MOSCOW, September 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russian tennis player Dinara Safina said Monday that she admired the game of teammate Yelena Dementyeva in the Federation Cup tournament in Paris, where the Russians had defeated the French team in the final.
Safina said in Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport that, although she had prepared well for the event, the Russian team owed its success mostly to Dementyeva.
She gave credit to the Russian fans who fervently supported the players all through the final.
"We just couldn't lose in front of such an audience. Although it was an away game, we constantly heard the audience screaming "Go Russia!" Safina said.
She said the Federation Cup title was the most coveted of her career.
"This is an important breakthrough, given that I have won nothing in particular before. I hope this will give incentive to my growth," she said.
