	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

PACIFIC LIFE OPEN

March 15, 2005

Elena Dementieva

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

Q. Do you enjoy long matches or do you wish you could win short?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I enjoy to win, you know. Sometimes it takes long, like today. But, anyway, it feels good, you know, to win in the end of the match. Even if in the beginning I didn't play my best, I was able to come back after 6-1, 3-1, which is good.

Q. Does it make you nervous when you get behind?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You mean, in the beginning of the match?

Q. In the second set.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I felt a little nervous in the beginning of the match. I feel like I need sometimes, you know, to really get into the match. Sometimes I say it takes me a couple games before I can feel my rhythm and before I can play. Maybe I need to do better warm-up before the match so I can start right from the first one.

Q. Was it on the opposite side of the spectrum from the last time you played? You said you played your worst tennis ever the last time you played.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I mean, I feel like today I was playing better, you know. Everything was better. But I was far from , you know, the way I can play. But it was a tough match. I think Tatiana was playing pretty good today, especially her forehand she improved a lot. I think she did a lot of winners, so it was very difficult to play against her today. But my game -- I feel like my game was a little better than the previous match.

Q. We have eight women's singles matches scheduled here today. Six of them Russian women are involved. What does that tell you about the state of women's tennis in Russia?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I feel like it's really amazing how many Russians we have for the moment on the tour. A lot of young players are coming up. Some of the players I don't really know. I don't know even their names. They are so young. They are like 15 or 16 years old or even younger. And they come from the different parts of the country. So I've never seen them before. So that's really surprise me to see so many. Especially in the Round of 16, you know.

Q. Do you know the girl from Ukraine playing Lindsay tonight?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: No, I don't really know her.

Q. Do you feel Russia should have a major tournament?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: In Russia.

Q. The equivalent of a Grand Slam or something like this, a really big tournament?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I'm sure that Russian people would love to have something like a Grand Slam in Moscow. We have only one big tournament, which is Kremlin Cup in October. Yeah, but, you know, if it's going to be so many Russians, then I guess we need to have some more tournaments in our country.

Q. Last year was such a dominant year for Russian women. How do you think this year will shape up? Do you think with so much more attention on the Russian women players, how do you think you ladies will respond to that?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I think it's quite difficult to keep the same level and play as good as we were playing last year. But on the same time, I mean, we're all working hard, we know what we want. I think everyone wants to be No. 1. So that's the huge motivation which, you know, makes us work a lot. You know, it's very good to have this kind of competition between all of us because I feel like I want to improve my game myself, you know, I want to be the best one. So it really helps me in particular ways.

Q. How many Grand Slams do you suppose the Russian women will win this year? Pretty hard to say?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I think two.

Q. Two?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yes.

Q. Are you going to tell us which two?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: No.

Q. How will you do at the French?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I mean, I would love to win French Open. This is my favorite Grand Slam. I was pretty close last year, so I hope I can make it this time.

End of FastScriptsâ€¦.

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297