Elena Dementieva retires from tennis
The world of tennis says goodbye today to one of its most professional athletes, Elena Dementieva.
The 29-year-old Moscow native has been on the WTA pro circuit for 12 years and has decided to call it a career after she losing her third match at the WTA Championships in Doha, Qatar to Italian Francesca Schiavone.
After the match on centre court, Dementieva could not hold back any words.
"This year in Doha was very special for me because it was my last tournament," Dementieva told the crowd. "It has been a big honor to be a part of the tour for such a long time. I'd like to thank all the people from the WTA - it was so nice to get to know
all of you and work with you for so many years. I'm going to miss you so much. Thanks to all the players for the amazing experiences, all the years I spent on the court with you. And thanks to all the people around the world for supporting me, and my fan club,
I could feel your support, no matter where I was in the world. Thank you for your devotion.
"It's so emotional. It's hard to say goodbye. I'm going to miss you so much."
Her career was filled with many positives and records, which included being in the top 20 in the world for an incredible 524 weeks. In 328 of those weeks, she was ranked in the top 10. Her highest rank was third, which came in the spring of 2009.
Dementieva played like a fine wine, getting better with age. Her biggest achievement came in 2008 when she won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics at the age of 27. She has also won 16 WTA titles, and advanced to another 16 finals in several grand slams,
including the French Open and US Open.
"Russia is proud to have you. You've been a great inspiration and role model for kids growing up," said fellow countrywoman and tennis player Vera Zvonareva. "You've done so much, not just for Russian tennis, but for Russian sport. The whole country
is proud of you."
She was great for the sport of tennis for her 12 years on tour and she will be greatly missed by all. The end of an era has come today, as Dementieva will ride off into the sunset and into a new life.
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