Elena Dementieva facts for kids
Dementieva at the 2010 US Open
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| Country (sports) |  Russia |
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| Residence | Monte Carlo, Monaco | ||||||||||
| Born | 15 October 1981 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
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| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1998 | ||||||||||
| Retired | 2010 | ||||||||||
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) | ||||||||||
| Prize money | $14,867,437
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| Singles | |||||||||||
| Career record | 576–273 (67.84%) | ||||||||||
| 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 (63.87%) | ||||||||||
| 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) | ||||||||||
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Medal record
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Elena Dementieva is a former professional tennis player from Russia. She was one of the top players in the world. She reached world No. 3 in singles and world No. 5 in doubles.
Elena won 16 singles titles during her career. A big highlight was winning a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She also won a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. She made it to the finals of two major tournaments, the 2004 French Open and the 2004 US Open. She also reached the semifinals seven other times at Grand Slam events.
Elena was a key player for the Russia Fed Cup team when they won in 2005. In doubles, she won six titles, including the 2002 WTA Tour Championships with her partner Janette Husárová. She also reached two US Open doubles finals. Elena announced she was retiring from tennis after the 2010 WTA Tour Championships. Many people consider her one of the most talented players who never won a Grand Slam title.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Elena Dementieva was born in Moscow, Russia, on October 15, 1981. Her parents, Viatcheslav and Vera, both enjoyed playing tennis for fun. When she was seven, Elena tried to join some big tennis clubs but was not accepted.
She then joined the Spartak Tennis Club. There, she was coached by Rauza Islanova for three years. Rauza is the mother of famous tennis players Marat Safin and Dinara Safina. Later, Elena moved to the Central Red Army Club. Her mother, Vera, and older brother, Vsevolod, also coached her.
Elena has homes in Monte Carlo, Monaco; Moscow, Russia; and Boca Raton, Florida, USA. On July 16, 2011, Elena married hockey player Maxim Afinogenov in Moscow. They have two children: a daughter named Veronika, born in April 2014, and a son named Sergey, born in May 2016.
Tennis Journey
Elena Dementieva played and won her first international tournament, Les Petits As, in France when she was 13. By 1997, she was ranked among the top 500 players in the world. She became a professional tennis player in 1998 and entered the top 100 in 1999.
Starting Professional Tennis (1999–2002)
In 1999, Elena played for Russia in the Fed Cup final against the United States. She won Russia's only point by beating Venus Williams. She played in her first major tournaments, like the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon. She also played in the US Open.
In 2000, Elena entered the top 20 rankings. She became the first Russian woman to reach the semifinals of the US Open in singles. At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, she won a silver medal, losing to Venus Williams in the final. Because of her great progress, Elena was named the WTA Tour's Most Improved Player in 2000.
In 2001, Elena became the top-ranked Russian player. In 2002, she and her partner Janette Husárová reached the US Open doubles final. They also won the year-end WTA Tour Championships in doubles. In singles, Elena beat the world No. 1 player, Martina Hingis, for the first time.
Breaking into the Top 10 (2003)
In 2003, Elena played in many tournaments. She won her first WTA Tour singles title at the Bausch & Lomb Championships. She beat several top players, including Justine Henin and Lindsay Davenport. She also won two more titles in Bali and Shanghai. Elena finished 2003 in the top 10 for the first time, ranked world No. 8. She also reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in doubles.
Two Grand Slam Finals (2004)
The year 2004 was a big one for Elena. She reached her highest singles ranking of world No. 6. At the French Open, she made it to her first Grand Slam final. She beat top players like Lindsay Davenport and Amélie Mauresmo. However, she lost to her fellow Russian, Anastasia Myskina, in the final.
Later that year, at the US Open, Elena reached her second Grand Slam final. She defeated Amélie Mauresmo and Jennifer Capriati along the way. But she lost to another Russian player, Svetlana Kuznetsova, in the final. After the US Open, Elena won a title in Hasselt.
Consistent Performance (2005–2006)
In 2005, Elena reached six semifinals, including at the 2005 US Open. She also made it to two finals. In the US Open quarterfinals, she beat the top-ranked player, Lindsay Davenport. Elena also helped Russia win the Fed Cup again in 2005. She won both her singles matches and the deciding doubles match.
In 2006, Elena won her first Tier I event, the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. She beat Martina Hingis in the final. She also reached the final of the Indian Wells Open. At Wimbledon, Elena reached her first quarterfinal before losing to Maria Sharapova. In August, she won the tournament in Los Angeles.
A Challenging Year (2007)
In 2007, Elena won two titles. She had a rib injury early in the year, which kept her off the tour for nine weeks. This caused her to drop out of the top 10 for a while. She won a title in Istanbul, her first singles title on clay. Later in the year, she won the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, beating Serena Williams for the first time. This win brought her back into the top 10 for a short period.
Return to Form and Olympic Gold (2008)
Elena had a great comeback year in 2008. She won the Dubai Tennis Championships, beating world No. 2 Ana Ivanovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova. She reached the finals in Berlin and Istanbul. At Wimbledon, Elena made it to her first semifinal, where she lost to Venus Williams.
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The biggest moment of 2008 was at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Elena defeated Serena Williams in the quarterfinals. She then beat Vera Zvonareva in the semifinals and Dinara Safina in the final to win the gold medal! This was a huge achievement in her career. At the 2008 US Open, she reached the semifinals, improving her ranking to world No. 4. She also won the Luxembourg Open later that year.
Reaching World No. 3 (2009)
Elena started 2009 by winning the Auckland Open and then the Sydney International for the first time. She beat Serena Williams and Dinara Safina in Sydney. Her winning streak of 15 matches ended in the semifinals of the 2009 Australian Open, where she lost to Serena Williams.
In April 2009, Elena reached her highest career ranking of world No. 3. She became the sixth Russian woman to reach the top 3. At Wimbledon, she reached her second consecutive semifinal. She played a very long match against Serena Williams, which was the longest Wimbledon semifinal of the Open era at the time. Elena had a match point but eventually lost.
Later in 2009, Elena won the Rogers Cup in Toronto, her third title of the year. She also won the US Open Series crown. After the US Open, Elena received the Order of Honour from the Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, for her achievements. She finished 2009 as world No. 5.
Final Year in Tennis (2010)
Elena started 2010 by successfully defending her title at the Sydney International. She beat world No. 1 Serena Williams in the final. She also won the Open GdF Suez in Paris.
At the 2010 French Open, Elena reached the semifinals. However, she had to retire from her semifinal match due to a calf muscle injury. This injury also made her miss Wimbledon. She continued to play through the year, reaching the final of the Pan Pacific Open.
Retirement
After her final match at the WTA Tour Championships on October 29, 2010, Elena Dementieva announced her retirement from tennis. She ended her career ranked world No. 9. She had won 16 singles titles and reached two Grand Slam finals. Elena said it was an honor to be part of the tennis tour. Other players, like Vera Zvonareva, called her an inspiration.
Playing Style
Elena Dementieva was known as an offensive baseline player. This means she liked to hit powerful shots from the back of the court. Her forehand was very strong and flat. While her serve improved a lot during her career, it was sometimes considered her weaker point. She was also very good at defending and getting to tough shots.
Fed Cup Contributions
Elena Dementieva played for the Russia Fed Cup team many times. She had a strong record, winning 22 singles matches and 4 doubles matches. She famously helped Russia win the Fed Cup in 2005. In the final against France, she won both her singles matches and the deciding doubles match with Dinara Safina, leading Russia to victory.
See also
In Spanish: Yelena Deméntieva para niños
