Former world number three and reigning Olympic champion Elena Dementieva today announced her retirement after her exit from the WTA Championships.
The 29-year-old Russian made the announcement on court in Doha following her 6-4 6-2 defeat to Francesca Schiavone in the group stage of the tournament.
Dementieva reached the finals of the French Open and US Open in 2004, and beat Serena Williams, Vera Zvonareva and Dinara Safina on her way to the Olympic gold medal in Beijing in 2008.
She said today: "This is my last tournament. Thank you to all of the people that I have worked with for such a long time.
"I would like to thank all of the players for an amazing experience. It's very emotional.
"I would like to thank all of the people around the world for supporting me through my career. And I would like to thank my family, especially my mum."
She added: "It's so hard to say goodbye to all of you. I want you to know that I am going to miss you so much. Thank you."
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