Russian veteran Elena Dementieva decided to skip the Wimbledon Open after she suffered a torn calf injury in French Open semi-finals.
The 28-year old Russian made her exit in tears after seasoned Italian Francesca Schiavone took the first set of the match 7-6 (7/3).
Elena Dementieva tried to cover up the tears and the pain she was feeling as she pulled down her visor before 17th seed Schiavone won the first set of the match.
Afterwards the Russian surprised Paris spectators as she decided to retire from the match. It turns out that Dementieva had been enduring a torn calf injury since her second round match at the Roland Garros.
Her opponent, 17th seed Schiavone, made history as she became the first Italian woman to win a French Open title. Schiavone is set to face Sam 7th seed Sam Stosur. Dementieva, who came as the fifth seed at the French Open is generally recognized as one of the best players to yet become a Grand Slam champion.
Unfortunately, her chance at the Roland Garros ended when she sustained the injury and had to forcibly retire from the semifinals.
Dementieva along with other previous hopefuls, Henin and the Williams sisters, all exited the Roland Garros. Dementieva’s aggravation at what happened was palpable.
Dementrieva shared that any player, especially her at the moment, would get disappointed at exiting the tournament earlier than planned and forced at that.
However, the 5th seed also knew that she had no choice but to retire since the condition was just getting worse. She said that injuries are natural when playing and she really cannot change what happened.
Further, Dementieva did not call for a trainer prior to making her decision to exit the game. She explained that she had seen a trainer prior to the match and to her there wasn’t really any need to call someone before her exit before there wasn’t really any room for help anymore.
She had to retire if she didn’t want to worsen her condition. Dementieva is the 2008 Olympic champion and has been one of the highly recognized seasoned players.
While she may have been suffering from an injury during the match, Dementieva held up in the first set and fought long rallies against Schiavone.
However, Shciavone delivered good defense which further challenged Dementieva’s current state. The 28-year-old Russian explained during her press conference that she her withdrawal was inevitable regardless of the outcome of the first set though Schiavone proved to be of help in making that final decision to retire. It was a first for Dementieva. She has appeared 46 times in a grand slam tournament (165 matches in total) but this was the first time she had to forcibly exit such an event.
Her record now holds at 2-7 for a Grand Slam semifinals. She has two losses during her finals appearances.
Dementieva further explained that her torn calf injury almost made it impossible for her to walk. It was a painful injury and to force herself to continue the match would be asking for a miracle.
Dementieva further pointed out that she was having a hard time moving across the court. If she had to continue the match, Schiavone would have still won given that she reaction would be limited. While she strongly expressed that this was not the ending would like to have, she had no choice.
Decision To Withdraw From The Open
Dementieva decided to forgo this year’s Wimbledon sue to a worsening calf injury. She fells rest is important to completely heal the damage in her calf.
A two-time Wimbledon semifinalist, Dementieva has been a perennial contender in this major, losing to Venus Williams in 2008 and Serena Williams in 2009.
With her withdrawal from the tournament, the women’s draw has become wide open for other names like Samantha Stosur and her conqueror, Shciavone, to get positive results playing on the grass of All-England Club.
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