good bye, elena

Elena Dementieva retired from tennis on Friday in Doha. She won 16 career titles.

Dementieva at Wimbledon, 2007. For much of her career Dementieva’s service yips – double faults and powder puffs included – were criticized. She was part of the New York Times’ beautifully-shot “Power Game” feature during this year’s US Open. Grass mastery: Many called Elena’s semifinal loss at the 2009 Wimbledon one of the best matches of the decade.

Elena also played two doozies at the USO in 2004. In two bizarre back-to-back matches, she would beat Amelie Mauresmo and Jennifer Capriati 7-6 in the third set to reach her second Grand Slam final in three Slams.

A picture really is worth 1,00 words. Elena getting ready to battle the long-forgotten Anastasia Myskina in the ’04 French final.

A few more shots of Dementieva after the cut.

Barely a year into her professional career, Elena (second from right), battled an all-star line-up in the US Fed Cup team in Palo Alto. She beat Venus Williams 7-6 in the third set though the Americans won the tie 4-1.

Sometimes called the greatest player never to win a Slam, Dementieva captured gold in Beijing in 2008. She also won silver in Sydney in 2000, the same year she broke out at the US Open with a run to the semifinals.

(getty images)