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January 13, 2009

Elena Dementieva

SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES

E. DEMENTIEVA/J. Gajdosova
6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Much better start for you today.
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I just never played against this girl before, so I was really focused at the beginning of the match. I was trying to just start from the beginning and, you know, play very aggressive and put a lot pressure on her.
Yeah, I'm just very satisfied the way I was playing today. We had a lot of fighting, especially in the second set. It's always good to win in two and save some energy for the next round.

Q. With Auckland and now here you've won six straight so far this year. How are you feeling?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I think it's always great to win the first two and give you some confidence for the rest of the week. It was a little bit tough, you know, to come and play the next day, but now it feels so much better.
So I just wish to play, you know, well here and get ready for Australian Open.

Q. This is your chance to really have a chance for a Grand Slam and perhaps win one. Are you feeling that good about your tennis?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I feel it's going to be a tough competition. There are a lot of good players out there, and it's going tough. I just want to try my best, you know. I feel good so far, so we'll see how far I can go there.

Q. Physically you're looking in superb condition. What kind of off-season did you have? Do you feel like you're in as good a shape as you've been in at this time of year?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I think I've done pretty good fitness work. I was practicing a lot, you know, in the States. I feel good and I -- it just matters, you know, how well I play here and how many matches I can play before I start to play in Grand Slam. It's a long way, so we'll see.

Q. Is that the key for you? I talked to Dinara yesterday about playing a lot of games before the first Grand Slam. Is that important to you as well?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I think it's very important to play a couple tournaments before the Grand Slam just to get used to the game and get good confidence. It was a long off-season, so you always want to play a competition after such a long break.
I mean, it's so different comparing to what you do in the practicing sessions. So, yeah, I think it's important, you know, especially you don't know what to expect from the players. It's just the beginning of the year. It's very interesting to see who's in the good shape.

Q. Is it possible to play too many matches?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You know, this tournament finish on Friday, and anyway, who's going to be in the final has a couple days before it starts in Australian Open. So I think it's good enough time.

Q. There's some very hot weather predicted for the next couple days.
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I know.

Q. You know already?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I heard it's extremely hot in Melbourne and going to be hot all the way here. Yeah, it's tough. But it's tough for everyone.

Q. Yeah. Do you think getting a taste of that hotter weather this week might help you if it is hot in Melbourne?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I don't know if you can really get used to the heat. You're just trying to play as quick as possible and get away from the court. Yeah, for sure, especially for the players coming from Europe it's important to play some tournaments before going to the Melbourne.
So, yeah, it's just a very good tournament and very good preparation.

Q. You played very aggressively today. Was that partly to get off the court quickly because of the heat, or just because you're playing someone new and you wanted to dominate her early?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Both. You don't want to stay long on the court. You really want to win in two sets and make it as quick as possible because of the weather condition, which is a great motivation for playing aggressive game.

Q. You've Got Radwanska now in the quarterfinals. Do you have any feeling about her?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, I'm playing against Radwanska. I think she just won, right?
THE MODERATOR: Yeah.
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: So I think it's going to be a tough match, because she's probably one of the best upcoming players on the tour. She's got so many great results playing last year, so it's going to be tough.
Last time we play in the final of Istanbul and I lost to her, so it's an interesting match for me.

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