Thursday, August 27, 2009

The Inspiring Story of Anna Chakvetadze

By Michael Freel

The following story is one of persistence and perseverance. Through a lot of hard work over the years, Anna Chakvetadze has made it in the tennis world. Outranked by many on the junior circuit and never the most able player in Russia during her childhood, Chakvetadze fought hard to climb the ranks as a junior.

Spending a few years earlier this decade to make an impact on the pro scene, Chakvetadze finally came into her own in 2006. Having won tournaments at Moscow and in China at the end of the year, Chakvetadze made an impact while remaining close with her family at the same time.

Having your family nearby can be a great thing for such a young talent, especially when the tour can be so demanding with travel and photo shoots.

In 2007, Chakvetadze really hit her stride. Her return looked better than ever, and through the course of the year, she won five tournaments. This brought her to a career best #5 ranking, and she capped off a great year with a run to the semifinals at the US Open.


2007 did not end on a bright note however. On December 18, 2007 burglars broke into her home, tied her up at gun point. Her father was not as lucky as he was beaten severely. The robbers stole over $300,000 worth of jewelry and cash. While the stolen assets can be replaced, the psychological damage inflicted on this day has scarred the Great Russian. She went from cloud nine to being tied up at gun point. Such a traumatic event has ruined many a life and all we can do is hope that it does not claim her as well.

2008 was a struggle to say the least. Anna tried focusing on tennis and living life, but the nerves of steel that brought her to #5 quickly dissipated. Many tennis fans go out of their way to show support to Anna and try and lift her spirits and belief, which has not gone unnoticed by Chakvetadze.

Fast forward to 2009, and Chakvetadze is still working as hard as possible to bounce back from this horrific event. She is slowly regaining her form, but still has a long road ahead. One of her favorite places to play is in New York at the US Open, and the upcoming tournament will be a great challenge for Chakvetadze.

Chakvetadze fights on despite the events of December 2007. She does her best every day to steadily move on, and while she lost $300,000 in goods, she still has her talent and health from here.

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