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BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 17, 2010

Elena Dementieva

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

A. RADWANSKA/E. Dementieva
6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I know that Radwanska has done well against you in the past, but what was the problem today?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Oh, well, I think I, you know, didn't play the way I should be to beat her. I was, you know, playing actually her game the way she feels pretty comfortable with the long rallies.
I feel I was not aggressive with my footwork, was not aggressive with my shots today, so just way too many mistakes from me. And, I mean, she was playing as usually. She was pretty solid on the baseline, no mistakes.
I feel from the whole match I probably played maybe one or two games the way I have to play to beat her, but it was not enough. You know, I was just too slow with my footwork.

Q. What happened at 4-4, 0-30 for her? You lost eight points in a row.
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I had so many opportunities, and just -- I think it's not about the score. It's just the way I was playing was not my game, was not the way, you know, I have to play against her.
Even I had some chances in the first set I couldn't break her. I just did so many mistakes. I feel like, like I said, my footwork was not there. I was so slow. You know, I was reaching for the ball instead of going forward and attack her second serve, you know.
I mean, she slowed down a lot the game and she mix it up a lot, and you have to be, you know, very aggressive. You have to step forward. You have to create something. I was way too slow today.

Q. What makes it tricky playing her? Your head to head with her is now 2 and 4. What's hard about her game for you?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I think, you know, she's -- she play very different game comparing to other top 10 players. She mix it up a lot. She slows the ball a lot. Her serve is very short, very slow, so you have to -- it's a bit tricky, because you have to really step into the court. You have to be inside the court, which you're not used to playing against top 10 players.
But that's the way she play. She moves you. She use your power. It's never easy to play against Agnieszka, but today I was not playing the way I feel I should play against her.

Q. Having played her so many times, how did the conditions here this year compare to previous years? If they're good, have they helped you in any way? If they're bad, have they hurt you in any way, or which way?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You mean the better conditions, or...

Q. The speed of the court and things like that.
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I think it was a perfect day to play tennis today, and, you know, especially this year it's not windy and it's a beautiful weather. So actually first time the players are really enjoying to play here and not struggling with the wind and with the heat.
So, yeah, I think it was perfect tennis conditions.

Q. Why are there so many tall players in women's tennis? How much has your height helped you?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, I think it may help you. Especially on your serve may help you with some baseline groundstrokes. But when it comes to the movement, I think sometimes it's a bit difficult to move side to side when you are too tall.
I mean, for sure there are some advantages of, you know, of the high players. But during the game, I think the higher and the bigger you are, you just get maybe tired during the game, and it sometimes doesn't help you.

Q. Why so many tall players?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I think because the game is just getting more powerful. It's not about long rallies anymore. It's more about hitting hard, you know, serving hard. You know, the speed is just, you know, so much harder comparing to 10 years ago.
That's why we see so many high athletes are coming in the tour and hitting the ball very hard.

Q. You mentioned you enjoyed your stay in Indian Wells. Have you enjoyed any of the local food? If so, any of the local restaurants come to mind that you enjoyed?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: There are a lot of nice restaurants that we used to go every evening. It's a beautiful, very quiet, very nice atmosphere place, and I think all the players enjoying to come here.
For me, I think it's the 10th time that I'm here, and every time we try to go a different place. So maybe today we just go to The Living Desert just to enjoy something else.

Q. If you had one thing to work on after today's match, what would that be?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: That would be my footwork, you know. I just feel -- I may take just one or two days and really work on my footwork, make sure that I come closer to the ball, to make my body push into the ball, and just, you know, use the opportunity come forward and make a good shot instead of just waiting for the ball to come.

End of FastScripts

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