US OPEN

September 11, 2004

Elena Dementieva

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You know, just like you said, she was playing absolutely great tennis today. You know, it's not about my injury. I was playing through pain, you know, couple matches already. It wasn't easy, you know, to play against such a good player with something, you know, with this kind of leg that I had. But, you know, she really played very well today and she deserved to win.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: She has a powerful game. I was trying to do something different because she has a great return and she was -- you know, she put a lot of pressure on my serve. She was, you know, taking her serve very easily today. You know, it was very difficult to play. There was not much I could do on the court today.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You know, it's been a great tournament for me. I beat some great players. I had some very tough matches here. I'm not really disappointed about this final, you know. I did everything I could here and I feel like I was playing some good tennis. I satisfied with the result that I have here.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Right now, I can say that it really affect my game, you know, because, you know, it was very painful to play. You know, but when you play US Open, when you play a Grand Slam, you don't really think about your injury; you want to win no matter what.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: It's a muscle strain.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: It's been very tough weeks here, and I feel like myself, my mom and my coach will all need a good rest. We are going home tomorrow so I have a rest for couple days in Moscow, then I'll start to practice for the indoor season.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You know, I feel very proud for Russian girls and for Russian tennis, you know. Today it was another great moment that, you know, two Russian girls were in a final of a Grand Slam. You know, it's a miracle to me that three Russian girls won, you know, three Grand Slam this year and I was in two finals. It's been a great year for me so far. You know, I just very enjoying this year.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I wouldn't believe it.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I mean, it's all about my serve. I mean, I really need to have a better serve to win a Grand Slam, you know. I mean, by serving like this, I still like -- I can beat a lot of players. But like today, Svetlana, you know, when somebody has a great return, there is nothing I can do with this kind of serve. That's the biggest thing in my game, that's what I want to work for and improve. It's good that I have something I can improve. That means that, you know, I didn't lost for some other reason. I mean, I never losing my motivation. I really feel that I can do it better next time.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I don't have to start all over again because I did some changes already and I just continue to work hard and I really need some time to have a better serve.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: When you first saw me?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Where?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: But it never was -- you know, it never was a good shot for me, you know. Even that I didn't so many double-faults, I didn't have a great serve - never in my life. That was something that I really didn't like to practice and that was something that I didn't really like to do on the court. I don't like to start with the serve. That's what I have to change in my mind. I have to really like it, you know. I have to love it. Then I'm gonna have a good one.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: No, I wasn't thinking this way, but I was trying, you know, to serve harder. But she did a great return and, you know, I didn't have any chances.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Oh, I feel much better. I think I felt much better today on the court. I wasn't that nervous, not at all. I was actually playing, not just staying in the court. She just was much better today.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You know, but it feels like she's so strong, so powerful, that she doesn't really need to be nervous, you know. She has a powerful game. She was dominated all the time. I mean, it was no way for her to be nervous.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I think that, you know, match against Jennifer, it was very, very good match. I really like the way I played, especially in the third set, in the tiebreak, when it was the most important moment of the game. At the same time, I feel like I could finish those two matches in two sets and maybe I would, you know, feel little bit better today in the final, little bit fresh.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I think it's on my mind. And just like I said, I have to change something in my mind and then I'm going to have a good one.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I think so. I really believe it. It's a great moment for Russia. We were two in the final and then Vera won the doubles mixed. There's a chance for Svetlana and Elena to win doubles tomorrow. It's been a great tournament for Russia already. I think that it's a really big moment for the whole country.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, you know, mayor of the city just called me couple days ago and congratulate me with a performance on the tournament, and, I mean, everybody really follow the tournament and they happy about the results of Russian tournaments.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Not -- I don't know, not in New York.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I was thinking about this this morning, and I was thinking about the tragedy what happened in Russia a couple days ago. All the time during the tournament I was reading the newspaper, I was watching all this picture. You know, just it was difficult sometimes to go on the court and just enjoying play tennis when something like that happened in, you know, in your country. You know, I just sometimes, you know, I feel scared to come back home because of all this terrorist attack that happened in Moscow and in Russia.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I don't really take it this way. I don't really think that I am the only one from Russia who reach the final or I am the best one from Russia. I mean, I am playing for international ranking. I want to be No. 1 in the world and it doesn't really mean for me -- I mean, it doesn't really matter for me if I'm No. 1 in Russia.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I think that it's great, you know, to see this battle against USA and Russia. I think that USA and Russia, they the most powerful and, you know, the greatest country in the world. I mean, for me, it's great to see all this matches, you know, against American-Russian girls. I think it's also very interesting for the crowd, for the people to watch it.