'Lena and the Rings

[I have two more dispatches from Doug Robson, who left Dubai yesterday and is back in London - where, as far as we know, access to TennisWorld is not blocked. I'm a little late posting his thoughts on Elena Dementieva, the winner in Dubal last Sunday, but Doug does such a good job analyzing her situation and incorporating the Olympic Games factor, that I'm publishing it anyway. I will also post his parting thoughts on Dubai in general at the end of the week - Pete]

By Douglas Robson, TW Guest Contributor

Is Elena Dementieva back in the Grand Slam mix?

The 26-year-old Russian has been a mainstay in the top 10 for years, but she suffered an early season rib injury in 2007, while working with a new physical trainer. The injury kept her off the tour for nine weeks. She eventually fell out of the top 10, but picked things up in the last quarter of the year, winning in Moscow and finishing No. 11. This year, she reached the fourth round at the Australian Open where she was blitzed by Maria Sharapova, and then made the last four at Paris.

Her victory this week in a loaded Dubai field - which inlcluded wins over No. 2 Ana Ivanovic in the quarterfinals and No. 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova in Saturday night's final - suggests the blond baseline basher has earned the right to be in the Grand Slam conversation. I don't think so.

To be sure, Dementieva posted some nice wins and gutted out tough three-setters in her final three matches, including a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback against Kuznetsova. But Dubai isn't even a Tier I event, and the truth is that Dementieva's best shot at a Slam likely passed in 2004, when she lost major finals in Paris to (now-pregnant) Anastasia Myskina, and in New York to Kuznetsova.

The sometimes motor-mouthed Kuznetsova said as much after the match. Kuznetsova pointed out that where it "makes a difference" is in the majors, where big-match players like Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova and the Williams sisters thrive. "This is her big trophy," said Kuzy. "This is like second grade (Tier II). She's top 10, Top 5? I don't know. It just depends on not one or two events."

The tennis certainly backed up her comments. The final was sloppy. With 15 breaks of serve, nervy shotmaking, and seize-the-moment phobia, it had the feel of one of those "no one wants to win it" contests. Of course, that's not atypical when friends and compatriots compete, and Dementieva and Kuznetsova are buddies. When emotions get tangled with objectives it can bring out the worst.

Still, Dementieva deserves her due. With the top four players in the world entered, Dementieva leaves the desert with the dessert - a title. She played smarter and more consistently than Kuznetsova, whose game can fly all over the place. Realizing that she was playing too much to Kuznetsova's weaker backhand wing, Dementieva changed up her tactics, played more aggressively and started to move her fellow Russian around. It paid off. "Probably the best match for a long time for me," said a near-giddy Dementieva after the match. "That's why I feel very happy about it."

In the post-match presser, I asked Dementieva about her injury and time off last spring. She turned strangely cold and declined to discuss it. "I had a very depressing time," she said. "I don't even want to talk about it."

Although proud of her accomplishment in Dubai, Dementieva wasn't willing to concede that she is ready to win majors either -  though she indicated she would be more prepared if it happened again.

"I was too young," she said of 2004. "When I was playing in the final, I didn't realize how close I was to winning. I didn't believe in myself. I think it took a lot of time for me to understand a lot of things about myself and about my game. Maybe right now I'm really realizing how good I can be on the court....Not thinking about points and ranking but just about the game." She added: "I think it's all about consistency in my game. I have to not play only one or two tournaments a year like that."

This is the kind of win that could also give Dementieva a boost for the Olympics, which she says is her main goal of 2008. Talk about a Chinese wall. Is any Olympic qualifyier tougher than one facing Russia's tennis playing women? With three top 10 players (Kuznetsova, Sharapova, Anna Chakvetadze) and another four in the top 21, many of them are on edge as they try to keep their ranking up in the first half of the season.

"For sure, Maria, Svetlana and Chakvetadze will be there," said Sydney silver medalist Dementieva. "So me, (Nadia) Petrova and Dinara (Safina) are trying to take the last spot and it's not going to be easy. That's why it's important to play well at the beginning of the year for me."

"I'm coming out of a tough country," echoed former No. 3 Petrova, who is now No. 16 but only sixth best in Russia. "It's very competitive and the way I'm (playing) now it doesn't look good for me."

Several other team contenders I spoke to during the last few days expressed their eagerness to suit up for their homeland, even if it could hinder their freshness for the U.S. Open. Petrova said if she didn't qualify in singles she would happily go just to play doubles.

"This is my goal for the year, to participate there," said Dementieva, who is on the singles bubble but may solidify her place with a few more weeks like the last one. "That's why I'm not playing Fed Cup this year. For me it's the most important tournament of the year."