuchová, world No. 4,Justine Henin[14] and world No. 5, Lindsay Davenport.[15][16] Dementieva was the lowest seed (10th) to win the tournament in its 24-year history.[citation needed] She also won back-to-back titles inBali[17] andShanghai,[18] defeatingChanda Rubin in both finals. Dementieva finished the year in the top 10 for the first time (world No. 8). In addition, she reached the semifinals of the Wimbledon doubles with compatriotLina Krasnoroutskaya, beating the Venus andSerena Williams team along the way.
Dementieva's breakthrough year was 2004. InMiami, she defeated Venus Williams in the quarterfinals andNadia Petrova in the semifinals. Dementieva then lost to the top-seeded and two-time defending champion Serena Williams 1–6, 1–6. On 5 April, she reached her highest singles ranking at sixth in the world.
In May at the French Open, Dementieva reached her firstGrand Slam final, defeating former top ranked Lindsay Davenport in the fourth round,Amélie Mauresmo in the quarterfinals andPaola Suárez in the semifinals, all in straight sets. Dementieva lost to compatriot Myskina in the first all-Russian Grand Slam final, 1–6, 2–6. In the match, Dementieva had ten double faults as her serve disintegrated. She summed up her performance by saying: "I just don't know how to serve".[19]
Later that year at theUS Open, after first round losses at Wimbledon toSandra Kleinová and theSummer Olympics to eventual bronze-medalistAlicia Molik, Dementieva reached her second Grand Slam final, defeating Mauresmo andJennifer Capriati en route, both in third set tie-breaks.Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Dementieva in straight sets in the final, becoming the third consecutive Russian Grand Slam winner[20] Following the US Open, Dementieva won her first title inHasselt[21] and reached theKremlin Cup final for the second time, losing to Myskina.[22]
In 2005, Dementieva reached six semifinals, the most important being at theUS Open. She also reached the final inCharleston, losing to Justine Henin, and Philadelphia, losing to Amélie Mauresmo despite serving for the match at 5–4 in the third set. In the quarterfinals of the US Open, Dementieva defeated top ranked Lindsay Davenport for her second victory over a current No. 1 player. In the semifinals, she was beaten byMary Pierce. PartneringFlavia Pennetta, Dementieva reached her second doubles final at the US Open.[23]
Following the US Open, Dementieva helped Russia repeat asFed Cup champions, beating France 3–2 in the final. All three points came from Dementieva, as she avenged her loss to Pierce at the US Open, beat Mauresmo, and then won the deciding doubles match with partner Dinara Safina.[24][25] At theWTA Tour Championships, Dementieva lost all three round robin matches against Mauresmo, Pierce, andKim Clijsters with the same score each time: 2–6, 3–6.
After losing to Kim Clijsters in an exhibition in Hong Kong, she lost in the first round of the Australian Open toJulia Schruff. But immediately following that tournament, Dementieva won her first Tier I event, thePan Pacific Open in Tokyo. On the run to the title, she defeatedKatarina Srebotnik,Nicole Vaidišová, and Anastasia Myskina, all in three sets. She then defeated the resurgent Martina Hingis.[26][27] At theIndian Wells Open, despite double faulting 79 times in six matches, Dementieva reached the final. She defeatedSania Mirza,Ana Ivanovic, andLi Na along the way. Dementieva then upset Justine Henin in a semifinal 2–6, 7–5, 7–5. The victory was her fourth three set match of the tournament, and fatigue contributed to her 1–6, 2–6 loss toMaria Sharapova in the final.
At the French Open she was upset in the third round byShahar Pe'er 6–4, 7–5. On grass, Dementieva reached theHertogenbosch semifinals, losing toMichaëlla Krajicek despite holding a match point. Dementieva then reached her first Wimbledon quarterfinal before losing to fourth seeded Sharapova. In August, Dementieva won the tournament inLos Angeles by defeating Jelena Janković in the final in three sets.[28][29]
At theUS Open, Dementieva reached the quarterfinals for the fourth time, losing to Janković in straight sets. The three games she won were all breaks of serve. Dementieva remarked afterwards, "Yeah, it is disappointing, you know. I'm getting older, and I haven't won a Grand Slam, so that's really what I'm thinking about all the time. I feel like I was in a good shape here. That's why it's sad".[1]Archived 18 October 2021 at theWayback Machine. Dementieva qualified for the year-ending WTA Championships for the seventh straight time. She lost to all three players in her round-robin group: Sharapova 1–6, 4–6; Svetlana Kuznetsova 5–7, 3–6; and Clijsters 4–6, 0–6. Her career win–loss record at this tournament fell to 3–14. She had lost her last nine matches played there.
Dementieva won two titles, reached three semifinals and five quarterfinals, and reached the fourth round at the Australian Open. After her first semifinal of the year at theTier IPan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Dementieva suffered a rib fracture inAntwerp and was off the tour for nine weeks, leaving the top 10 in April for the first time in nearly four years. At theJ&S Cup in Warsaw, she lost to Venus Williams. Dementieva won her fourth event back on tour at the Tier III event inIstanbul, her first career singles title on red clay. She was upset in the third round of the French Open byMarion Bartoli the following week. Three weeks later, she lost to Bartoli again in the quarterfinals of the tournament inEastbourne, East Sussex 1–6, 0–6. She lost in the third round ofWimbledon toTamira Paszek in three sets. During the North American summer hard-court season, she reached the semifinals of the tournaments inSan Diego andNew Haven and the quarterfinals of the tournament inLos Angeles, but lost early at the Tier IRogers Cup in Toronto and at theUS Open. By the end of the summer, Dementieva had fallen to world No. 20, her lowest ranking since 2002.
In the fall, Dementieva reached two successive quarterfinals inBeijing andStuttgart. At the latter event, Dementieva defeatedAmélie Mauresmo andDaniela Hantuchová before losing to world No. 1 Justine Henin in the quarterfinals. In the final of the Tier IKremlin Cup in Moscow, Dementieva, being unseeded, defeated Serena Williams for the first time in her career.[30][31] Winning the title in Moscow returned Dementieva to the top 10 at world No. 10 for one week. Her first-round loss at theZurich Open the following week, however, caused her ranking to fall to world No. 11. 2007 was the first year since 2002 that Dementieva did not finish the year in the top 10 and the first year since 1999 that she did not secure a spot at the year-end Tour Championships.
At Dementieva's first tournament of the season, theSydney International, she lost in the first round toSofia Arvidsson. She then reached the fourth round of the Australian Open before losing to eventual champion Maria Sharapova. Dementieva then travelled to Paris for the Tier IIOpen Gaz de France indoor tournament. She reached the semifinals before succumbing to seventh-seededÁgnes Szávay from Hungary. Dementieva then won the Tier II, $1.5 millionDubai Tennis Championships, defeating second-seeded compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final.[32][33] This was Dementieva's fourth career Tier II tournament title but her first since 2006. Along the way, she defeatedPatty Schnyder,Alona Bondarenko, world No. 2, Ana Ivanovic, andFrancesca Schiavone (who defeated world No. 1 and defending champion Justine Henin in the quarterfinals).
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At the Tier IMiami Open in Key Biscayne, Dementieva lost in the quarterfinals to Jelena Janković. This caused her ranking to rise to world No. 8. At the Tier IFamily Circle Cup in Charleston, Dementieva lost in the semifinals to compatriot Vera Zvonareva dropping her ranking to world No. 9. Dementieva was the seventh-seeded player at the Tier IGerman Open in Berlin but reached the final, where she lost to 13th-seeded Dinara Safina. Dementieva defeated fourth-seeded Janković in the quarterfinals and second-seeded Ivanovic in the semifinals.
Dementieva's next tournament was theİstanbul Cup, where Dementieva was the top seed and defending champion. She reached the final but was unsuccessful in her attempt to win a singles title at the same tournament in consecutive years, which would have been a career first. Agnieszka Radwańska of Poland defeated Dementieva in the final. At the French Open, Dementieva defeated 11th-seeded Zvonareva in the fourth round, but lost her quarterfinal match against Safina.
At the grass-courtRosmalen Open, she was the top-seeded player but lost in the semifinals to Safina. Dementieva was seeded fifth at theWimbledon. In the fourth round, she defeated IsraeliShahar Pe'er to become the highest seeded woman left in the draw. In the quarterfinals, Dementieva held on to defeat compatriot Nadia Petrova after Dementieva failed to hold serve while serving for the match in the second set at 5–1 and 5–3. In her first Wimbledon semifinal and her first Grand Slam semifinal since the 2005 US Open, Dementieva lost to eventual champion Venus Williams.
Dementieva played three hardcourt tournaments during the summer and was seeded fifth at all three. She began her summer season by losing to Dominika Cibulková in the second round of the Tier I Rogers Cup in Montreal. At theBeijing Olympics, Dementieva was down a set and a break before defeating fourth-seeded Serena Williams in the quarterfinals. She then defeated compatriot Zvonareva in the semifinals and Safina in the three set final to win the gold medal.[34][35]
At theUS Open, Dementieva was one of six players with the opportunity to be ranked world No. 1 upon completion of the tournament. Dementieva defeated Schnyder in the quarterfinals but lost to Janković in the semifinals. Dementieva was up a break in each set but committed 42 unforced errors and lost each of her last five service games. Nevertheless, her ranking improved to world No. 4 for the first time since 2004.
At the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Dementieva was seeded third and qualified for the year-ending WTA Championships with a second-round victory against Alizé Cornet. However, she was upset in the quarterfinals byKatarina Srebotnik. At the Tier II Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Dementieva was seeded fourth. She won her first match by defeatingSybille Bammer, but was upset in the quarterfinals by Victoria Azarenka. Defending her title at the Kremlin Cup, Dementieva was seeded third. She defeated Srebotnik in the second round and Nadia Petrova in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, she faced Jelena Janković. She won the first set easily 6–0, but only managed to win one game after that, losing the next two sets. She committed 31 unforced errors in the second and third set. She won her next event, theLuxembourg Open, defeating Caroline Wozniacki in three sets in the final.[36]
At the WTA Tour Championships held in Doha, Qatar, Dementieva was seeded fourth. In her first round robin match, she lost her first match to Venus Williams, before defeating Dinara Safina in the second. After Serena Williams withdrew from the tournament, Dementieva played Nadia Petrova and defeated her to reach the knock-out stage. In the semifinals, she lost to Vera Zvonareva in three sets.
Dementieva began her season by winning theAuckland Open. Seeded first, she reached the final where she defeated unseededElena Vesnina in the final in straight sets.[37] The following week at theSydney International, Dementieva defeated Agnieszka Radwańska in the quarterfinals and upset top-seeded Serena Williams in the semifinals in two sets. She then won her second consecutive tournament by defeating compatriot and second-seeded Dinara Safina in the final.[38]
Dementieva was seeded fourth at theAustralian Open and was one of three players who had a chance of being ranked world No. 1 at the end of the tournament. Dementieva's 15-match winning streak ended in the semifinals when she lost to Serena Williams in two straight sets after Dementieva had led 3–0 in the second set.
Playing for Russia in Fed Cup in Moscow, Dementieva defeatedZhang Shuai, helping Russia to a 5–0 win over the Chinese.
At theOpen GdF Suez tournament in Paris, Dementieva advanced to her third final of the year. Amélie Mauresmo then defeated Dementieva in the final in three sets. At thePremier 5 Dubai Championships, she lost to Venus Williams in the quarterfinals.
Dementieva's next tournament was theIndian Wells Open, which was the firstPremier Mandatory event of the year. After receiving a bye in the first round, she was upset byPetra Cetkovská. At theMiami Open, another Premier Mandatory event, Dementieva was seeded fourth but committed 45 unforced errors, while losing to 13th seeded Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round. Despite the loss, she achieved her highest career singles ranking of world No. 3. By reaching the top 3, she became the sixth Russian to do so.[39]
Dementieva began the spring clay-court season at theFamily Circle Cup in Charleston, a Premier event. She lost there in the semifinals Wozniacki in a nearly three-hour match.[40] Dementieva survived a 2–5 deficit in the second set and saved three consecutive match points on her own serve at 3–5 in that set.[40] At thePorsche Tennis Grand Prix, another Premier event, she reached her second consecutive semifinal where she lost to the eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. Dementieva was seeded third for theMadrid Open but was upset by former world No. 1, Amélie Mauresmo, in the third round. At theFrench Open, Dementieva lost toSamantha Stosur in the third round.[41]
As preparation forWimbledon, Dementieva took part at theEastbourne International. Seeded top, she was upset in the second round by the eventual finalistVirginie Razzano. Seeded fourth at Wimbledon, Dementieva easily reached the semifinal dropping only 20 games en route. In her second consecutive Wimbledon semifinal, Dementieva played against the No. 2 seed and eventual champion Serena Williams. Dementieva held a single match point at 5–4 in the third set but eventually lost the match 7–6, 5–7, 6–8 in what was at the time the longest Wimbledon semifinal of the Open era.[42]
In the lead up to theUS Open, Dementieva took part in three tournaments. At theStanford Classic, she advanced to the semifinal defeatingDaniela Hantuchová en route, but then was crushed by Venus Williams, 6–0, 6–1. At theCincinnati Open, she defeatedYanina Wickmayer and Caroline Wozniacki to reach the semifinal. In a bizarre match, Dementieva fell to Jelena Janković, despite leading 6–2 in the final set tiebreak having already saved three match points herself prior. At theRogers Cup in Toronto, Dementieva defeated Serena Williams to reach her fourth final of the year. In the final, she defeated an unseeded Maria Sharapova to win her third title of the year and 14th of her career.[43] As a result of her performances in these three tournaments, Dementieva secured theUS Open Series crown. Entering theUS Open as one of the favourites, Dementieva suffered a shock loss to the world No. 70,Melanie Oudin.[44]
In 2009 after the US Open, Elena was awarded the Order of Honour by the Russian president Dmitry Medvedev at theKremlin in Moscow. The Order of Honor is awarded to Russian citizens for high achievement.
On 14 September, Dementieva became one of eight women to qualify for theTour Championships in Doha. At the Premier 5Pan Pacific Open, she lost in the second round toKateryna Bondarenko. Dementieva's next tournament was thePremier MandatoryChina Open. She defeated Li Na on her way to the quarterfinals before losing in straight sets to Agnieszka Radwańska.
At the year-ending WTA Championships, Dementieva won her first round-robin match in the Maroon group against Venus after trailing 3–6, 1–3 in the second set. She then suffered two consecutive losses, to Serena in her second round-robin match by 2–6, 4–6, then to Svetlana Kuznetsova, by 3–6, 2–6. Because of this, she failed to reach to the semifinals.
Dementieva finished 2009 as the world No. 5, one spot lower from 2008 year end ranking. The highlights of her career this year included winning Auckland, Sydney and Toronto and reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Dementieva began the year representing Russia in theHopman Cup partneringIgor Andreev. She lost her opening match in the round-robin stage toSabine Lisicki before defeatingYaroslava Shvedova andLaura Robson. However, Russia failed to make the final as they finished third in Group B.
Dementieva's first title of the year came atSydney, where she was also the defending champion. She defeated world No. 1 Serena Williams in the final, successfully defending her title.[45] En route to the final she defeated world No. 2, Dinara Safina, as well as the world No. 6, Victoria Azarenka, in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, winning in straight sets on both occasions. She is the first woman since Martina Hingis in 2001 and 2002 to win the Sydney International in consecutive years.
Dementieva was seeded fifth at theAustralian Open. She defeated Vera Dushevina in the first round. In the second round she lost to wild card, former world No. 1, and eventual finalist Justine Henin, despite having two set points in the first set, and one set point at 6–5 in the second set tie-break.[46]
Dementieva's next tournament was theOpen GdF Suez in Paris where she advanced to the final for the second consecutive year. In her second final of the year, she came from a set down to defeatLucie Šafářová.[47][48]
Dementieva was then the fifth seed at theDubai Championships. She retired against Hantuchová in the second round because of shoulder injury while trailing 6–4, 1–1. Dementieva then played at the inauguralMalaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur. Seeded first, she advanced to her third final of the year where she fell in straight sets toAlisa Kleybanova.[49]
Dementieva then took part in the Premier Mandatory events in North America. AtIndian Wells, Dementieva lost to Agnieszka Radwańska in the quarterfinals. The following week at theMiami Open, she lost in the second round to Justine Henin.
Dementieva represented Russia in the semifinal round of the2010 Fed Cup against the United States. She defeatedBethanie Mattek-Sands andMelanie Oudin in her two singles matches. In the deciding doubles match, Dementieva andAlla Kudryavtseva fell to Mattek-Sands andLiezel Huber.
At theInternazionali BNL d'Italia, where Dementieva was the sixth seed, she lost in the third round to a resurgent Ana Ivanovic for the first time. She then played at theMadrid Open, where she defeatedAleksandra Wozniak in the first round 6–0, 6–1. She lost toAlexandra Dulgheru in the second round even after serving for the match. Despite the loss, Dementieva managed to be the Russian No. 1 for the first time in her career.
Dementieva's next tournament was theWarsaw Open. As a second seed and receiving a bye in the first round, she lost toTsvetana Pironkova in a nearly three-hour match.
Dementieva was the fifth seed at theFrench Open. She defeatedPetra Martić in the first round andAnabel Medina Garrigues in the second round. Despite clear injuries, she managed to come from a set down and breaks down in the second and third sets to defeat Aleksandra Wozniak in the third round and ran pastChanelle Scheepers in the fourth round. She booked her place in the semi-finals of the tournament, where she faced Italian 17th seed Francesca Schiavone, after comeback from a set down to win over Nadia Petrova in the quarterfinals. She retired after Schiavone won the first set in a tie break with a torn left calf muscle which was sustained in the second round,[50] and subsequently withdrew from Eastbourne and Wimbledon.[51]
Dementieva started her hardcourt campaign atStanford, California, where she was the second seed. She advanced to the quarterfinals where she fell to Maria Sharapova in three sets. She lost to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the second round at Cincinnati. She did not repeat as champion at theRogers Cup after suffering a two-sets loss toZheng Jie in the third round. She lost to Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals atNew Haven, despite serving for the match at 5–4 in the third set.
Dementieva was the 12th seed at theUS Open. She defeatedOlga Govortsova, Sybille Bammer and 24th seed Daniela Hantuchová to advance to the 4th round where she wasted four match points before falling to fifth seed Samantha Stosur.
As the seventh seed, Dementieva reached the finals of thePan Pacific Open where she faced top seed Caroline Wozniacki. Dementieva defeated Yaroslava Shvedova, Flavia Pennetta, second seed Vera Zvonareva and fifth seed Francesca Schiavone, but eventually lost to Wozniacki. At theChina Open, she suffered a 6–7, 6–7 loss to Ana Ivanovic in the third round.
On 9 October 2010, it was announced that Dementieva had qualified for the year-endingTour Championships for the tenth time in her career.[52]
Dementieva's final event of the year was the WTA Tour Championships, where she qualified for the third consecutive year, as the No. 7 seed. Dementieva was still struggling with her ankle injury. As a member of the Maroon Group, Dementieva fell to Caroline Wozniacki and defeated Sam Stosur. Dementieva then faced Francesca Schiavone and lost in two sets.
Following her loss to Schiavone, Dementieva announced her retirement in an on-court ceremony on 29 October 2010. She ended her career ranked world No. 9, with 16 career singles titles and two Grand Slam final appearances. Dementieva said in her speech that it had been an honour to be part of the tour. Zvonareva called her an inspiration.[2][53][54]
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Dementieva was anoffensive baseline player with powerful groundstrokes off both sides and excellent defensive skills. Her preferredgroundstroke was herforehand, which she hit hard and flat. Although Dementieva'sserve made major improvements over her career, it was always considered her weak spot.
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | Career SR | Career W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | 2R | 3R | 3R | 4R | 1R | 1R | 4R | 1R | 4R | 4R | SF | 2R | 0 / 12 | 23–12 | 66% |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | 2R | 4R | 1R | F | 4R | 3R | 3R | QF | 3R | SF | 0 / 12 | 30–11 | 73% |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | 3R | 4R | 4R | 1R | 4R | QF | 3R | SF | SF | A | 0 / 11 | 27–11 | 71% |
| US Open | A | A | A | Q1 | 3R | SF | 4R | 2R | 4R | F | SF | QF | 3R | SF | 2R | 4R | 0 / 12 | 39–12 | 76% |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 4–4 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 10–4 | 6–4 | 11–4 | 14–4 | 10–4 | 9–4 | 17–4 | 13–4 | 9–3 | 0 / 47 | 119–46 | 72% |
Source:[55]
Dementieva frequently played for theRussian Fed Cup team. She finished her career with an overall Fed Cup record of 26–9, broken down into marks of 22–5 in singles and 4–4 in doubles.[56] Her record includes singles victories overVenus Williams,Mary Pierce,Amélie Mauresmo andKim Clijsters.[57]
In 2005, Dementieva almost single-handedly led Russia to capture the Fed Cup by beating France 3–2 in the final. All three points came from Dementieva, as she beat Pierce and Mauresmo in two single matches, and then won the deciding doubles match with partnerDinara Safina.[24][25]
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| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Orange Bowl Girls' Singles Champion Category: 16 and under 1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Orange Bowl Girls' Singles Champion Category: 18 and under 1998 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | US Open Series Champion 2009 | Succeeded by |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by | WTA Most Improved Player 2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Karen Krantczke Sportsmanship Award 2008 | Succeeded by |
Preceded by Kim Clijsters | Karen Krantczke Sportsmanship Award 2010 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by New Award | Tour Fan Favorite Singles Player of the Year 2009 | Succeeded by |
Preceded by Ana Ivanovic | Diamond Aces 2009 | Succeeded by |
Articles and topics related to Elena Dementieva | |||||||||||||||||||||
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