Elena Dementieva, 28 years old and the 5th seeded at the biggest clay tournament, Roland Garros, couldn't repeat her best performance in Paris, the final (2004), but she played in the semifinals, against the winner of the tournament, Francesca Schiavone from Italy.
Unfortunatelly, Elena's injury became more serious and after the first set she had to retire. At the press conference, we found out that she played with this injury since her second match in Paris, but now it became too painful. "Well, I was very close to stop the match in my third round with Aleksandra, but I was able to win this one. Then I had a day off, so it was a little it was getting a little bit better on the day off because I didn't practice at all. But, I mean, by playing, especially moving on clay court, it's just getting, you know, worse. You just aggravate it during your movement because it's very hard to control yourself on the court", she said. "It was very painful to walk. I was just, you know, going on the court trying to play, trying to fight, because it is a very special moment for everyone, and also for myself. So even with this pain, I was trying to play, but I don't think I could go longer than that."
So, we have here a hero. A hero who fought for her chance and stopped only when she felt it was over. And it's clear it was very serious, because, asked if she will play at Wimbledon, she answered: "Well, I'm not going to Eastbourne because of this injury. I have to withdraw, because I really need some time. But I'm not sure if I will be able to play Wimbledon."
It's amazing to see a player fighting with such an injury. It was a muscle tear and she played 4 or 5 matches with it. This is admirable, but I'm happy, in a way, that she retired, because he has more time to recover and to be ready again. So, we wait you back! Good luck!
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