The Russian we love

June 2009 | by Ross Hudson

Elena Dementieva"You're scaring me now!"  Elena Dementieva half-laughed after being reminded just how windy Devonshire Park's Centre Court can be. 

And the Russian ace should worry as she is notorious for her serving problems and frequent wayward ball toss.

Although Dementieva's serving struggles is one of the factors that make her so enthralling to watch, as it gives her an underdog vibe as she battles to overcome adversity. She is aptly nicknamed 'Miss Resilient' for her ability to keep bouncing back and scraping through with closely-fought three set successes.

And despite such an obvious weakness she's been a consistent top 10 player since 2003. Indeed, Dementieva continues to thrive against the big guns on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, which should earn her the top seeding at Eastbourne 2009. 

This is because the make-up of the rest of her game is absolutely superb - outstanding groundstrokes, great volleyer - and the fact that is among the fittest on the WTA Tour. But without her well-documented serving problems, the rest of Dementieva's game would arguably not have been so close to perfection.

Elena DementievaYet at Eastbourne 2007 the Russian star was brushed aside by French ace Marion Bartoli at the quarter-final stage. But to be fair Bartoli had just hit a purple patch on grass, which resulted in a magnificent run all the way to the 2007 Wimbledon final.

In 2008 Dementieva warmed up for Wimbledon - where she reached the last four - at the Ordina Open in Holland instead of Eastbourne, beaten in the semi-final by Russian Dinara Safina. This defeat was particularly painful as a fortnight before she lost to Safina at the French Open despite racing into a set and 5-2 lead. 

But it was third time lucky when the pair met next in 2008, Dementieva picking up the Olympic gold medal at the expense of Safina in the Beijing Games. The amicable Russian had finally made her breakthrough of collecting top prize following the bitter disappointments of finishing second at the 2000 Olympic Games, 2004 French Open and 2004 US Open.

Dementieva may have long forgotten the harsh Moscow winters as she enjoys living and training in the midl climes of tax-haven Monaco. 

But she was a product of the infamous Moscow Sparta club's production line of talented tennis stars, where she was initially coached as a youngster by Safina's mother Rauza Islanova. She had surprisingly been turned down by Dynamo, who cited minor imperfections in the then seven year old's movement.

She moved across the city to tweak her game under the watchful eye of Sergei Pashkov at the Central Red Army Club, where she continued to hone her skills until joining the WTA Tour. Her playing style is typically Russian with a breathtaking double-handed backhand and weak serve. But what gives Dementieva the winning edge is her solid flank and an incredible forehand that is either error-prone or sizzles outrageous winners.

Elena DementievaDementieva's 2009 began in spectactular fashion after she collected her 12th and 13th career titles in Auckland and Sydney respectively. Despite being a strong candidate for the Australian Open she fell at the semi-final to eventual champion Serena Williams, which means that Dementieva has finished in the final four at every grand slam.

Other 2009 outings have seen Dementieva suffer defeats to two Eastbourne favourites, Amelie Mauresmo (Paris and Madrid), and Caroline Wozniacki (Miami and Charleston). And the Russian briefly made her debut in the world's top three and is currently in the top five.

But her form on grass is pretty impressive and now that Dementieva has shown that she is a winner then Eastbourne and Wimbledon are bound to see plenty of the likeable Russian in action, maybe as the 2009 champion.

What gives Dementieva the edge is her solid flank and an incredible forehand that is either error-prone or sizzles

- Ross Hudson