Time is GMT + 8 hours Posted: 26-Aug-2008 03:12 hrs
Elena Dementieva of Russia returns a forehand to Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan on the first day of the 2008 U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows in New York City. Dementieva won 6-4, 6-7.
Russian fifth seed Elena Dementieva goes into the US Open brimming with confidence after taking the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.
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"I held onto it (medal) for three days just to make sure it is not a dream, that it was real," said Dementieva who beat Akgul Amanmuradova 6-4, 6-7 in her first round match of the US Open on Monday.
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Dementieva said she had trouble getting to sleep Sunday, not because she was excited about competing in the final Grand Slam of the season but because she couldn't stop thinking about her experiences in Beijing.
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"It is hard not to think about the Olympics," said Dementieva. "Last night I was trying to go to sleep but it was hard because I was watching the closing ceremonies on TV. My mind was still there."
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Dementieva said she tailored her training to peak for the Summer Games and her gold medal means more to her than any Wimbledon or Australian Open title would.
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"(Olympics) were the biggest goal of the year for me. All my preparation from the beginning of the year was playing singles. I wanted to make sure I saved some energy (for the Olympics)."
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Dementieva beat fellow Russian Dinara Safina in the Beijing final. Vera Zvonareva completed the Russian sweep of the podium by taking the bronze.
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"For a Russian athlete nothing is bigger and more important than the Olympic gold medal," she said. "In Russia if you stop someone on the street and ask them what is a Grand Slam?. They can't tell you.
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"But everyone knows the Olympic Games. There is nothing bigger or more important than the Olympic Games for a sportsperson."
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She received a big reception at the airport from her family, friends and fans.
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"It was very nice," she said. "There was a lot of people and a lot of flowers."
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Dementieva doesn't plans to try and cash in on her gold medal with a bonanza of endorsements.
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You won't see her trying to follow the footsteps of the Williams' sisters and gleefully flogging their new junk food endorsement deal at Grand Slam tournaments.
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"Since I was a little girl it never was a goal of mine to get endorsements," Dementieva said. "I was always dreaming about winning Olympic Games." — AFP
