US OPEN

September 5, 2006

Elena Dementieva

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. She was talking earlier about how difficult it is to return your serve. She said returning Serena's was easier to return than yours. She sort of figured something out, how to deal with your serve. Did you sense that out there, considering how you played her in the past?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I think it's not about the return. I think the whole game was pretty solid today. She was playing great from the beginning to the end. She didn't give me any chances. I feel like she was just a little I mean, not little, she was better today. For me, it was very hard, you know. I was fighting for every point, but she was just, you know, better and better.
It's just unbelievable, the way she was playing today.

Q. You've played her many times. She's always been a very talented player extremely talented. One could argue she's never been the most motivated player out there. She is now, obviously. Can you sense the difference in her game?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, I think, uhm, she become more consistent player, and she's I mean, she's trying to be more positive. It really looks like she's really enjoying to play right now. The way she's playing, I mean, her game is just coming, you know, becoming more solid every single tournament that she's playing.
So for me, today was just very hard, you know, to stay in the court and compete against her. I mean, she was there for every point, and she didn't give me any mistakes.

Q. When you play Jankovic, you probably had periods against her where she had one or two or three games where she looked fantastic, but never the whole match.
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Right, right.

Q. Today, was it different?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, yeah. Even comparing to our final in Los Angeles, you know, she had some ups and downs, you know. She was playing great for a couple of games and then, you know, just like she lost her concentration and she was out of, you know, the match.
Today she was very consistent during the whole game, and from the beginning. That's why, you know, it was very hard for me to play against her.

Q. You've gone very far. This has been a very good stage for you. You're making an earlier exit than you probably would have thought. A bit disappointed with not being able to get back to, say, semis or finals like in the past?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yes, I am disappointed. I still have I still feel like it was a good result, to be in the quarter. But, you know, I feel like I could do, you know, a little more, and I could go to the semifinals.
Yeah, it is disappointing, you know. I'm getting older, and I haven't won a Grand Slam, so that's really what I'm thinking about all the time. I feel like I was in a good shape here. That's why it's sad.

Q. Do you feel, I mean, given that you're up near the top but then you're very up and down, do you feel there's a piece missing somewhere, that you have to rethink and maybe come back with a different attitude? Or do you think, Keep working at it and maybe one day it will all come together?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I feel like I'm doing the right thing, you know. I can't play perfect every single day. It's impossible for anyone. So I'm just trying to work hard and, you know, trying to fight in the court no matter what, you know, no matter how my serve is, no matter how I feel. You know, I try to fight because that's what takes you to be champion, you know. Try to win, no matter how you feel today.
Just today I wasn't able to do it because she was just so much better.

Q. What would be a Elena Dementieva match without a wrap on your leg?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Actually, I feel disappointed because my leg feels so much better now. I had some problems in the beginning of the tournament, but today I was feeling physically great and I was like ready to run, I was ready to have a good match. It was over in one hour. I was very sad.

Q. This is just to make sure nothing more happens (referring to her wrap)?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, it just was for support, yeah. I didn't feel it.

Q. The quality of her play today, is it enough to win a US Open championship?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, I think she has if she gonna face Justine, I think it's gonna be very tough for her because, you know, what I was trying to do today was trying to mix it up a little bit because she was playing great, you know, from the baseline, you know, very aggressive. It looks like she was in her rhythm of the game.
But with Justine, against Justine, you know, with all the speed and slice, what she can do in a match, it's gonna be quite difficult for her. For sure she's in the best condition right now. She's just, you know she has nothing to lose in the semifinals against her. So I think she can do it, yeah.

Q. She has a great sense of humor, she's so easy to laugh. Is she one of the most popular players in the locker room?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, I think she's very natural, you know. She's a friendly girl, you know. She likes to laugh. She's very loud, so...
Yeah, she's just this kind of girl, yeah.

Q. Do you dream about tennis?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Do I dream about tennis (smiling)? No, it's gonna be too much. No.

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