Elena Dementieva: Making too many 'near-misses'

Philippines
December 5, 2009 8:48am CST
Many would say without a doubt that Elena Dementieva is one of the most consistent player on WTA tour. More often than not, she is widely considered as the most underrated player on if not an underachiever. At 28 and still strong, she is one of the most talented player who has yet to win a Grand Slam title. Despite reaching 2 Grand Slam finals in 2004, French and US Open, she fell short to her fellow Russians, Anastasia Myskina and Svetlana Kuznetsova, respectively. As widely known for having a weaker serve and making too many double faults, might be one of the reasons why she hasn't lifted a trophy yet in a grandest stage. Though the improvements in that department is seemed noticeable. She consider her Olympic medal at 2008 Beijing Olympics as one of the biggest achievement. At Wimbledon 2009, she made another near-miss when she failed to reached the final of the tournament. Despite holding a match point in the 3rd set, she eventually lost the match to eventual champion Serena Williams. She lost in the second round of US Open to Melanie Oudin and even failed to reach the semi-final stage of Year-End Championships in Doha, Qatar. As WTA 2010 season approaches, what can we expect from Elena Dementieva? Isn't it late for her to win a Grand Slam, now that 2 former world No.1 are coming back, 2 former world No.1s will try to recover from injuries, and she is already 28? Will she be continue to make more 'near-misses' or finally grab the opportunity that is supposedly she is taking?
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