Retired Dementieva plans to start a family

Olympic champion Elena Dementieva, who stunned the tennis world by announcing her retirement last week, said starting a family was one of the main reasons for her decision to quit the sport.

"It is true that I expect changes in my private life in the near future," the Russian, who ended her playing career at the season-ending WTA Championships in Doha, was quoted as saying by local media on Wednesday."I don`t want to give all the details because these are very private, intimate things," the 29-year-old said. "But I have to admit I`ve made a decision to quit mainly because I want to start a family, have kids." The Muscovite has always been reluctant to discuss her private life but it has been widely reported that she is engaged to Russian ice hockey player Maxim Afinogenov. Dementieva also ruled out the possibility of one day making a comeback like Belgium`s Kim Clijsters, who returned to the game in 2009 after more than two years off to start a family and in her third tournament back won the U.S. Open. "It was a very difficult and emotional but if I decided to quit that was it. I`m not coming back," Dementieva said. Bureau Report