NASDAQ-100 OPEN

March 26, 2002

Elena Dementieva

Q. After the first set, it was kind of an error-filled first set. Did you feel like you were in control at that point? Did you feel like anything could happen from that point on?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I think it was a good tactic for me. I was trying not to give her a chance to move very much around the court because she likes this way, the way, you know, to move and play the good winners. So I was trying to play on her, you know, serve on the body. And I think it was a good tactic, and I did it good.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, it was a crazy match yesterday. I never had so many matchpoints against me. And was tough match. I think the schedule, it's not good enough. Because, you know, the tournaments, it's two-weeks tournament. I play four matches in a row every day. Now, I mean, she has a break and I don't. But I think, you know, I play not so bad today and I was moving well. After the match I had before.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I think she start to play, you know, not so powerful, just put it in. And, you know, she start to control the game. But, you know, I did a lot of, you know, unforced errors and my serve, as usual, wasn't good enough.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I don't know. But against me, she's always, you know, in the beginning trying to hit very hard. And then if it doesn't go this way, she change it all the time and try to find a way to win. She doesn't play, you know, always the same tennis.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You know, I think it's strange, but I think she doesn't like to play when it's hot. When, you know, when it's -- at the beginning of the third set, it was so cloudy. It looks like she start to feel much better then. And, you know, it was a very bad moment for me when it was 40-love and I could make it 4-3 but I didn't. I think that that was the wrong game for me.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I think too much desire. Too much desire to win.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You know, I didn't think about it during the match. I was trying to play every point. When you play against such a great, you know, player like Venus, you know, she is very powerful. So sometimes I did, you know, some good shots and sometimes just very disappointed, you know.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I feel good. My foot is much better. I didn't plan to go to Amelia this time because, you know, because the thing happened with me last year. But I will play, you know, because I feel good. So we'll see what happens with me in the next week.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: (Smiling).

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I prefer to see Martina on the final.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I just like to watch her.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yep.