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Biography |
Born October 15, 1981 in Moscow, Elena Dementieva's start in
tennis was encircled with Russia's greatest. Her parents,
Viatcheslav, an electrical engineer, and Vera, a teacher,
both played recreational tennis. Their love for the game was
such that they tried to enroll 7-year-old Elena and her
brother in Moscow's most eminent sports clubs.
But the competition for spots was brutal. Dynamo and the
Central Red Army Club both turned her down, citing minor
imperfections in her movement. Finally she was accepted by
the illustrious Spartak Club, where she was coached by Rauza
Islanova, mother and trainer of Russian men's tennis great
Marat Safin.
Elena's three years under Islanova were tough, but she keeps
fond memories of her former coach. It was this toughness
that forged Elena's hardy sportsmanship. "This desire to
fight till the end was inherited from her because she was
tough and preserved strict sports-like discipline,"
Dementieva said.
She played and won her first international tournament, Les
Petits Aces, in France, at the age of 13. In domestic
tournaments back home, she was usually the winner or at
least a runner-up. Elena always remained among the top four
women in her country, along with Anna Kournikova, Ekaterina
Sysoeva, and Anastasia Myskina.
Under the wing of Sergei Pashkov in the Central Red Army
Club (which gladly took her in this time), Elena grew as a
player. She radically retransformed her technique and
learned how to dominate the courts, developing her crushing
two-handed backhand. On August 25, 1998, she turned
professional.
Her rise in the sport was electrifying. Ranking #182 in
1998, she climbed to #62 in 1999, and hit #12 in 2000. That
year, she represented Russia in the Sydney Olympics, leading
her compatriots in the opening ceremonies. She went into the
semi-finals with a strong game, where her only setback was a
set down against Jelena Dokic. Elena recovered, beating
Dokic 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
But Dementieva's skill and zeal were not enough to beat
Venus Williams in the final. Elena ultimately went home with
the silver medal.
That same year, she was named Most Improved Player at the
Sanex WTA awards, which recognized that at only 19, she had
made the semifinals at Indian Wells, the US Open, and the
Chase Championships, where she defeated #1 Lindsay Davenport
in the first round.
But 2001 was a rough year. Having peaked at #8, she began to
fall in the rankings due to foot injuries and the loss of
the aggressiveness that defined her game. But she still
performed well in her Grand Slam games, proving that she
wouldn't let hardships get the better of her. In fact, the
year she became Russia's top player when in Miami, Lindsay
Davenport retired from the semifinal with a bad ankle.
The Russian starlet recouped her mettle the following year.
Her overall record held strong at 39-27, and she performed
some of her career's best in Wimbledon and the French open
-- she reached the fourth round in both.
But all this was simply revving her up for 2003. She started
on the shaky side, losing at the Australian Open and Indian
Wells within three games. But it was in April, at the Bausch
& Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida, that things
changed.
Her old foe Lindsay Davenport dominated the first set of the
final game and was leading the second one. But Elena tapped
into her fighting spirit and won a game that lasted five
deuces, going 5-4 in the second set. Davenport could not
keep up. Elena won her first WTA title.
She had a poor showing at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, where
she lost to Serena Williams, and in New Haven, where
Davenport took her down again. But in September 2003, in
Bali, Elena met Chandra Rubin in the final, trouncing her
6-2, 6-1. Elena earned her second WTA award, reclaiming her
#8 ranking. |
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