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US OPENSeptember 6, 2000Elena DementievaNEW YORK CITY MODERATOR: Questions for Elena. Q. How confident were you going into the match? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You know, I was very calm before the match because I played against her already and I beat her, so I was a little bit exciting because I didn't have a practice in this stadium. It's the biggest stadium, I never played. But I was nervous just in the beginning. Q. Not after you won the first set? You seemed to tail off there. ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yes, but it was very windy. I think she played very well in the second set. Q. Is it particularly satisfying to you that you have now progressed farther in a Grand Slam tournament than Anna Kournikova ever did? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I think she was in semis, too, in Wimbledon. Q. Well, you've done just as well, and unexpectedly so. Did you expect to be able to go so far in this tournament when you came into it? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I thought I can do it because I worked very hard in Moscow. I want to be able to play very well Olympics game, and this tournament, too, of course. Q. How have you gotten your game so much better this year? What particularly have you been working on? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You know, I cannot say that I'm playing much better this year. I really believe myself that I can do it. I had a big experience, so I played a lot of tournaments this year. Q. When you look up on the board and you see Elena Dementieva, you see Venus, Serena, Martina, Lindsay, with you in that company, what do you think? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You know, just amazing because two years ago I just watched them by TV. I didn't think that I can play like I play now. Q. Do you feel like, "I really do belong here"? Do you feel a little overwhelmed by it all? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: No, I feel very good here. Q. Who do you think you'll play in the semifinals? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: It's very difficult to say. But, you know, I played against Lindsay already four times. I know how to play against her. I didn't play against Serena. If she will won, it will be very interesting match for me. Q. What do you think when you see her play? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Serena? Q. Yes. ELENA DEMENTIEVA: She play very aggressive game. It's very difficult just waiting for the fault. You have to be more aggressive than her. Q. Talk about the third set. You got off to a pretty bad start there, but managed to get yourself back in. ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I mean, I was down 2-Love. It was tough to came back. But it was very windy. She did a lot of mistake in the third set. Q. Did you feel at times today, especially in the third set, you couldn't play as aggressively as you normally do because of the wind? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, yeah, I didn't play aggressive like I play, like I usually play. But, you know, sometimes it's work just waiting for the faults. Q. Do you feel a competition with Kournikova? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: No, I don't. Q. Can you explain why she is so popular here? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: No. I don't know. How can I say about her? Ask her. Q. Your English is so good. Have you been studying it for a long time? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: No, I just start to learn. Q. And you've already picked it up so well. ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Thank you. Q. How many languages do you speak? French? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I speak French. Q. And? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: And a little bit English. Q. You said the other day that you don't have any sponsors yet, yet you bought your own Nike stuff. Have they approached you yet now that you've made the semifinals? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, so far so good. We'll see. Q. They have offered sponsorship? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yes. Q. When did that happen? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Just few days ago. Q. Which company? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I don't know. I don't tell you right now. Q. Do you have an agent yet? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: No. Q. Have you been approached by more than one firm that would like to manage your career? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I didn't understand you. Q. We're talking about you being approached by potential agents. Has there been more than one person that has approached you? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You mean --. Q. Have many agents talked to you? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Not many. Q. But a few? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: A few, yeah. Q. I know you talked the other day about how much you like to play on big center courts. When you walked out today into that huge stadium, what did you feel like? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I was a little bit exciting. I mean, I didn't have a practice before the match because the mens play before us. But I like this stadium. I played in Indian Wells. I think it's the same stadium, but this one just a little bit bigger. Q. Do you think your life will change after this tournament, you'll become more popular in Russia? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I don't think my life is going to change because maybe I will be a little bit more famous in Russia, yeah. I still the same. Q. Is the attention overwhelming, all the agents coming to you, contracts? Is it very different for you? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yes. Q. Were you aware that Chelsea Clinton, President Clinton's daughter, you knew she was there? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: No, I didn't know. Q. Do you know who she is? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yes. Q. How old were you when you started tennis? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Seven. Q. Is it true that Marat Safin's mother taught you? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yes. Q. How proud are you that there might be two from Russia in semifinals? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I mean, it will be very good if he will play in semis. It will be very good for Marat's mother because she will be so happy. Q. Is she here? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: No, I don't think so she's here. Maybe she will come. I don't know. Q. How long did you work with her? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: About three or four years. Q. When you were seven, who was your favorite player on the women's tour? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Monica Seles. Q. Did you model your game after hers or anyone else's? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: No. I just like to watch her, but I play my game. Q. You said you're not surprised that you are here. When you saw the draw, did you look and say, "I can win this, I can win that"? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: No, I don't like to see the draw, you know, the next round. My brother told me that I can do it, I can play semis here. Q. Your brother did? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yes. Q. What is the name of your brother? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Vsevolod. Q. Now that you advanced to the semifinals, do you believe you can win the US Open? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: It's difficult to say. Yeah, I hope so. It's very difficult. Q. How much better will you have to play now that you are going to play either Lindsay or Serena? Will you have to play much better? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I have to play much better. And I hope the weather will be better. Q. Two years ago you were watching the other girls playing on TV. Was there any turning point in the last two years that you became so good? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You know, when I beat Venus Williams in the Fed Cup, I really believed that I can play against such a great players. Q. Did anyone in your family have a birthday today? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Not really. Q. Can you talk about how you got started when you were seven. ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I started at seven in the Sparta Club, Russian tennis club. I start because my mother just loved tennis very much, and she played not professional, but for fun. We started with my brother to play in the same group. Now, my brother, he's studying University and I still play tennis. Q. You mentioned just a couple of years ago you were watching on television, now you're in the semifinals. Do you feel intimidated when you look at the next players you're likely to face the next couple of matches? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, but, you know, I'm not nervous. Why not? I play very well this week. I work very hard. Why not? Q. Anke described your game as smart and simple. Is that your game plan? Do you think you will be able to have a similar game plan against someone like Williams or Davenport? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, you know, I just -- yeah, I didn't on the court such a different thing. I can say that I play everything. My volleys and my serve not so good now, yeah. But I'm trying to improve my game, just working at it. Q. Will you watch their match tonight? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: No, I don't think so. I need to go somewhere just for relax. It's so much tennis this week. Q. Do they play a different kind of game, Venus and Serena? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I think they just more stronger than another players. Q. Are they stronger than you? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Maybe a little bit. Q. Have you been working on weight training in the last year? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yes, I did. Q. How do you equalize them being so strong? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Sorry? Q. How do you make it equal when they're strong? What do you do to beat them, to beat Venus? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You mean Serena? Q. You beat Venus, is that right? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yes. Q. How did you do that? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: It was not a tournament like usually I play. It was for a team. I'm always play much better when I play the team competitions. Q. Who is traveling with you? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: My mother. She's traveling with me all the time. Q. So you are not alone? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: No, I'm not. Q. What do you do for fun or hobbies? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I ski sometimes in the wintertime, play chess with my brother, listen to music, watch the TV. Q. What does your father do? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: He's engineer. Q. His name? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Viatcheslav, Slava. Q. Is he going to come? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: No. Q. Your mother's name? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Vera. End of FastScripts…. |
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