The Russian Anna in tennis who gets the most attention is Anna Kournikova, but there is another Anna from Russia whose tennis is on the same level, whose looks are more than pleasant, and whose story is more inspiring. Anna Chakvetadze has been a strong presence on the tennis season these past few years, and worked through much adversity during her childhood to make the pro circuit.

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.

The proximity of Anna’s family during her ascent on the WTA tour has always been beneficial to her. Additionally, Chakvetadze embraced her beauty by posing for various model shoots and magazine spreads. She’s also a big fan of sports cars.

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.

While Anna was on top of the world, things changed at the end of 2007. In December of that year, her home was attacked by robbers and she was literally tied up with a gun held to her. The burglars seriously beat her father as well, and over $300,000 in things were taken from her home. Like anyone else who might experience this, the event had a very serious impact on Chakvetadze’s emotional state.

Due to the effect that this event had on her psyche, 2008 was an extremely challenging year for Anna. While she tried every day to focus on tennis and her well being, she had much difficulty, and the level of play she exhibited in 2007 quickly dissipated.

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.