Tennis Farewells of the Year 2013

Anna Chakvetadze

Anna Chakvedatze, she of the Russian brigade of the 2000’s, announced her retirement as a result of persistent back injuries this year.

I remember Chakvedatze from her performances in her breakout year of 2007. That year, she won 4 WTA titles, made it at least to the quarter-finals of three majors, and held a ranking as high as number 5 in the world. At that time, it didn’t seem like that big a deal, or that that was the best we would see of her. After all, we were in the middle of the Russian female wave of tennis players swamping the circuit, and there was no reason to believe it would end anytime soon. Along with the Sharapovas, Myskinas and Dementievas of the time, she was another pretty Russian youngster with a solid baseline game, intense drive to succeed, and the future in her hand.

At the end of 2007, Chakvedatze suffered a traumatic encounter with intruders who broke into her home, tied her up and threatened her while committing a burglary. While she publicly stated that the incident was out of her mind soon after, her results on the tennis court were never the same again. This was soon followed by a spate of injuries and illnesses that laid her low.

Repeated comeback attempts followed, with diminishing rewards. Her latest comeback was as recent as 2012, but by then, the game had moved on, her rankings were non-existent, and she was never totally free from injuries.

With the announcement of her retirement, Chakvedatze brought to a close, another poignant tale of what-could-have-been.

Highest Ranking – 5 (2007)

No. of WTA Singles titles – 8

Best Grand Slam Performance – US Open, 2007 (SF)