MEDIBANK INTERNATIONAL


January 14, 2010


Elena Dementieva

SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES


E. DEMENTIEVA/V. Azarenka
6-3, 6-1


THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You had late night last, but clearly didn't affect you today. You seemed to get through this match fairly comfortably.
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, we had a very late last night. You know, I was trying to be very aggressive from the beginning of the match. I didn't want it to go three sets, because I need to save some energy for the final.
You know, especially with the weather forecast, I was expecting to go on the court a little bit later, but we were right on time. So I'm just glad that I was very focused from the beginning until the end and playing two sets today.

Q. You now face Serena.
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah.

Q. How do you feel about that match?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I'm sure it's gonna be tough one. I think playing her in early rounds it's completely different game. So to play her in the final, it's gonna be a tough challenge for me.
Looks like she's in the very good shape right now. You know, it's gonna be tough battle.

Q. You beat her in the semifinal last year, though.
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, it was a quarterfinal or semifinal, yeah.

Q. Semi, yeah. Does that...
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Like I said, it's a different match and different Serena every year, so I just want to, you know, go on the court and try to play my best. I know that she has a great serve. That's probably the biggest weapon in her game. Trying to break her or, you know, just stay aggressive on her serve.

Q. Does she become an even more formidable opponent when she's in sight of the trophy? I guess you don't play her very early in tournaments at all, but...
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I have never played her, yeah, but I'm sure when you get to the final you just feel very comfortable. You've got your confidence and rhythm of the game, so it's all about your mental preparation, you know, and how well you know handle the conditions.

Q. You said last night that you were happier with your serve. Obviously in that condition, you hoped to take that into daytime conditions. Do you feel like you did that today?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, still needs to be improved. I think yesterday was probably the best day for me. You know, I had some practice after the match just trying to work on my rhythm again.
Hopefully it's gonna be good tomorrow.

Q. So you had some practice this afternoon?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Just a little bit. Just a little bit.

Q. How are you feeling going into the Aussie Open? You seem relaxed.
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, I think it was great to have all these matches this week. It was a tough draw. Playing against such good players really gives you some confidence, and you feel like you've got all the match experience you need before coming to the Australian Open.
Yeah, we'll see.

Q. Is it a Grand Slam that you feel like you've got a good chance of winning?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I'm not thinking about my chances. I'm just trying to get the best preparation ever and trying to, you know, be focused and improve every day. We'll see how it goes.

Q. Why do you think you have played here so well the last couple of years?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, I just like to play here. It is a very special place for me because of the Olympic Games. I come here every year. I just like the tournament. I like the atmosphere, and I like to play on hardcourts.

Q. Ticks all the boxes.
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah.


 

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