Tears don't dry for Anna Chakvetadze

She broke barriers in 2007, making her career debut in the top five as well as reaching her first Grandslam semi-final. Yet she still continues to be hindered and dragged down from her ever so recurring tantrums.
 
In 2006 Anna Chakvetadze became the surprise winner of the Kremlin cup, coming on top of all her Russian compatriots. The sheer talent looked promising for a great 2007, which turned out to be a superb season. So how did she work her way to the top five and how dangerous is her temper?
 
Chakvetadze’s game plan is quite impressive. Her serve can be a bit inconsistent at times but it usually has a clean thump in it. However the serve looks a bit too rushed and maybe a slower thought process could lead on to a more fluent serve. Her forehand and backhand can steam down the lines and go crosscourt. She employs power in her shots, with great conviction. Anna does play doubles so she has developed some net play. The Russian is more then capable of throwing in the odd drop shot, but she must pick and choose when to do so, as sometimes she hands the opponents the points just as easily as she takes it.
 
Her tantrums are a big worry. Whenever Anna is losing despite putting foreword some solid shots and serves. Her temper shoots up and instead of trying to step it up she plunges down, taking all the pressure off the her opponents. The tantrums could plague her career all the way to the end or they could disappear. She seems to be covering more vital ground in her career as she has won all tiers on the WTA tour and has ventured into a semi-final of a Grandslam.
 
With tough competition coming into 2008, can she stick to her current ranking of no.6? The answer is most likely to be a big no. Surely the better and consistent players can steal her spot in the limelight. As the Serbian’s, Justine Henin’s, Maria Sharapova’s and Svetlana Kuznetsova’s consistency at a high level will stop the Russian advancing. Also if players like the Williams sisters, Nadia Petrova and Elena Dementieva can shake off injuries and gain consistency, then Anna will be pushed out of the way. There is no doubt that Chakvetadze is not elite yet but she could maintain a high ranking if she: takes advantage of other player’s injuries; re-structure her serve and keep her tantrums at bay.

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