Q. How was the court playing today? Did it seem to be slow? It looked slow.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: No, actually I don't think it was slow. It was the same as all other courts.

Q. Last month you said your lack of physical fitness played a role in your third‑round defeat at the French Open. Is that something you've been working on since then, your physical condition?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yes, I took some time off after French Open and was working on my fitness and I was more focused on the footwork and just the core build exercise.

I just started to practice a couple days before Eastbourne and came there early to get used to the surface. It's really worked for me.

Q. Could you talk a bit about, there's a lot of Russian players in the top ten. Can you talk a little bit about Serena Williams? Sometimes she says when she wakes up she thinks she's from Russia, too, because that's how many. Do you know why this is, that there are so many Russian players coming through?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, I just think we have a very tough competition, and that's what makes us work hard and improve our game. I think it's always good to have lots of girls practicing all together trying to be the best one. It always helps with the motivation.

We have no problem with motivation, you know. Everyone is trying to be the best, trying to get to the Fed Cup team, trying to be in the Olympics even. This is what keeps us going, I think.

Q. And you train together all ‑‑

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: We do practice together sometimes because most of the girls ‑‑ I mean, we're all from a different part of the country, but sometimes we get all together especially before the Fed Cup and practice in Moscow.


Q. So other countries, they don't have the same maybe ‑‑

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, I think it's always difficult to be the only one because you don't feel like someone else is coming after you, and you just maybe feel overwhelmed, just a little bit too relaxed.

Yeah, I mean, we don't have this kind of problem.

Q. Do you think your opponent today will make it in the way that you have?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, I think Regina is a very good player. She was very impressive through the whole week. She beat some good players through the qualifier, and I think just today maybe I was too aggressive for her, just didn't really give her a chance to play her game. I think she has a powerful serve, she has a good baseline game, and yeah, I think she has a good future.

Q. Do you think nerves played a part with her?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, I'm sure it was a very nervous moment for her to step on the Court 1, such a big stadium, and play for the first time. I think she needs some experience for sure.

Q. But you don't feel that anymore; I mean, this is your 44th or 43rd or something?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, you know what, every time you step on the court you feel excited, no matter how many times. For sure experience helps maybe, but every time you feel excited, every time it's a new game, it's a new challenge, and you just feel like it's the first time.


(via www.wimbledon.org, photo/Getty Images)

Wimbledon 2009: Elena Demetieva's 26. June Interview