Elena Dementieva feels she may have overplayed during the summer after an early loss in Tokyo.
The long season is catching up with many of the top players and the seeds have been decimated after just two days of this week’s Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
Dementieva is the latest to fall losing in three sets to Kateryna Bondarenko. Afterwards the Russian mused, “ I played way too many matches in the U.S. Open series. I just didn't have the energy today.”
Dementieva came agonisingly close to her first Wimbledon final in June but continued her run of form onto the North American hard courts. After winning the Canadian Open she was many people’s favourite for the US Open but crashed out in round two to American starlet Melanie Oudin.
It appears that the strain of being world number one and all the recent media criticism about it is getting to Dinara Safina. She broke down in tears after he first round loss to a qualifier on Monday.
Safina and Dementieva are just two of a long list of seeds already heading packing their bags. Joining them are Vera Zvonereva, Sam Stosur, Nadia Petrova, Venus Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Flavia Pennetta, Ana Ivanovic and Virginie Razzano.
US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki had to retire against Canada’s Aleksandra Wozniak after struggling with a bout of flu.
Maria Sharapova is currently looking like a very good pick for the title.
