Passing shots

According to the Marion Bartoli Fan Blog (I know updating is inevitable, but I really miss "Looking For a Cult Hero?"!), Bartoli's calf tear, which she sustained in Melbourne, is pretty serious. There is a lot of interesting information on this page, about Bartoli's injury, the nature of calf tears, and some history and other miscellaneous information--all worth reading.

Beatrice Capra has signed a letter of intent to play for Duke University's tennis team.

Andrea Petkovic and Kevin Rolland--separated at birth?

Elena Dementieva recently participated in an exhibition in Moscow for the benefit of children's homes and orphanages. Former tour player Elena Likhovtseva participated, also.

I just realized something: Katarina Srebotnik, Nenad Zimonjic's usual mixed doubles partner, stepped aside at the Australian Open so that Zimonjic and Ana Ivanovic could play together in preparation for the Olympic Games. Srebotnik played instead with Daniel Nestor (who, until recently, was Zimonjic's men's doubles partner), but Zimonjic wound up playing mixed with Maria Kirilenko. Does anyone know what transpired?

Passing shots

Elena Dementieva has accepted the position of vice president of the Russian Tennis Federation, which can be only a good thing for Russian tennis. The recently retired Dementieva was honored on Thursday by President Dmitry Medvedev. (Thanks to Forty Deuce for providing this news.)

Jelena Dokic has hired Glenn Schaap to be her coach.

Maria Sharapova, who recently ended her contract with Prince, will play with a Head racquet this season. She's been playing for a while with a Head racquet with the logo blacked out, so this is hardly a surprise. Sharapova's new endorsement contract is worth $2 million a year.

Kim Clijsters recently repeated her statement that 2011 may be her last full season on the tour.

Recently retired tour member Alina Jidkova was married over the holiday break. Jidkova married Sascha Ghods, who is also her partner in an international fine pearl business.

The January issue of the Russian version of Glamour contains a feature on Vera Zvonareva. You can see some photos here.

Dinara Safina spent part of the off-season in Argentina.

Jarmila Groth is blogging from Brisbane (warning: reading the first post will involve learning about Sam Groth's bleached mohawk).

Clijsters named WTA Player of the Year

For the second time in her career, Kim Clijsters has been named WTA Player of the Year. Clijsters defended her U.S. Open title, won the WTA Champioships, and also won titles in Brisbane, Miami and Cincinnati. Clijsters was also the recipient of the Player Service Award.

Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta were named the Doubles Team of the Year. Dulko and Pennetta won seven titles together in 2010.

The remaining awards follow:

Comeback Player of the Year--Justine Henin
Newcomer of the Year--Petra Kvitova
Humanitarian of the Year--Maria Sharapova
Karen Krantzche Sports(wo)manship Award--Elena Dementieva

Once again, the players chose the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart as their favorite premier tournament. The Pattaya Open was chosen as the favorite international tournament.

Miscellany

Katarina Srebotnik will stand aside, and Ana Ivanovic will play mixed doubles with Nenad Zimonjic at the Australian Open. It is assumed that Ivanovic and Zimonjic will pair for the 2012 Olympic Games, and the Australian Open will give them a chance to compete as a team. According to Women's Tennis Blog, Zimonjic will resume playing with Srebotnik at the other three 2011 majors.

Jelena Jankovic underwent minor eye surgery on Thursday; her stitches will be removed in about a week.

"Your matches were never boring...." That's one (and perhaps my favorite) of the many things fans said to Elena Dementieva after she announced her retirement.

Anastasia Rodionova recently relaxed for a couple of days at Port Sea with Cara Black and her husband.

Daniela Hantuchova spent some time in Hungary, where she did a photo shoot for a calendar to support her work for House of the Smile, a hospital in Cambodia for children with HIV.

Players say goodbye to Elena

Always down a set and a break--forever cherished by fans

Elena Dementieva, one of a group of Russians who significantly changed women's tennis, retired today. The 29-year-old Dementieva was one of the best athletes on the tour, and--I think it is safe to say--a universal fan favorite. Her athletic grace, intelligence, humility, and sense of humor made her stand out for years, and some of her heartbreaking losses caused so many of us to identify with her and feel for her.

But Dementieva's career, in the end, was not about loss. While it's true that she may have under-achieved (which could also be said of so many of her peers), she nevertheless compiled an outstanding record on the tour. Dementieva was ranked in the top 20 for seven years, and was in the top ten for a total of 328 weeks; she reached a career-high rank of number 3 in the world last year. She finished in the top five at the end of both 2007 and 2008.

Elena Dementieva won 16 singles titles and was a singles runner-up 16 times. Her titles included wins in Dubai, Moscow, Tokyo, and Los Angeles. Dementieva also won six doubles titles, including the 2002 WTAChampionships, with partner Janette Husarova. She reached another seven doubles finals, including two at the U.S. Open.In 2000, Dementieva won the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Sydney. In 2010, she won gold at the Beijing Olympic Games, an achievement she considered the greatest of her career.



Dementieva was also an eight-time member of Russia's very successful Fed Cup team. She was the runner-up at the 2004 French Open, in which she lost to countrywoman Anastasia Myskina, and also at the 2004 U.S. Open, in which she lost to countrywoman Svetlana Kuznetsova. Dementieva reached the semifinals of seven other majors. One of her most exciting matches--and one of the best matches in recent history--occurred at the 2009 Wimbledon tournament, when Serena Williams defeated her 6-7, 7-5, 8-6.

Several years ago, Dementieva began to have a significant problem with her serve. Most careful tennis observers agreed that the problem began after she recovered from an injury and did not know how to stop compensating for a weak shoulder. Later, she was said to serve expertly during practice, leading fans and tennis experts to conclude that the over-compensation eventually became a mental issue. Dementieva didn't seem to let the problem bother her; rather, she became an expert at breaking her opponents' serves. She eventually overcame the service problem, though--toward the end of her career--she adopted an unusual service motion.

Last year, Dementieva lost to Samantha Stosur in the third round of the French Open. Asked whether this was one of her biggest disappointments, she replied, in her typically droll way: "I had so many."

Dementieva had to retire in her semifinal match at the 2010 French Open because of a left calf strain. She missed Wimbledon because of the injury, then made it to the round of 16 at the U.S. Open. There, she again played Stosur in what turned out to be the most dramatic singles match of the tournament. Dementieva held four match points, but it was Stosur who advanced to the quarterfinals.

Two days ago, the Russian beat Stosur 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 in round-robin play at the WTA Championships in Doha. Today, she lost in Doha to Francesca Schiavone, and after the match, she announced her retirement.

A couple of days ago, an interviewer in Doha noted, after Dementieva's victory over Stosur, that she had been down a set and a break. "I'm always down a set and a break," the Russian replied. Indeed, for many years, Dementieva was stunning in multiple three-set victories. But in the latter part of her career, going three sets became difficult for her. The difficulty was obviously not a physical one for the exceptionally fit Russian; she just began to lose her focus.

For her entire career, Dementieva was coached by her mother, Vera, whose existence in the stands often appeared to be poised on an emotional roller coaster. Dementieva said more than once that it was harder for her mother to endure her dramatic matches than it was for her to compete in them. Dementieva could crumble on the brink of victory, and she could also overcome defeat at the last moment. Her wins were sensational, and her losses were often gut-wrenching. Though she was calm and poised off-court--on the court, she tended to thrive on tension, and to create drama.

Women's tennis won't be the same without Elena Dementieva. She was a joy to watch as she repeatedly hit expertly from the baseline, and as she moved rapidly and gracefully with such stunning athleticism that she often made very difficult points look easy. Dementieva was always quick to laugh at herself, gracious toward her opponents, and very warm toward fans. Her screams of frustration and her animated facial expressions were endearing, and all the more so because they were so spontaneous.

How fortunate we were to be able to watch her for so many years.

Miscellany

The 2011 season will feature a new tournament in Fort Worth, Texas. It will take place the same week as the New Haven Open.

Paula Vergara talks about on-court coaching.

Here is the Doha Hot Shot of the Day--a great moment from Kim Clijsters (and Vera Zvonareva)--from the third day of WTA Championships play.

Svetlana Kuznetsova is asking--yet again--for people (are you listening, Martina Navratilova?) to stop calling her Kuzy: Kuznetsova has disliked this nickname for a long time.

Bobby Chintapalli tells us why she'll miss Elena Dementieva.

Dementieva retires from professional tennis

After she lost her third match to Francesca Schiavone in Doha today, Elena Dementieva announced to the crowd that she was retiring from professional tennis. You can see and hear Dementieva's very moving speech here, and you can see Barbara Schett interview her for Eurosport here. Also, the tour has created a gallery of the Russian's best moments.

Women Who Serve will have more on Dementieva's retirement later.

Quote of the day

You were down a set and a break. What happened?

What news. I'm always down a set and a break.

Elena Dementieva

Inflamed foot forces Dementieva out of Luxembourg Open

In any tennis season, some players are unfortunate enough to suffer ankle sprains, stress fractures in the foot, and other sports-related foot injuries and issues. This season, we have also seen some more unusual foot problems. The most famous case is the unfortunate tendon cut suffered by Serena Williams when a drunk World Cup enthusiast broke a bottle in a restaurant in Munich. Earlier in the year, Kim Clijsters had to deal with an infection on her foot after she had a mole removed. And now, Elena Dementieva has an inflamed foot.

Because of the right foot inflammation, Dementieva--top seed at the Luxembourg Open--had to retire today in her match against Palona Hercog. Dementieva has qualified for the WTA Championships, which begin in six days in Doha. Both Serena and Venus Williams had to give up their places in the top eight, Jelena Jankovic is ill, Vera Zvonareva withdrew from the Kremlin Cup because of physical issues, and now Dementieva has an inflamed foot. Of course, the chance is high that Jankovic, Zvonareva and Dementieva will be fine by the time the Championships begin, but there is a lot of physical stress among the top players as they head to Doha.

Jankovic & Dementieva qualify for Doha

Jelena Jankovic and Elena Dementieva are the seventh and eighth players to qualify for the WTA Championships, which will begin October 26 in Doha. This will be the tenth time that Dementieva has played in the Championships.

The other women who have qualified to play in the round-robin event are: Caroline Wozniacki, Vera Zvonareva, Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Samantha Stosur, and Francesca Schiavone.

Four doubles teams have qualified.

Wozniacki wins her 5th title of the year in Tokyo

Elena Dementieva's service game was so strong and dominant in the first set of the Toray Pan Pacific Open final, she won it 6-1. This was the same result she achieved in her first set against top seed Caroline Wozniacki in the New Haven final in September. In that final, Wozniacki came back to win, and she also came back to win today, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3. And while the top seed did lift the level of her game during the second set, more notable was the fact that Dementieva's game all but collapsed by the third set. She lost the match as she was broken on a double fault, and that moment, unfortunately, reflected the state of her game in the second half of the match.

Dementieva has played 34 three-set matches this season in which she won the first set, and the only two she has lost were New Haven and Tokyo.

The new Tokyo doubles champions are Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. They defeated Shahar Peer and Peng Shuai (who had never before played together) 6-4, 4-6, 10-8.

Wozniacki & Dementieva to play in Tokyo final

Tokyo top seed Caroline Wozniacki defeated 8th seed Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 today in the Tokyo semifinals. Wozniacki's opponent in the final will be 7th seed Elena Dementieva, who defeated 5th seed  Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 7-5.

In doubles, Shahar Peer and Peng Shuai defeated 3rd seeds Chan Yung-Jan and Liezel Huber 6-4, 5-7, 10-5. In the other semifinal, Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova defeated Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs 7-6, 6-2.

Dementieva moves to semifinals in Tokyo

Elena Dementieva, the 7th seed in Tokyo, defeated 2nd seed Vera Zvonareva 7-5, 6-2 today in the quarterfinals. Also advancing were 5th seed Francesca Schiavone, who defeated Kaia Kanepi 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 (the match lasted over three hours), and 8th seed Victoria Azarenka, who defeated qualifier Coco Vandeweghe 6-2, 6-1. 6th seed Agnieszka Radwanska had to retire against top seed Caroline Wozniacki because of a left foot injury.

In doubles, the two top-seeded teams were upset. Shahar Peer and Peng Shuai defeated number 1 seeds Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta. Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova defeated number 2 seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik. Two other teams won because of walkovers.

Miscellany

Come to Win: Business Leaders, Artists, Doctors and Other Visionaries on How Sports Can Help You Top Your Profession, entered the New York Times best-seller list as number 5 last week. Author Venus Williams came to win last night, and is in the semifinals of the 2010 U.S. Open.

Martina Hingis is--once again--contemplating a return to the tour as a doubles player.

The late-night U.S. Open quarterfinal played by Sam Stosur and Elena Dementieva took its toll on both of them. Stosur had trouble getting out of bed Monday morning, and was not able to hit for very long. Dementieva said that she felt "a bit sleepy" during the match.

I understand that U.S. commentators have neither the manners nor the motivation to learn how to pronounce "foreign" players' names, but maybe they can't help themselves, since some of them cannot pronounce "Huber" or "Evert," either. And how surprised am I than a multiple-major winner, long-time commentator and self-professed know-it-all cannot pronounce "athlete"?

Esther Vergeer, along with several other players, is featured in Vanity Fair. (Thanks to Forty Deuce for this link.)

Bethanie Mattek-Sands reports that: Lisa Raymond keeps taking Mattek-Sands' lucky number 23 locker, Maria Sharapova likes to play Scrabble on her iPad, Nadia Petrova drinks an "alien green" sports drink, and Timea Bacsinszky burned holes into her tennis skirt while ironing it at the last minute.

Stosur wins U.S. Open late-night thriller

To a great extent, fans of women's tennis could predict what would happen in last night's very late round of 16 match on Arthur Ashe Stadium at the U.S. Open: 12th seed Elena Dementieva would make 5th seed Sam Stosur's forehand suddenly look not so threatening, Stosur would become passive for part of the match, and--at some point--Dementieva would have some sort of mental collapse. What we couldn't predict was the order in which those things occurred.

This match had so much drama, and so many twists and turns, one could probably write a novella-sized text about it. Suffice it to say that Dementieva's returns did indeed neutralize many of Stosur's forehand shots, Stosur played several games without exhibiting any aggression, and--at the very end--Dementieva came unglued.

Stosur took the first set fairly easily because her serve was working so well for her. But it began to fail her, as it does from time to time, in the second set, (how many times will commentators continue to say "This is the first time I've ever seen Stosur's serve fail her"?), and she also made a stream of unforced errors. Dementieva was quick to take advantage of Stosur's service problems, took the second set, and--breaking her opponent five times in a row--went up 3-0 in the third set.

At this point, Stosur appeared locked to the baseline, not moving forward to put any pressure on Dementieva. But slowly, she came out of her passive mode, and broke back for a 3-all score, and then the real thrills began. Stosur began relying almost exclusively on her kick serve. Dementieva broke again, and held a match point when she served for the match at 5-3. Stosur saved that match point, but then quickly went down in her own service game, handing the 12th seed three more match points, all of which she failed to convert. Stosur then held a match point on her own serve, which Dementieva saved.

By this time, it was very late, and the crowd was completely enthralled with the over-the-top effort made by both women in their attempts to escape losing the match. It seemed only appropriate that the entire battle of nerves, athleticism and tennis savvy would wind up in a tiebreak. But it was at that point that Dementieva's focus broke down, and her winning forehand broke down with her. Stosur swept the tiebreak 7-2, handing Dementieva what had to be an extraordinarily disappointing loss, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6. (Stosur's point total for the match was 106, Dementieva's was 107.)

Stosur's comeback was noteworthy. Down 0-3, down 3-5, and facing four match points, she prevailed.

There were fifteen breaks of serve in the match, which didn't end until after 1:30 a.m. New York time. Dementieva hit 19 winners and made 38 unforced errors. Stosur hit 35 winners and made 58 unforced errors. The match may not have been that clean, but the third set was exciting enough to make up for it.

Wozniacki to go for 3 straight New Haven titles

Stellar footwork, beautiful volleys, double faults followed by aces, match points saved, and so close to a win....only to see it fade away.

All one can say is: Elena's back.

Elena Dementieva, the Queen of Quirk, who defeated Marion Bartoli in a frustratingly inconsistent quarterfinal match, said she wanted some tough matches so she can be prepared for the U.S. Open. Dementieva tore her calf muscle during the French Open and had to drop out for a while. She was given a wild card into Pilot Pen Tennis, and--despite her loss to top seed Caroline Wozniacki in tonight's semifinal match--the 4th seed certainly got what she asked for.

This was one of those matches that "should" have been a final. The shifts in momentum, and the fighting spirit displayed by both players, made the match exciting, to the extent that it was impossible to predict the winner until the very last moment. There were thrilling rallies, great volleys, expertly delivered lobs, and some good serving. There were also a lot of twists and turns, which came as no surprise, since Dementieva and Wozniacki are two of the best defenders in women's tennis. Both women missed a number of opportunities to win games rather routinely, but that just created more tension for the spectators.

Wozniacki got off to a slow start, making repeated errors--including on her serve--and winning only one game in the first set. She broke Dementieva right away in the second set, then held serve, though neither she nor her opponent held serve again in the set, which Wozniacki won, 6-3. Despite the breaks of serve, there was plenty to enjoy in the second set, but the best was yet to come.

Dementieva took the lead in the third set, but--knowing the patterns of both Wozniacki and Dementieva--it was hard to take that lead too seriously. Wozniacki fought her way back, but Dementieva took it to 5-4 and served for the match. Wozniacki broke her, and the tension moved up a notch. Wozniacki went up 6-5, and Dementieva, serving at 0-40, hit three consecutive winners to save three match points. She then made two more consecutive points, and then three more, to go up 3-0 in the tiebreak. She seemed to be on a fast path to victory, but it was Wozniacki who won the tiebreak 7-5, and--after two hours and 35 minutes--she had fought her way to her third consecutive New Haven final.

Dementieva, on the other hand, got stuck in the Pilot Pen semifinals for the fourth time in her career.

The defending champion won the Rogers Cup last week, and had to play her final two matches on one day because of rain delays. However, play started late in New Haven because of rain, and Wozniacki--who had a bye in the first round--received a walkover from Flavia Pennetta in the quarterfinals. She received some brief medical treatment during tonight's match, but seemed fine afterwards.

Wozniacki, who won the tournament in 2008 and 2009, will play Nadia Petrova in the final. Petrova was leaving Montreal for New York when she was given a last-minute wild card into the New Haven draw.

The land of (missed) opportunity

That's where Marion Bartoli resides, in case you want to drop by and have a chat and some coffee. For the entire first set of the 6th seed's quarterfinal match against 4th seed Elena Dementieva in New Haven today, she squandered chance after chance--seven in all--to break, but was able to succeed with only two of them. She was broken four times by Dementieva, who won the first set 6-3.

Bartoli raised her level of play in the second set, which she won 6-3. Dementieva quickly moved out in front in the third, but had trouble closing the match, which she finally did--6-3, 3-6, 6-2--on her seventh match point.

Sometimes this match was hard to watch. Dementieva had some obvious trouble with her injured thigh, but that seemed to go away. She did tell interviewers, however, that she is trying to avoid long rallies. The Russian also muttered and chatted and yelled--often at her mother--throughout the three-hour affair. "...what are you telling her?" Mary Joe Fernandez asked her. "You don't want to know," the 4th seed replied.

Dementieva will play defending champion Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals. Wozniacki won her quarterfinal match by default when she received a walkover from an injured Flavia Pennetta. The top seed's move to the semifinals also means that she has won the U.S. Open Series.

Bartoli double-faulted twelve times, and Dementieva double-faulted seven times. There were 37 break opportunities in the match, and twelve breaks of serve.

The other semifinal will feature two Russians. Maria Kirilenko defeated wild card Dinara Safina 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals, and 8th seed Nadia Petrova defeated 2nd seed Sam Stosur 6-2, 6-1. Petrova is now 4-0 against the Australian.

New Haven seeds advance to quarterfinals

It's raining again in New Haven, but it was clear for most of the day, and the seeded players advanced. Elena Dementieva, the wild card who is seeded 4th, had to work extra hard to get her victory: It took her three hours to defeat Kateryna Bondarenko 7-6, 6-7, 6-4. Dementieva didn't help her cause by double-faulting twelve times.

Wild card Dinara Safina had a close call, too, but defeated Daniela Hantuchova 7-6, 7-6. Maria Kirilenko defeated Timea Bacsinszky, and Carolilne Wozniacki (1), Marion Bartoli (6), Flavia Pennetta (7), and wild card Nadia Petrova (8) all advanced to the quarterfinals.

Dementieva upset by Zheng in Montreal

Zheng Jie defeated 4th seed Elena Dementieva 7-6, 6-4 today in the third round of the Rogers Cup. Zheng made it all the way to the semifinals of this year's Australian Open. She is the only unseeded player remaining in Montreal.

Also going out in the third round was 7th seed Agnieszka Radwanska, who was defeated 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 by 11th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, who recently won the title in San Diego.

Iveta Benesova's run was ended abruptly by 17th seed Marion Bartoli; Benesova won one game. 10th seed Victoria Azarenka defeated 9th seed Li Na, and 2nd seed Caroline Wozniacki wore down 15th seed Flavia Pennetta by engaging her in a series of very long rallies. Pennetta seemed more mentally tired than anything; Wozniacki really likes these long rallies, and appears to have almost endless mental and physical energy.

Here is the quarterfinal draw:

Marion Bartoli (17) vs. Victoria Azarenka (10)
Kim Clijsters (5) vs. Vera Zvonareva (8)
Svetlana Kuznetsova (11) vs. Zheng Jie
Francesca Schiavone (6) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (2)