Elena Dementieva

She has been coached by Rauza Islanova, Vera Dementieva, and Vsevolod Dementieva. In her career, she earned a total of US$14,867,437 in prize money.

In July 2011, she married Maxim Afinogenov. They have two kids together.

Career

At the age of 7, she was turned down by several famous sports clubs in Moscow for enrollment because of slight flaws. She was, however, later accepted at the prominent Spartak Club in Moscow, where she trained for 3 years. In tournaments, she would either seize the championship or, if not, at least remain a runner-up.

She thereafter trained in the Central Red Army Club until she turned pro.

Dementieva had her first taste of an international tournament and success at Les Petit As in France at the age of 13. In 1998, she turned professional with a rank of World No. 98. Her rank was elevated to World No. 62 in 1999. That same year, she qualified to enter all Grand Slam events.

In 2000, she broke into the Top 12 of the world rankings.

During the 2000 Summer Olympics held in Australia, Dementieva lost the gold medal to Venus Williams and settled for a silver medal instead. In the same year, she was named at the WTA Awards as the Most Improved Player for having beaten top seeds including then World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport at the age of 19 only.

Dementieva took the no. 1 spot among female tennis professional Russian players from Anna Kournikova in 2001. Despite losing in a number of games due to injuries, which restricted her movement in court, Dementieva still managed to triumph over then-World No. 1 Martina Hingis.

In 2003, the Russian player infiltrated the top 10 by climbing to World No. 8. This year, she won her first WTA title in Florida at the Bausch & Lomb Championships, beating Lindsay Davenport.

The best year for Dementieva was in 2004 when she was able to experience her first and second Grand Slam finals - the French Open and U.S. Open, respectively.

At the French Open, she lost to fellow Russian Anastasia Myskina. Her efforts to steal the U.S. Open title that year were also in vain when another Russian athlete, Svetlana Kuznetsova, beat her in the finals.

In 2005, she was the fourth runner-up at the Australian Open and helped Russia defeat France 3-2 in the final.

In 2006, Dementieva’s aim to snag a Wimbledon title was not successful though she managed to remain as fourth runner-up. In 2007, she was dropped from the top 10 when she was pushed to World No. 11. In 2008, she managed to make a comeback and ranked World No. 8.

In 2009, she made it to the semifinals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon. In 2010, she was in the semifinals of the French Open.

In October 2010, she announced her retirement from tennis. She was ranked Number 9 when she retired.

Career Record

Singles

• Career Record: 576–273 (67.8%)

• Career Titles: 16

• Highest Singles Ranking: 3 (April 6, 2009)

Best Grand Slam Singles Performances

• Australian Open - SF (2009)
• French Open - F (2004)
• Wimbledon - SF (2008, 2009)
• US Open - F (2004)

Other Tournaments

• Tour Finals - SF (2000, 2008)
• Olympic Games - W (2008)

Doubles

• Career Record: 152–86 (63.9%)

• Career Titles: 6

• Highest Doubles Ranking: 5 (April 14, 2003)

Best Grand Slam Doubles Performances

• Australian Open - 3R (2005, 2006, 2007)
• French Open - 3R (2004)
• Wimbledon - SF (2003)
• US Open - F (2002, 2005)

Other Doubles Tournaments

• Tour Finals - W (2002)
• Olympic Games - 1R (2004)

Medal Record

• 2000 - Silver, Sydney Olympics, Women’s Singles, Representing Russia
• 2008 - Gold, Beijing Olympics, Women’s Singles, Representing Russia

People Ask

When did Elena Dementieva retire from tennis?

She retired from playing tennis professionally in 2010.

Is Elena Dementieva right-handed?

Yes. She is right-handed and she has a two-handed backhand.

How much did Elena Dementieva have in prize money?

She won a total of $14,867,437 during her professional playing career.