Elena Dementieva

Elena Viatcheslavovna Dementieva is a Russian professional tennis player. She has won two Olympic medals in singles, including the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She has also reached the finals of the 2004 French Open and 2004 US Open. Her career high ranking was World No. 3 which she achieved on April 6, 2009. As of 25 October 2010, her ranking is World No. 9.

Dementieva was born in Moscow to Viatcheslav, an electrical engineer, and Vera, a teacher, both recreational tennis players. She was rejected by Dynamo Sports Club and the Central Red Army Tennis Club at the age of 7, before enrolling at Spartak Tennis Club, where she was coached for 3 years by Rauza Islanova, the mother of Marat Safin and Dinara Safina. She then moved to the Central Red Army Club with Sergei Pashkov, when she was 11. She is now coached by her mother Vera and her older brother Vsevolod. She has homes in Monaco, Moscow and Boca Raton, Florida, and enjoys snowboarding, baseball, reading and traveling.

Dementieva is an offensive baseline player with powerful groundstrokes off both sides and excellent defensive skills. Her preferred groundstroke is her forehand, which she hits hard and flat. In particular, her running forehand, which she rarely misses, is a key weapon for Dementieva when she is on the defensive. Dementieva is also known for her excellent athleticism and speed around the court. Dementieva makes few net approaches except to return drop shots or to take advantage of weak returns from her opponents, although since Wimbledon 2009 she has been more aggressive at times.

She has no particular favourite surface, as her playing ability allows her to adapt easily on each surface although her best results have tended to be on hard courts, and she looks less comfortable moving confidently on clay. While her heavy groundstroking baseline game would not seem to be that suited to grass, her athleticism and improved serve, in particular her slice serve, have led to two consecutive semi final appearances at Wimbledon.

Dementieva's serve has shown improvement since 2008, committing fewer double faults and occasionally managing aces.

statics
Country : Russia
Residence : Monte Carlo, Monaco
Date of birth : October 15, 1981 (1981-10-15) (age 29)
Place of birth : Moscow, then Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height : 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight : 64 kg (140 lb; 10.1 st)
Turned pro : 25 August 1998
Plays : Right-handed (two-handed backhand)