Dementieva Having a Better Open This Year

From The Herald Sun: Dream time for Russia's busy bee

IT IS nothing personal, but Russian Elena Dementieva is glad she hasn't seen much of Pat Rafter's former trainer Mark Waters this week.

Dementieva set herself up for a solid 2006 with punishing training sessions in Melbourne last January with Waters.

That was because she had plenty of free time after a "nightmare" first-round loss at the Australian Open to Germany's world No. 80 Julia Schruff.

US Open Day 1: Ljubicic Loses; Agassi Wins

Match of the day? Agassi, Agassi, Agassi. From what I saw of it, Andrei Pavel was playing some great tennis; and Andre Agassi did well to dig out of  0-4 in the 3rd set. "You want to to be everything you hope it is," said Agassi. "It was perfect." Indeed it was. But can he take out Baghdatis, too? Here's a match review and Agassi's press conference.

Feliciano Lopez finally got his own back against Ivan Ljubicic and logged the upset of the day 6-3 6-3 6-3. LaLo had lost to Ljubicic at the Australian Open, and then again in a brutal 5 set match at Wimbledon. This win takes Lopez to 3-2 over Ivan lifetime. Poor Ivan is still getting no love from...well, anyone. This first round loss won't help.

Interesting factoid: Lopez never faced a breakpoint all match and didn't lose a single point (!) on serve in the 2nd set. Here's a match review.

In other news, 2004 champ Svetlana Kuznetsova escaped an upset in her three set win against a German qualifier; Lindsay Davenport's shoulder is feeling ok; Elena Dementieva got through despite 30+ errors; and Andy Roddick radiated confidence all over the court in his win over Florent Serra. Serra's no pushover, but I'm very eager to see what happens when Roddick comes up against a tougher challenge.

Be sure to check out press conference video and transcripts as well as the daily highlights video at the US Open site. Shame on the US Open for not even including tWorld Number 3 Ivan Ljubicic's interview transcript.

Players' Thoughts on On-Court Coaching

The reactions to on-court coaching in this article sort of sum up the going books on these stars' personalities:

Maria Sharapova: "It will be funny when you see an opponent calling for a coach because you’ll just want to laugh, they’ll be in trouble. ... I usually play on instinct and don’t like to be told what to do, so calling for someone will be very rare.”

Elena Dementieva: “I think it will be interesting to see the coaches come down and see what they say, but I don’t think I will have my mother come. I’m already with her 24/7 and it’s the only time I get a break from her.” That's my girl, Lena!

Serena Williams: “I don’t like it. I think it takes away from tennis. When I’m out there, I’ve done all the hard work. It takes away from the integrity of the sport."

Kim Clijsters: “I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this but it’s a rule I’m absolutely against. Part of being a tennis player is being able to solve things yourself.” Of course you can say it, Kim!

Read 'WTA experiment stirs controversy'

A Note about Jelena and Lena

I tuned into this match at 5-0 in the third and thought; great, I'll see the last game and then make some dinner. Boy was I wrong. Jankovic battled back magnificently to 5-4 before finally gifting Dementieva the match with a loose service game. Here's a match summary and here are post-final video interviews.

Jelena Jankovic is destined to be a star. The girl's got game to spare--and her sheer gutsiness out there was impossible to ignore--as was the raucous support of her small band of very loud Serbian (or Montenegran?) supporters. Jankovic's also very entertaining to watch--she plays to the crowd and is extremely demonstrative out there.

I think she's got it in her to be a superdiva. She's already rubbed Serena and Myskina the wrong way. Make some room at the top, ladies.

Kudos to Dodgy Dementieva, one of my favorite WTA players, for hanging in there and squealing with Venus-at-Wimbledon '05-like delight at her win. (And you go, girl! re: her big handsome lug of a hockey player boyfriend, who busted out in a crappy old sleeveless T and shorts to watch the match. I wonder if they had some gay or female cameramen out there--the "audience work" always feels decidedly heteromasculine at televised tennis matches--; Lena's man got a lot of screentime. Or maybe the camera crew were just hockey fans.)

No Battle of the Divas in LA

It's sort of a shame, but not terribly surprising. Sharapova's had 2 weeks straight of tennis and it was bound to catch up with her body eventually; and Serena's still rusty. Sharapova looked really all over the place out there, with 40+ unforced errors in the end; and Serena overhit too much.

Well, Jankovic v. Dementieva. I'm going with Lena, but Jankovic has looked sharp out there.

Read 'Unlikely matchup in final'  for match reviews and a description of the possible gamesmanship re: Jankovic-Williams. Here are post-match video interviews with Dementieva and Sharapova.

Video: Sharapova and Dementieva on Grunting

Elena Dementieva thinks Maria Sharapova's grunting is "too much," and Sharapova's not fazed. Lol, she was pretty impassive with her response: "I wouldn't change a thing." Watch the video.

Wimbledon Quarterfinals: The Women

Well, I just got up and here we are, already almost an hour into the ladies' quarters. And already, Sharapova's wiping the floor with Dementieva 6-1 4-0 (yesterday one of the Wimbledon Live commentators said she was "very strong from the back of the court, but slightly dodgy," which is too true, sadly) and Justine took the first set over Severine 6-4 (a real match!).

The top four seeds look likely to make it a by-the-book series of semis. In which case, Justine will hand Kim another beatdown and Mauresmo-Sharapova will be mouthwatering.

BUT, we're not there yet, and I must say I'm hoping Li Na makes an even bigger breakthrough. Who are your picks to win today?

(Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans out there! I hope yours is less soggy than mine is gonna be.)

Nadal's Girlfriend, Dementieva's Boyfriend

Here is a scan of an article from Spanish tabloid Semana with a few pictures of Rafael Nadal with his girlfriend Francesca "Xisca" Perello: page 1, page 2, page 3, page 4.

ETA: More pictures of Rafa's lady.

Also, nice picture of  Perello with Uncle Tony and tidbits about Dementieva's hockey-player boyfriend, Hantuchova, Shuai Peng and more in TennisReports.net's Off Court Chatter column.

On Nadal's girlfriend:

For the first time, Rafael Nadal is being accompanied to a tournament with a girlfriend, Francesca "Xisca" Perello. The 18-year-old from Manacor and is a friend of one his sisters.  Read the column

Here's a recent article about Dementieva and her boyfriend, hockey star Maxim Afinogenov.

Wimbledon, Day 3

Well today we've got some really interesting match-ups. Mirza v. Dementieva in round one? Ouch. Mirza's power game is suited to grass...and Dementieva...well, I love her, but this could be the upset of the day.

Also, Nalbandian v. Clement, Djokovic v. Robredo, Santoro vs. Berdych, Malisse-Stepanek. What match ups are you looking forward to?

Looks like Ljubicic is about to take out Feli Lopez; he's already up 2 sets on court 13...I'm about to watch the rest of that one. ETA: Wow, Lopez took the 3rd set; he broke Ljubicic to love in the last game of the 3rd set (7-5). Ljubicic seemed to fade after Lopez saved break points in his last 2 games...Lopez is really battling. Let's see if he keeps it up. ETA: Brave effort from Lopez, but not enough.

ETA: Ginepri's crap year continues with his first ever loss to Mardy Fish (in straights sets! Fish had never even won a set off Robby). Davydenko was also dismissed by some Colombian named Falla.

Tournament Update

Henin-Hardenne wins Eastbourne in a 3rd set tiebreak over Myskina; Gasquet becomes the first man ever to defend Nottingham with a 6-4 6-3 win over Bjorkman, Michaela Krajicek straight-setted Dinara Safina at Ordina (a day after beating Dementieva! What a week.), and Ancic defended Ordina in 3 sets against Jan Hernych.

Wimbledon Draws are Out!: The Women

Here's the women's draw. Venus landed at the bottom of Mauresmo's quarter of the draw and so did 14th seed Dinara Safina. Other trouble spots: a newly brunette Tatiana Golovin and Ana Ivanovic who's already beaten Amelie this year. Michaela Krajicek, who's still having a great week in Nottingham, is a potential 2nd round match up for Mauresmo.

Sharapova's section looks pretty straightforward until Dementieva in the quarters, though Schiavone, Sania Mirza, and Danilidou, who made the semis at the Ordina Open, could add some spice.

Hingis, Hantuchova, Jamea Jackson and Patty Schnyder are in Justine Henin-Hardenne's section of the draw. Will be interesting to see if Hingis can reach the massive roadblock that is Justine.

At the bottom of the draw, there are a few threats between #5 seed Kuznetsova and #2 seed Kim Clijsters: Vaidisova, Na Li and Kirilenko.

News: Petrova's pulled out with her lingering groin injury from the French.

Update on this Week's Tournies

Nottingham: Defending champ Richard Gasquet KO'd  countryman Gilles Simon in 3 and 1; Italian Andreas Seppi beat Andy Murray in 3; Robin Soderling, who has yet to drop a set, over Tipsarevic in 2,  and Bjorkman over Lopez.  I'm gonna go with Gasquet to repeat his win.

At the Ordina Open, Men's, it'll be defending champ Mario Ancic v. Marcos Baghdatis (making his first semi since Australia) and  Jan Hernych vs. Forent Serra (who took out JC Fererro in 3). The women: Elena Demetieva, Danilidou, Dinara Safina and Michaela Krajicek. I'm going with Ancic and Safina.

Eastbourne: It'll be  Henin-Hardenne vs. Clijsters and Kuznetsova v. Myskina. I'm going with Kuznetsova over Henin-Hardenne in the final.

Upset Saturday at the French Open

Well, it's been a day of upsets: Israeli Shahar Pe'er over Elena Dementieva, Frenchman Julien Benneteau over 11th seed Radek Stepanek, Spanish qualifier Ramirez-Hidalgo over his 15th seeded compatriot David Ferrer, Alberto Martin over Belgian 27th seed Olivier Rochus, and upstart Serb Novak Djokovic over veteran 23rd seed Tommy Haas.

Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu is giving birthday boy Rafa Nadal trouble and Ivan Ljubicic is in a dogfight with Argentine Juan Monaco.

Introducing Elena

Nice getting-to-know-you profile of Elena Dementieva. Find out her favorite meal, first car and questionable taste in music.

No Clear Favorite Among the Women

At Roland Garros, Women's Tennis Searches for a Leader

Almost halfway through 2006, women's tennis remains upsidedown.

So far this year, three different women have held the no. 1 ranking. Amelie Mauresmo, the current no.1,won her first major title in Australia after Justine Henin-Hardenne retired with what was officially scored as a "gastrointestinal illness." Nadia Petrova, who dumped her coach in Australia because he was not "tough" enough, is now ranked no. 3 and has the most wins on the tour in 2006. Maria Sharapova is the second-best Russian, while Serena Williams, the most talented woman in the world, is the 14th-best American, ranked a lowly no. 108. And Martina Hingis has returned from a three-year retirement and moved quickly into the top 15. Read On...

Video: Mauresmo & Dementieva on Roland Garros

Australian Open champ and world number 1 Amelie Mauresmo talks about Paris, Roland Garros, and  media pressure.

Watch Amelie's Interview.

Elena Dementieva talks about her favorite Grand Slam, beating Hingis to win Tokyo, Fed Cup, the importance of the serve and more (for six minutes!).

Watch Elena's Interview.

Ace Hot List

Well, the most important tennis rankings are out.

For the men, the Spanish Armada is, of course, well represented in the top 10--  Rafael Nadal, Feliciano Lopez, Juan Carlos Ferrero. And apparently bald is also beautiful, with 2 shiny domes making the cut.

For the women, the top 10 is dominated by the Russians and sort-of Russians: Myskina, Dementieva, Kirilenko, Golovin and Sharapova.

The Women's and Men's Lists

I must say I disagree with the rankings. Ivanovic, Venus, Dementieva and Mirza are IMHO the most beautiful women on tour; and the spaniards should clearly have a lock on the top 4 (Feli first, and where is Moya?), and the absence of Ancic and Nalbandian is obviously poor judgement. (Roddick, top 10? Blasphemy!)

Nice Elena Dementieva Article

ESPN has posted a really good (and lengthy) article on Elena Dementieva.  It's well worth clicking over there and reading the entire article, but here's the beginning.

From ESPN: Good to a fault

Elena Dementieva had just returned home to Moscow after a tournament in Paris last September when Igor Nikolaev, one of her country's biggest pop stars, called. "Just listen to this," he said, and played her a new song. "Very nice," she offered, truthfully. "Good," replied Nikolaev, a huge tennis fan. "Now be the star in my video."

A week later, Dementieva was in St.Petersburg giving an MTV-worthy performance: waking up in bed, her long blond hair falling sensuously over bare shoulders; sauntering in skimpy jammies; pouting from behind the wheel of a silver Mercedes McLaren; purring over Nikolaev's piano.

Advice for Elena Dementieva

From Tennis Reporters:

Elena Dementieva continues to be intriguing...

With Elena D., the day will eventually come when she says ‘Oh screw,it,’ and brings her consistent and very decent practice serve on court into a match. There will also come a time when she realizes that spending every waking minute with her mother and now coach (which remains incredible considering that Vera D., unlike some other tennis parents, never studied the sport) stunts her development. There will also arrive a time when she gets out of her obsession pattern of going crosscourt and braves more shots down the line.

Dementieva and Davenport Say Masters Series for WTA May Be a Good Idea

From The Desert Sun:

The top-level tournaments on the ATP Tour, the Masters Series, are mandatory for the top-50 players, or they will suffer fines and loss of ranking points.

Elena Dementieva and Lindsay Davenport said they would welcome following the ATP's model.

"I think it may be a good idea. We have to support this tournament," Dementieva said. "It's one of the biggest tournaments on the tour and we're missing some top players. I think it would be a good idea."

"I think that's definitely a step in the right direction," Davenport said. "It has to be something that sets the Tier I apart from the other tournaments, where players don't feel like it's OK to play Tier II instead of such a big event like this. I think they're slowly starting to adopt the same philosophy the men have since Miami is mandatory."

However, Davenport admits that she usually passes on the NASDAQ 100 Open in Miami because it is right after the Pacific Life Open. Davenport and Dementieva suspect some of the top players passed on Indian Wells because it's so close to Miami, which offers $3.45 million in prize money.

Mauresmo Visits Wine Cellar, Dementieva Visits Chocolate Factory

From Lawntennisnews: Mauresmo and Dementieva Taste Some Culture in Belgium

Amelie Mauresmo went to a wine house in the Belgian city Deurne, while Elena Dementieva thought it would be nice to visit a chocolate factory where she could make her own bonbons. Most of the players of the WTA like to taste a bit of the local culture when they have a day off from playing tennis. Amelie likes to visit wine cellars to replenish the stock she owns in her own cellar at home.

Dementieva Destroys Hingis in Tokyo Final

From The Australian: Hingis runs into Russian hurdle

RUSSIA'S Elena Dementieva dashed hopes of a comeback victory for Martina Hingis by beating the four-time champion to win the singles title at the Pan Pacific Open tournament in Tokyo yesterday.

Hingis said she can leave Tokyo with her "head up" despite the 6-2 6-0 loss.

"I played really a great tournament, great tennis all week," the Swiss former world No.1 said. "She was just too good today. I'm not looking for any excuses. She was just a better player.

Elena Dementieva Interview

From Tennis Week: The Elena Dementieva Interview

Childhood Heroes: "I never had one actually. My mom was the person that I admire all my life. I never had a hero in my life. (Who was your favorite tennis player as a kid?) Martina Hingis, because she played smartly, like playing chess on the court."

Hobbies/Interests: "I'm very sport person. I like to do a lot of different sports, like ski, snow boarding— because we have a very nice off-season in the winter that I spend in Moscow. Or I go somewhere in the mountains. But I'm busy pretty much with my tennis life [laughs]."...

Toughest Competitors: "I would have to say Patty Schnyder. (Why?) She has a...she plays very different compared to other players. She has a great feeling. She's lefty. And it's not easy to play against her."

Funny Tennis Memory: "I had a broken shoe. I break playing in the Olympic Games. And I didn't have another pair to replace it. And I was asking someone from the crowd to give me another pair. That was such a funny moment [laughs]. And I still won this match. (Against who?) Barbara Schett. (Did they give you the extra shoe?) Yeah, actually (former Russian pro) Natasha Zvereva gave it to me. She was watching and her shoe was I think two or three sizes bigger than mine."

Dementieva Aims for #1

From RIA Novosti: Dementyeva sets sights on world tennis No. 1 spot

Russian tennis star Yelena Dementyeva said Tuesday that nothing is standing between her and the number one spot in women's tennis rankings.

"I believe nothing can stop me from becoming the world's number one player," she said at a news conference at the Kremlin Cup. "Certainly, I have to improve some elements of my game, but I gain confidence every year defeating great players."

Dementieva Doesn't Believe Sharapova Will Play Fed Cup

What kind of welcome will Maria Sharapova receive if she plays Fed Cup for Russia in 2006 as has been announced?  A lukewarm but not hostile one if Elena Dementieva's comments today are any indication. 

From AFP: Dementieva ready to play alongside Sharapova

Elena Dementieva, the heroine of Russia's Fed Cup triumph in Paris last month, would be happy to play alongside Maria Sharapova despite the negative views about the teenager attributed to other Russian players.

Asked if she wanted Sharapova in the team - a question which once brought an emphatic "no" and some outspokenly critical comments from Anastasia Myskina about the Florida-based player's spoken Russian - Dementieva thought carefully.

"We have a very good tradition in Russia, which is that the best four players play," she said. "She can make a big difference and we can have a very solid team with her as well."

But Dementieva doubts it would happen.

"I think if she is going to play it will make our team even stronger. But I don't think she has such a desire because she didn't participate for two years," Dementieva reckoned.

"She has been telling the captain that she's gonna play but she's not (done so) - so I don't think she wants to play."

Elena Dementieva Interview

I like this one.  In the little you hear from Elena Dementieva during press conferences at tournaments she seems like an interesting person and a good interview, but unless she wins a Grand Slam her exposure in the English press in going to continue to be limited.  So thanks to Kommersant which translated this Russian interview with her into English.

I should add that the French tennis fans behaved very well throughout the entire two-day match. The atmopshere was quite friendly. In general, French public treats me well, perhaps because I speak French, which I studied at school. The traditional English in tennis irritates the French. When I played I felt a kind of support from the local spectators...

What is the atmosphere in your team? Are our girls on frendly terms with one another? I remember that last year you had frictions with Svetlana Kuznetsova. You even said you wouldn't talk to her any longer.

Yes, there was a somewhat unpleasant situiation. Tournament organizers in Belgium said that there was someone caught in using doping. Then they named the “culprits”, including Svetlana Kuznetsova and me. At a news conference Svetlana said she didn't know a thing about all this and denied everything, but didn't utter a word about other girls mentioned. In fact, she behaved as if she were alone. Meanwhile, I had to defend myself from all and sundry attacks of numerous reporters, which, naturally interfered with my training and playing. It was the time of the Australian Open. I felt angry and offended and said that I wouldn't speak with Svetlana any more.

Are you on speaking terms with her now?

I rarely see her now. She lives in Spain and I in Moscow. Our paths cross very seldom...

Dementieva Gets Her Due

From Reuters: Russians hail latest Fed Cup hero Dementieva

Pictures of a triumphant Dementieva graced most Russian papers after the 23-year-old blonde led the defending champions to a dramatic 3-2 victory over France in the Paris final...

"Elena the Beautiful!," trumpeted leading sports daily Sport-Express.

"Paris conquered!," echoed rival newspaper Sovietsky Sport.

And Fed Cup captain Shamil Tarpishchev let us in on his sometimes mysterious criteria for picking Fed Cup teams.

"I always choose those players who have been with the team for the whole year and earned the right to play in the final," said Tarpishchev.

"I have the luxury of being able to select three or four Fed Cup teams capable of winning the title. That's why we have strict rules in the team and all the girls know them."

"But the door is still open for anyone who wants to play for Russia. I never close the door on any player."

So now we know - it's a loyalty and commitment test.

And even though it has been widely reported that Maria Sharapova will play for Russia's Fed Cup team next year, Tarpishchev interestingly sounded less than confident of this.

"We have an agreement with her for 2006. We'll see," he said.

Elena Dementieva

Some interesting comments on Elena Dementieva from Matthew Cronin at www.tennisreporters.net:

"Speaking of admissions, I spoke to Elena Dementieva and Nadia Petrova for spells on Monday. Dementieva let go of her coach, Olga Morozova, after a year-and-a-half a couple of weeks back. She needs a new voice but hasn’t hired a new coach yet and is hitting with her brother, Seva, and taking tutoring again from her mother, Vera. She told a funny story of how a few years back she and Seva were wrestling around and she ended up with crack ribs just prior to the French Open. Seva owes her for an eternity.

Elena D. is not your normal player off court. She loves her winter sports, which is not abnormal for an athlete, but isn’t into music and says she hates movies. She loves romance novels and also has read some Russian classics (mostly certainly the yellow baller Tolstoy, quite a romantic himself)."

Hopefully she won't take as long as Roger Federer to find a new coach. 

Myskina-Dementieva Preview

A good preview of the Anastasia Myskina-Elena Dementieva match by The Scotsman (which has suddenly become really enthusiastic about tennis - can't imagine why): Elena plays a rushing game

HISTORICALLY - and when you are talking about two women of 23, the idea of history does seem a little ridiculous - but, historically, when Anastasia Myskina and Elena Dementieva play each other, Myskina always wins. They meet again tomorrow in the fourth round, weather permitting, their umpteenth match over the course of a lifetime.

It all started years ago when they were kids growing up in Moscow. Training together at the Moscow Spartak club and becoming the best of friends, they used to liven up their practice matches with a little bet: the loser buys the pizza. Myskina ate well and Dementieva was always skint...

When she lost to her pal in Paris, it took her mother to mop her up and persuade her to celebrate the fact that she had, at last, reached the final of a major tournament. So out she went to have a few sherbets and who did she take along with her? Her bestest friend Myskina. Who else?

"We were just celebrating this final," Dementieva said, "and people, when they saw us they were like 'Oh, it's Myskina and, oooh, it's Dementieva and they are together.' They couldn't believe their eyes, they thought we wouldn't be speaking to each other. When we were younger, if I lost to her I wouldn't talk to her for a couple of days but now I play against Russian players almost every week, so I'm kind of used to it." ...

Growing up in what used to be the Soviet Union, both women share memories of the bad old days, days when there was no foreign travel, no money and no way out.

"It's a funny time to remember now," Dementieva recalled, "because we were washing the balls after each practice, you know. We couldn't find a skirt for me to play a match so we bought a long skirt and then my mum just cut it in the way I needed. She was good at sewing in those times."

Dementieva Injury Update

Elena Dementieva had her injured shoulder checked out and the diagnosis is a right shoulder strain.  Not serious, but of course with Wimbledon starting on Monday time is of the essence. 

"For the moment it's difficult to say if I'm [definitely] going to be able to play at Wimbledon [starting on Monday], but I'm trying to be optimistic," said Dementieva.

"The results of my test show that I have a right shoulder strain. I hope that I can play but I'll have to wait and see how it feels over the next few days. I'm going to take care of it and do as much training as possible."

Dementieva Questionable for Wimbledon

Last year Elena Dementieva made it to two Grand Slam finals (French Open and U.S. Open)and you might have thought she would break through and win one this year.  After all, just a 20% improvement in that hideous serve of hers would make a huge difference.  But her year just keeps going from bad to worse.

Today she had to pull out of her second round match at the Ordina Open against Denisa Chladkova with a shoulder injury. 

"I don't know how bad it is," Dementieva said.  "I will go to hospital to find out if it's a strain or whatever but I don't know if I'll be able to play at Wimbledon. I'm very upset right now."

And this tidbit from Reuters: she's been working on her serve this week with Richard Krajicek.  It can't hurt.

Elena Dementieva's Serve

An update on Elena Dementieva's serve from Charles Bricker writing in the  South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

"I spent 15 minutes Saturday watching Elena "I Hate My Serve" Dementieva practicing her serve on the stadium court and, while she's solved her toss problems, she doesn't seem to be making any real overall progress. There's no rhythm to her service motion and she doesn't consistently snap over the ball, which explains why she's long most of the time."