The Russian pro tennis player, Elena Vyacheslavovna Dementieva, was born in Moscow in 1981. Elena's rise to a professional athlete started at the tender age of thirteen when she entered and won her first international tournament in France. Four years later she became a professional tennis player in 1998, and took a spot in the top 100 players in 1999. It was during 1999 when she represented her home country of Russia against Venus Williams in the Fed Cup.
However, Elena would face Venus again at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia. She ultimately lost the gold medal to Venus, but brought home the silver medal. Also in that year, Elena was named the Women's Tennis Association's Most Improved Player after ranking in their top twenty. The next year she once again made the top twenty ranking, beating Anna Kournikova out of her four-year position as the top ranked Russian tennis player. Shortly after achieving this ranking Elena injured her shoulder while in Australia, forcing her to change her serve in order to be able to continue playing.
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