Anna Chakvetadze reached great heights on the WTA Tour at a young age, and she has spoken to Tennis365 about her most memorable accomplishments and matches.
Born in Moscow on 5 March 1987, Chakvetadze started playing tennis when she was introduced to the sport by her mother at the age of eight, and she made her professional debut in 2003 aged 16.
Chakvetadze won eight WTA Tour singles titles and broke into the top five in the world rankings before her career was cut short due to a chronic back injury in 2013, when she was just 26.
The Russian claimed the biggest title of her career at the 2006 Kremlin Cup in Moscow, which was a Tier I event (equivalent to WTA 1000).
Anna Chakvetadze kisses the Kremlin Cup trophy in 2006
In 2007, Chakvetadze secured titles in Hobart, Rosmalen, Cincinnati and Stanford, while she reached the US Open semi-finals and the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and the French Open.
Chakvetadze also made the last four at the WTA Finals, the Miami Open and the San Diego Open that year — which she finished as the world No 6 having peaked at her career-high position of fifth in September following her US Open run.
In an exclusive interview, Chakvetadze identified 2007 as the standout campaign of her career.
“My best year was definitely 2007, when I reached the quarter-finals [at the Australian Open and French Open] and later the semi-finals of the US Open,” said the 38-year-old.
“That season stands out the most for me in terms of results and overall level.”
At the 2007 edition of the Tier I WTA event in San Diego, Chakvetadze prevailed 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 6-2 against tennis great Venus Williams in a thrilling quarter-final.
Chakvetadze revealed that the match — in which she saved a match point and came back from 3-5 down in the second set — sticks in her memory.
“One match I especially remember is my comeback win against Venus Williams, where I was losing but managed to turn the match around and win. It was an important moment for my confidence,” Chakvetadze reflected.
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Chakvetadze, who won the Fed Cup with Russia in 2007 and 2008, also referenced an infamous match she played in her nation’s 2008 quarter-final win against Israel in the team competition.
“Many fans also still remember my Fed Cup match against Israel,” Chakvetadze said.
“Personally, I don’t consider it one of the brightest matches of my career, but since it stayed in the memory of so many supporters and is still mentioned today, it is probably worth including [as a standout match] as well.”
In the fourth rubber of the tie, Chakvetadze defeated Israel’s Tzipora Obziler 6-4, 6-2, overcoming an incredibly hostile home crowd in Ramat HaSharon to give Russia an unassailable 3-1 lead.
After winning points, Chakvetadze reacted defiantly to spectators, who had antagonised her with jeers and attempted to distract her by shouting during points.
A clip from the sixth game of the second set of the match, in which Chakvetadze broke to take a 4-2 lead, has over 278,000 views on YouTube.
Many tennis fans have praised Chakvetadze’s mental toughness in the contest.
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