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Talent can only take someone so far, to succeed you have to work for it. Anna Chakvetadze was not the strongest, tallest or fastest player growing up in Moscow, Russia. She did not have the greatest success in the junior tennis circuit having reached a high of #22 in 2003. Anna did have one memorable mark in the juniors having made the finals of Wimbledon.

After a few years of struggling to make her mark at the professional level, Anna adjusted to the professional life and game in 2006. She capped the year off with titles in Moscow and Guangzhou (China). To keep herself grounded and maintain her strong family ties, she spends a lot of time with her family.

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.

No matter how she does from here, all she can do is fight. Having been a fighter all of her life, there’s no doubt that she’ll continue to do so.