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ROGERS CUP

August 23, 2009

Elena Dementieva

TORONTO, ONTARIO

E. DEMENTIEVA/M. Sharapova
6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you tell us what it means to you to play in the first all-Russian final at the Rogers Cup and what it means to see so many young Russian players emerging on the tour these days?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, it was great, you know. It was great to play a Russian final here.
Every time I come here, I feel like we have such a great support from Russian fans and from the crowd, you know, here in Canada. So it's been really great and a big pleasure to play here.
It's not my first Russian final. I played a couple of Russian finals before, but I think it's great. It's going to be -- I hope it's going to be good example for Russian, you know, people and for little kids, and you know, I just feel extremely happy to win today.

Q. For the Serbian world of tennis, you won this tournament. You were in Cincinnati last week, and you had a tough match with Jelena Jankovic. Do you think that you would win Cincinnati too if you passed Jelena?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, you know, I had so many chances against Jelena. I know she's a very tough player to beat, because she plays really -- every single point she fights to the end, so I have to -- you really have to play until the last point against her.
I don't think, you know -- I don't want to think if I had chances to win or not, you know. That was the only match that I feel disappointed because I had so many match points, but it was a good game.

Q. When you're playing against Maria, are you playing against her and against the crowd at the same time?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: No, I don't feel this way, no.

Q. Why not?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Because I don't feel this way. (laughter.)

Q. There were some pretty long rallies out there. You seemed to get the better of some of those. Do you take a lot of pride in just going, getting balls that look like they're not going to be too easy to get? Both in the corners and at the net you really seem to work hard.
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I just feel I played a huge day. I was fighting for every point, so many long rallies. I mean, it was not the way I like to play. It was a more defensive game today.
But against her, it's very hard to be aggressive because she put a lot of pressure on the first two shots, so you really need to work on the defense before you have your chances to approach or to go, you know, with a good shot.
That was my tactic for today's game, and you know, I had some tough matches before, coming to the final, not feeling, you know, 100% fresh. So I was just waiting for my chances and didn't rush.

Q. You've got the US Open coming up, and you mentioned earlier this week you still have goals for your career. You beat Serena yesterday, Maria today. Do you feel you're ready to realize, you know, some more goals for your career?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, I just feel it's great to have so many good matches against top 10 players here, because one week, it's not going to change anything. So this is pretty much how it's going to be there, and I hope it's going to be good preparation. I hope it is a good preparation.
So for sure, this kind of win gives you a lot of confidence, so right now it's all about recovery and getting ready for New York.

Q. You mentioned on court that you've been coming here for a long time to this tournament, I think the first time in 1999. Do you remember that first trip here to this tournament, where you were then versus where you are now as a tennis player?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I think the first time I come here was at Toronto, and I was in a semifinal losing to AmÃ©lie Mauresmo. I may be wrong, but this is what I remember.
Since that time, I really like to play this tournament, but I never done anything better than first or second round, which was very disappointing for me, because every time I come, I have such a great, you know, crowd support and I just like this tournament.
So I just feel so happy to finally win this title, and you know, just means a lot to me.

Q. The other players often refer to you as a grinder. You hear that over and over. She's a grinder. She's a grinder. Do you like that description of your game?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, I feel like every match I play different, you know. Sometimes I'm aggressive, sometimes I play defensive, so whatever it takes to win the match, especially when it comes to the final.
When you play great, it's great, but sometimes you really have to find a winning way when something goes wrong, and that's what happened today. You know, I was not playing at my best, but I was able to find the winning way and fight through the match.

End of FastScripts

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