Elena Dementieva Leaves Court an Almost Champ

Filed under: WTA

We never say goodbye to the almosts, and Elena Dementieva wasn't asking, anyway. She retired from tennis Friday, not after a long farewell tour or anything like that. The sports world won't even notice.

But tennis will. She lost a match in Doha, Qatar, and just said she was done. The whole thing lasted for one emotional moment, and women's tennis is now less without her.

She was almost a winner of a major championship in her career, and while she is unknown outside of tennis, she was almost a major sports superstar, too. Women's tennis mixes talent and marketability more than any game. By that, I mean skill and looks.

And for years, Dementieva was the best player in the world after the ball was in play. Meaning: after the serve. She just didn't have a serve.

As for marketability, well, simply put she had the stunning looks that advertisers would love from, say, a Wimbledon champ or a U.S. Open champ. She almost won both.

She didn't play up her appearance, didn't turn herself into a sexpot. She could have made millions more. Instead, she wore her hair pulled back tight to her head, under a visor.

Honestly, the first time I talked to her, after a match when she wasn't all business, I had to turn and ask someone nearby if it was really her.

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