DOHA, Qatar - Elena Dementieva announced her retirement from the WTA in Doha on Friday. Here's a taste of what she had to say in her press.

On why she is retiring...
"It's the right time for me. I never wanted to wait until my ranking dropped and I wouldn't be able to go into the main draw. I always wanted to leave this sport with a passion for it. Tennis has been such a big part of my life and always will be. If I were a man, I would never stop playing. But at age 29, I have to think about something else. I'm ready for the big change in my life. Still, it's a very tough decision to make. Very emotional. I made the decision in the beginning of this season, so it was very hard coming to tournaments knowing it was my last one. It was very emotional for me to play the whole year."

On whether 'thinking about something else' means having children...
"I hope so, yeah."

On how she will spend her time...
"I'm going to miss so many things about our tour. Right now I feel like it's the end of the world, because I really like to play. It's going to be a completely different life for me. I'll study. I study in one of the best universities in Moscow. I started last year, so obviously now I have more time to study. It's going to be hard to watch all the girls playing. I know I'm going to follow the tournaments. I'm going to watch the Australian Open and send some messages to the winners. I'm going to keep myself busy and try to find some other interests in my life."

On her best career moments...
"There are a couple of weeks I will never forget, like the first tournament I won in Amelia Island. I was waiting for that moment for a long time. I beat four Top 10 players. I beat Justine in the semifinals, saving match point... and then Lindsay in the final. It was so exciting. For sure I'll remember all the Olympics - my first Olympics in Sydney with a silver medal, disaster in Athens, and the gold medal in Beijing. I will never forget it. That was the best week of my career."

On the Grand Slam finals...
"I haven't thought about that as disappointing. It was a great experience for me. I have no regrets... I was far from being perfect, but I had a great fighting spirit. Even without a good serve, I was struggling for so many matches, but I was fighting and I never gave up. I was giving 100% no matter who I was playing.

"You don't have to be perfect, but you have to try hard. And I did all the time."