© Getty Images Sport – Matthew Stockman
Newly retired Anett Kontaveit, 28, described tennis life as “a constant sacrifice” but suggests it was all worth it since she was able to make her dreams of becoming a pro tennis player a reality and then do it very successfully.
Kontaveit, who turned pro in 2010, won her first title at an ITF event in Tallinn in 2011. In her first couple of years, Kontaveit achieved certain success on the ITF level, winning 10 ITF titles between 2011 and 2015.
At the 2015 US Open, Kontaveit made her first notable Grand Slam result when she as a qualifier made the round-of-16. In her US Open debut that year, Kontaveit’s run ended with a loss to former world No. 1 Venus Williams. Kontaveit, who was ranked at No. 152 during the 2015 US Open, broke into the top-100 for the first time after her run at Flushing Meadows as she reached the world No. 96 spot on September 14th, 2015.
In 2017, Kontaveit won her first WTA title on the grass courts of ‘s-Hertogenbosch. The following year, Kontaveit also broke into the top-20 for the first time in her career when she got to No. 20 spot on October 22nd, 2018.
“I think to be in the top 20 in such a highly competitive sport is a great achievement. Of course it was a constant sacrifice all the time,…
