Yeah..I agree..I mean, a single country winning all 3 medals must be something right? And the sisters' win isn't that new at all..but they made a big fuss about it..

Beni..cool sig!

---

"The only time something becomes impossible, is when you stop believing on it..."
- EDC

"Live everyday as if it's your last..."
- Maria Sharapova

"You are the most important thing to me now. The most important thing to me ever."
- Edward Cullen (Twilight)

101.2 Decibels
Join now!

She's my favourtie wtp player besides Maria. And I'm really happy for her that she won the gold medal. (I can't image what would it be if Safina has won that match....)

BTW, is Zvonareva the girl who replaces Maria in the Olympics? Everytime I think of it, I'll be really sorry for Maria......

P.S. I've met Dementieva once and she treated her fans really nicely

---

Masha's so adorable~

Gerogie:

She's my favourtie wtp player besides Maria. And I'm really happy for her that she won the gold medal. (I can't image what would it be if Safina has won that match....)

BTW, is Zvonareva the girl who replaces Maria in the Olympics? Everytime I think of it, I'll be really sorry for Maria......

P.S. I've met Dementieva once and she treated her fans really nicely

Yeah Zvonereva was the one who replaced Maria in the Olympics.  I felt really bad for Maria when I saw all the Russians on the podium and she wasn't there!!    It made me feel really sad for her, but at the same time I was really happy for Elena! 

And yeah I met Elena too at Wimbledon this year and I got to see one of her matches, and you're right she is really nice to her fans!!  She signed an autograph for me and she seemed really nice!!    (Jelena Jankovic was also really sweet to her fans!! )

---

NOLE - Masters Cup 2008 CHAMPION!!!!

good for elena. i didnt think she would be in the medal rounds but this is the olympics and anything can happen

Those five or ten seconds when she went back to the bench--that was the only time I've seen Elena break down. Year before last, when she injured her ribs and could hardly walk off the court, she was dry-eyed--and Elena will never cry over a defeat. She's only 26 but she's been on the Tour for a dozen years and physically tough as bootleather. I think it's easy for some to imagine she's hardened and cold. But we see that's not so.

                    

Now, Zvonareva, as well as being fit & finally on the rise was perhaps the most appropriate replacement for Masha. They are friends and practice together at the big tournaments. I keep repeating that because I want everyone to know what the press won't tell you. I keep trying to access her win over Li Na at NBC. It was live streamed, but I wasn't about to look away from Elena & Dinara. lol  

I was surprised when I saw Lena breaking into tears..my first time to see her cry..

Yep..I'm glad they let Vera play..I really like her..I was hoping Chaki could play to though..

And I want their jacket! so cute!

 

---

"The only time something becomes impossible, is when you stop believing on it..."
- EDC

"Live everyday as if it's your last..."
- Maria Sharapova

"You are the most important thing to me now. The most important thing to me ever."
- Edward Cullen (Twilight)

101.2 Decibels
Join now!

kyute_shana:

I was surprised when I saw Lena breaking into tears..my first time to see her cry..

Yep..I'm glad they let Vera play..I really like her..I was hoping Chaki could play to though..

And I want their jacket! so cute!

I was proud of the Chakster, though. She knew she was having trouble and saw Safina running hot, so Chaki voluntarily stepped aside to let Dinara move up to singles. We'll never know what she might have done at Beijing, but we do know who took all the medals home.

The team jackets were supplied by the new Fed Cup sponsor, the Russian company

 See if Bosco has a website. If demand is high in Russia, they may have a facsimile for public sale.

Dimitri Shnyakin, summing up the tennis players' Olympic accomplishments for eurosport.ru:

"But for Elena Dementieva, who in October will turn 27 years, this was, possibly, the last chance to conquer Olympic gold. No, before the Olympiad in London, if we evaluate according to measures dependent on age, she is able to suffice. But would Elena be able to swing back to victory in 4 years? But in Beijing she was able. She managed the harassing heat, the heavy calendar, Serena Williams, Vera Zvonareva. She managed at the heavy moment of the final, when she yielded the first set to Safina and was beaten point after point into the second.

"This was deserved success for one of the strongest tennis players of peace, who at the Olympiad did not even give occasion to recall her flawed serve.

"This was the deserved success of the real patriot, for whom response to the call of Shamil Tarpischev was a holy matter."

Damn.

Yeah, I don't imagine Elena gives a fig what they say about her in the West.

Is it pronounced

D-MEN-T-A-VA

or

D-MEN-CHA-VA

I've heard both as much as the other...

---

Wikipedia says Elena Vyacheslavovna Dementieva (pronounced: Russian pronunciation: [dʲɪˈmʲentjɪvə]

(Link to a helpful pronunciation page.)

When I've heard Elena say her name, it's Yelena Dement'eva (how it should be transliterated) or like, Dement-j'va -- the "t" is sounded but just barely.

On ESPN2, Brad Gilbert--tennis veteran, sometimes coach, part time commentator & pundit--picked Elena as his dark horse to win the US Open. Well, isn't that special?  Take it for what it's worth but, before we get all orgasmic:

Elena has been around and been the butt of those people's jokes for too long to swallow that quickly--and neither should we.

1) It may be an attempt to overbuild expectations and thus disappoint new Western fans of the Russian Gold Medalist--not unlike they've tried on Masha over & over.

2) In case she does win, to position Gilbert to try & con her on this or that.

Lotsa luck, Brad. Elena sees you coming & so do we.  All those years you made light of her, Elena learned she doesn't need you.

                             

I thought dark horse normally meant someone who we think will do well,but not win

Will make an impression and excite a few people,but fall at the final hurdle

I haven't looked at the draw,but I wouldn't rate her chances that highly. Not when you have the Williams sisters around who blasted everyone off the court at the last grand slam...

Dementieva's a grafter - a good steady player,but nothing special...

---

Up here, it's mostly used politically to denote an unexpected winner. Mary Jo Fernandez then chimed in from the Witches' section to treat it as a prediction contrasting with her own endorsement of whichever Williams presumably survives their quarter. Another on the panel predicted Ivanovic and so forth. That was all BS anyway--they were just drawing lots to cover all the bases, if I may use an expression from that non-Olympic sport.

Now, Mary Jo will always predict a Williams victory even if she knew they were both going to withdraw--that's purely political. She went on in her typical two-faced fashion to praise Elena as well. I wouldn't trust anything that comes outta Fernandez's mouth. She's just happy that it's Zina Garrison instead of her who gets the credit for the US 2008 Fed Cup & Olympic fiascoes.

Yeah, yeah, there's all kinds of hacks with Olympic Gold in their pockets, I'm so sure.

Elena is more special than any woman you or I are ever likely to meet.

 

paul_pipkin:

kyute_shana:

I was surprised when I saw Lena breaking into tears..my first time to see her cry..

Yep..I'm glad they let Vera play..I really like her..I was hoping Chaki could play to though..

And I want their jacket! so cute!

I was proud of the Chakster, though. She knew she was having trouble and saw Safina running hot, so Chaki voluntarily stepped aside to let Dinara move up to singles. We'll never know what she might have done at Beijing, but we do know who took all the medals home.

The team jackets were supplied by the new Fed Cup sponsor, the Russian company

 See if Bosco has a website. If demand is high in Russia, they may have a facsimile for public sale.

You're right about there Paul! Definitely agree!

The jacket!!!

---

"The only time something becomes impossible, is when you stop believing on it..."
- EDC

"Live everyday as if it's your last..."
- Maria Sharapova

"You are the most important thing to me now. The most important thing to me ever."
- Edward Cullen (Twilight)

101.2 Decibels
Join now!

Elena's first USO opponent will be Akgul Amanmuradova (UZB) -- who is certainly the biggest woman to hit the courts!  Elena met her once, defeating her on clay at Istanbul this year.

Elena is scheduled to play the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo at its new calendar spot of September 16-21. Whether that reflects on her intentions re Madrid Fed Cup on the 13th-14th, I don't know. Wish the Spanish & Russian federations were more forthcoming about the teams.