Nadal and Dementieva Take Different Paths to Olympic Gold
Rafael Nadal and Elena Dementieva captured Olympic Gold medals in singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics tennis event. For Nadal, it was another major title in what has become a “career” summer and year for Rafa. Since early June, Nadal has won the French Open on clay, Wimbledon on grass and the Olympics on hard courts. Clearly, there is no question that Rafa deserves the Number One ranking that he assumes today. With his
performance the past few months, Nadal has also placed himself in rarefied company given his achievements on such varied surfaces against such top level opponents - he beat former Number One, Roger Federer, in the French and Wimbledon singles finals and number three ranked, Novak Djokovic, in the Olympic semis. Nadal seemed to thrive representing Spain at the Olympics and thoroughly enjoyed his time in the athletes’ village. As Nadal said, “For tennis, the slams are more important. For sportsmen, the Olympics are more important. I win here for a lot of people, not just for me.”
For Elena Dementieva, who hails from the traditional Olympic powerhouse, Russia, the Olympics have been the primary goal in 2008. Dementieva captured a silver at the Sydney Olympics losing to Venus Williams. This summer, Dementieva focused on winning in Beijing by skipping the U.S. summer tournaments in favor of training in the heat and humidity of Florida to prepare for the weather in Beijing. Elena also opted out of the doubles competition in order to try to win a singles medal. Conversely, Silver medalist, Dinara Safina admitted that she was a little fatigued in the finals after having played six singles and three doubles matches during the week. Dementieva, who reached the French Open and U.S. Open finals a few years ago, has fought through tough times in her career to reach this winning moment. As Elena, who has not yet won a Grand Slam, said, “I cannot even compare a Grand Slam and the Olympic Games because it’s just so much bigger. This is the dream for every athlete, just to be here. But to be an Olympic champion, this is the top of the career.” For Nadal, the Olympic Gold Medal is a fitting addition to his coronation as the new Number One ranked tennis player in the world while for Dementieva, the Gold Medal is a reward for years of hard work and a celebration of a (Russian) athlete’s dream.
For Elena Dementieva, who hails from the traditional Olympic powerhouse, Russia, the Olympics have been the primary goal in 2008. Dementieva captured a silver at the Sydney Olympics losing to Venus Williams. This summer, Dementieva focused on winning in Beijing by skipping the U.S. summer tournaments in favor of training in the heat and humidity of Florida to prepare for the weather in Beijing. Elena also opted out of the doubles competition in order to try to win a singles medal. Conversely, Silver medalist, Dinara Safina admitted that she was a little fatigued in the finals after having played six singles and three doubles matches during the week. Dementieva, who reached the French Open and U.S. Open finals a few years ago, has fought through tough times in her career to reach this winning moment. As Elena, who has not yet won a Grand Slam, said, “I cannot even compare a Grand Slam and the Olympic Games because it’s just so much bigger. This is the dream for every athlete, just to be here. But to be an Olympic champion, this is the top of the career.” For Nadal, the Olympic Gold Medal is a fitting addition to his coronation as the new Number One ranked tennis player in the world while for Dementieva, the Gold Medal is a reward for years of hard work and a celebration of a (Russian) athlete’s dream.
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