Dementieva rediscovers herself and her last shot at a Slam

She's the best player not have won a Grand Slam in the past decade and, at this point, time is certainly running out on Elena Dementieva's quest for her first major. The Russian says year after year that she's not going to give up on her dream of someday reaching the top ranking, but that nighttime fantasy is only hers now, as in the past couple of years she has not shown herself capable of consistently contending with the Top 5.

But that does not mean that in great health - and that has mostly been the case with the strong-legged Russian for most her career - that she cannot capitalize on a fine draw at a Slam in the next two years. Consistently mocked for her awful second serve, she still owns one of the most relentless ground attacks on tour, which is why last weekend she was able to claim her ninth Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title, beating Svetlana Kuznetsova 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in Dubai.