Wednesday, 08. May 2013
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Mutua Madrid Open
Madrid Spain, 05.05. – 13.05.2013 / Premier Clay
| © kaiakanepi.com |
Madrid Spain, 05.05. – 13.05.2013 / Premier Clay
Madrid Spain, 05.05. – 13.05.2013 / Premier Clay
Kaia won and reached to the second round for the first time in this tournament.
Kaia’s own words: „It was quite nervous match with many ups and downs. I wanted to win very badly as I had never won a single match here before. I started slowly in the first set, I was searching for my game. She played well in the first two sets. She did not give me easy points, I had to fight for every point myself. The rallies were long and I had to dictate the pace. In the third set I was calmer and played more successfully.
In the next round I would like to play more against Stosur, as she is a top 10 player and I have not played against such a high ranked player for a long time. But it does not matter who the opponent will be, either way it will be very difficult match.“
Next up will be Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP, WTA 23), who beat Sam Stosur (AUS, WTA 9). Kaia's next match will be on Wednesday.
Oeiras Portugal, 30.04. – 04.05.2013 / International Clay
Kaia lost today and could not defend her title this time.
Kaia’s own words: „It was not a good day for me. I tried to figure out how to play but felt that I just did not have any weapons today. I did not have much energy and so it went. She played very well, very successfully and there was nothing for me to do today. Now I can recover a little and prepare for the tournament in Madrid. The main draw matches will start already tomorrow and i will most probably play on Sunday."
Next tournament will be Madrid Open. Kaia will play against Flavia Pennetta (ITA, WTA 107) in the first round. main draw
The match will be helt on Sunday at court nr 7 as the second match of the day. First match starts at 11 local time / 12 Estonian time.
Oeiras Portugal, 30.04. – 04.05.2013 / International Clay
Kaia won and reached to the semi final of Portugal Open.
Kaia’s own words: “I am satisfied with match in general. I was a bit too defensive in the beginning, she got the opportunity to attack. I had to hit lots slices and could not hit my normal shots. Then in the middle of the first set I tried to become more aggressive myself. It seems like it takes me some time to get used to playing aggressively right from the start. I’m a bit shy in the beginning. My opponent played very well, although she is quite short, she attacked higher balls well.
We will see how it goes tomorrow. I know that Navarro is a great player. We will try to think of something to make her life a bit more difficult.
I have not had many slumps during the matches in this tournament so far. I have not made bunch of errors in a row. My game has been a bit more consistent here than in pervious tournaments.”
Kaia will meet Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP, WTA 23) in the semis. They met last time in the final of Estoril Open last year and Kaia won in a very close match. Previous matches The match will start tomorrow at 12:25 local time /14:24 Estonian time.
Oeiras Portugal, 30.04. – 04.05.2013 / International Clay
Kaia won the 5th seed and reached to the quarterfinals.
Kaia's own words: “I played well, I had great feel for the ball today. I felt strong and it was great to play. I was more aggressive today. As she usually attacks every ball, I did not want my shots to be short. I tried to move her around and play courageously. Everything worked out great today. She did make quite many errors, but you can never count on your opponent’s mistakes. You never know when she starts making the shots. I had to be aggressive till the end.
I do not know much about my possible next round’s opponents. I have not played against neither of them.”
Kaia will meet Ayumi Morita (JPN, WTA 43) or Urszula Radwanska (POL, WTA 32) tomorrow.
The match has just ended and Kaia's opponent tomorrow will be Ayumi Morita.
Oeiras Portugal, 30.04. – 04.05.2013 / International Clay
Kaia won in 1 hour and 24 minutes and reached to the second round.
Kaia’s own words "I played well today, I was aggressive and felt great. Now and then it was quite competitive. She served well, was aggressive. I do not know exactly what become decisive. I was more consistent, maybe that decided.
The conditions were good, there was not much wind today, and the balls were bouncing as I'm used to. In Marrakech we played with balls that flew off the racquet quite easily and bounced very high. Sometimes the misses were 10 meters from the line. The others had similar troubles :) Today I played confidently and I was not afraid to loose control over the ball. It was good match; I do not know what to add.
Tomorrow is a new match. I have not played against Sorana lately. She hits hard but I do not know exactly how well she currently plays."
Kaia will meet Sorana Cirstea (ROU, WTA 26) in the second round match tomorrow. Cirstea is leading their head-to-head by 3:2. Kaia lost their last meeting in the decider in March 2010. head-to-head
Marrakech Morocco, 23.04. – 28.04.2013 / International Clay
Kaia's own words: "My game fell apart today. In the first set I played quite well. In the second set I tired to vary the rythm more but my shots were too short. She attacked them and got initiative. I lost my rhythm, made mistakes and lost my confidence. Everything was vary higgledy-piggledy today. Tomorrow I will travel to Estoril where new tournament will start on Monday"
Next tournament will be WTA international level tournament Portugal Open in Oeiras, where Kaia tries to defend her title form last year. Her first round opponent will be Kristina Mladenovic (FRA, WTA 51).
Marrakech Morocco, 23.04. – 28.04.2013 / International Clay
Kaia won very tough match and advanced to the second round.
Kaia's own words: "I started well, I was leading 4:1 in the first set. Then she changed her game a bit and started to hit higher balls. I was a little confused for a moment. I tried to attack them but made many mistakes. My confidence disappeared.
The second set started very competitively. At one point in the second set, I do not know at the moment why it happened but I got the initiative. I felt better, I was more patient, hit some higher balls back and then she had to figure out what to do with them. In the deciding set I felt quite confident. I did not take many risks, I hit the ball back and attacked when I got the opportunity.
Märten Tamla will help me as tennis coach during this and couple of next tournaments. We'll see how the cooperation works out. He has been helping me at practice before, now we try, how it works out during tournaments. Märten come to court today as well and gave some good advice."
Kaia will meet Mandy Minella (LUX, WTA 91) in the second round match on Thursday.
Kaia will play against Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP, WTA 61) in the first round of WTA International level tournament in Marrakech. Kaia leads their head-to-head 3:1, but their last meeting was in 2009. The main draw will start on Monday, Kaia will play her first match on Tuesday. Her mach is scheduled as the fourth match of the day at centre court. Matches start 11 am local time / 2 pm Estonian time.
Katowice Poland, 08.04. – 14.04.2013 / International Clay
Kaia lost 5:7, 3:6 in 1h and 30 min match against Karolina Pliskova.
Kaia's own words: "I felt quite good on my groundstrokes today. Her serve and especially her first serve was very difficult. She served very well.
I did have my chances in the first set but I could not keep the lead. I lost my concentration for a moment in the middle of the second set. It felt that she was playing very well all the time, she got easy points on her serve and I had to do hard work to keep up. I could not bring change to the match. Well, that's how it went today, I'll keep playing and trying to get better."
Next WTA tournament in Kaia's schedule is an International level tournament in Moroco starting April 23rd.
Katowice Poland, 08.04. – 14.04.2013 / International Clay
Kaia won after six month long injury break beating Sandra Zaniewska 6:1 6:1 in just 54 minutes.
Kaia's own words: "I'm happy to play again. I was a bit nervous for first two games but then I got to play aggressively and it gave me confidence. I felt good serving today, especially on the second serve. I hit the first serve quite hard because I was confident on my second serve and it allowed me to risk a bit. My opponent made many drop shots and was trying to vary the game. I was ready for that. Although most of the crowd cheered for my opponent, I did notice an Estonian flag in the stands.
The playing conditions here are very good. The court is a bit harder than clay courts outdoors
I do not know much about my tomorrows opponent. A long time ago I have played with her but I do not know much about her game today. We'll see how I feel tomorrow, I try to be aggressive if I can."
Kaia will meet Karolina Pliskovaga (CZE, WTA 81) tomorrow. The match will be at centre court starting not before 19:00 Estonian time/ 18:00 local time.
Kaia's first round opponent at WTA International level tournament BNP Paribas Katowice Open will be local wild card Sandra Zaniewska (POL, WTA 196). Kaia and Sandra have not played before. The indoor clay tournament starts on Monday. Kaia's match will be played on Tuesday starting not before 20:00 (Estonian time)/ 19:00 local time.
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Kaia’s six month long injury break will end in Poland next week as she plans to participate in the Katowice Open International level WTA tournament. Most probably the similar level tournaments in Marocco and Portugal will follow later in April.
Kaia’s own words: “I’m looking forward for competing again, I missed it a lot. There is always excitement while competing.
I do not set any goals. In practice everything is very well, but you cannot compare practice and competition – the tension is totally different. During competition it is clear in which form I am physically and mentally.
I know it will be very difficult. The break was very long and I cannot be sure if I will be able to give 100% or if I will subconsciously hold myself back.
There will be clay tournaments coming. Maybe it is good to start on clay as compared to hard courts the clay surface is a bit friendlier for legs. I like clay as I grew up playing at clay courts.
I will check after each match, how my legs are recovering. The most important thing for me is to play without any pain. I’m just very happy when I can compete again.”
Kaia answered today to the questions posted by her Facebook fans. See more here
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Kaia started practicing tennis in the beginning of the year and shares information about her process:
“Currently I play tennis once a day and have physical training once a day as well. This week we will try to practice tennis twice a day and see how my legs are holding up.
My recovery has gone according to the plan and week by week my heels are getting better. As the time goes by, I can move more and more. In the beginning of January I was able to play tennis standing still, now I can run a lot more but still not cover the full court.
I will start competing when I am recovered and I have managed also to practice while being healthy. We will see when it happens. If I cannot start in March I will start in April on clay. I will not rush and go to the tournaments to see if I can play without pain, I want to be sure that I can.”
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Kaia finishes the year at the 19th place in WTA rankings which is the highest place in her career and also in the Estonian tennis history. During this year, Kaia also managed to reach her highest WTA ranking place, which was 15th place in September.
In 2012 Kaia won two WTA events: Premier level tournament in Brisbane and International level event in Estoril. Kaia played in the final in the Seoul Open and in semi-finals in Brussels. The best grand slam result was from Roland Garros, where she reached to the quarterfinals. 2012 results
Kaia played in 11 tournaments and in total 35 matches: 25 wins and 9 losses. With this result Kaia is on the 6th position among top100 players. more here
In clay, Kaia was the 4th best player in 2012 winning 80% of her matches. more here
Kaia sums up the year in her own words: „It was very complicated season for me, at the same time it was the best season ever according to the results.The year started very well, I have never played so well during one whole week as I did in Brisbane. Although I managed to play in few tournaments, I mostly did very well. The win in Estoril was very special for me; it was the first tournament without a tennis coach and the final there was very difficult and emotional.
There is no world championship in professional tennis but we have four grand slam tournaments in one year and they can be called as world championships as well; because all the world’s top players are there. I am very glad that I managed to reach to the quarterfinal in one of the grand slams this year. The loss in the Roland Garros quarterfinal to Maria Sharapova taught me a lot“.
“I do not remember any other season where I had so much time off. Due to my injury of course. I think that my doctor Madis Rahu handled the situation with my heels very professionally and reasonably. He kept an eye on the situation and did not rush with the decisions. He offered me a choice to try to cure the injury with shots or to turn to dr Orava for surgery. One may ask afterwards that why did I not go to the surgery earlier? If something starts hurting, you do not think of the surgery as the first option. It was the last option for us. I am very lucky that I have a doctor like Madis is, I can turn to him anytime and he will help me.
Many people wonder that what I have been up to with the free time I have. Well, I have spent lots of time with my friends and also learned new things. For example I learned how to make scrambled eggs:)”
„This year my cooperation with my tennis coach Silver Karjus ended and after that I did not have a tennis coach. All the responsibility was on me and Kristjan. In the spring I played with good energy, I did not want to see any tennis coach. As the time went along I felt more and more that there must be someone who helps me with my tennis. Without a tennis coach, it is difficult to tune in for the matches. Although I did not have tennis coach, I tried to remember the things I have been told in the past. Tennis is a mind game, it is important to understand that when the match does not come to your way, there are still possibilities to bring a change to the game.
My fitness was very good this year as well, especially in spring. When you feel well and are well rested, then you feel well also mentally. I am very thankful for Kristjan Prüüs for my great physical shape. Kristjan also helps me with my diet. I am very glad that he is in my team; I have never doubted in his methodology, I have always trusted him. Kristjan has been travelling with me on tournaments as well and it has helped me a lot. With him I can be myself and he is very considerate of me.”
„I am very lucky that Tallink is my sponsor and our cooperation will go on in the next season as well. I am grateful and thankful that they believe in me and choose to sponsor me. I am especially thankful for the chairman Enn Pant, first because Tallink is my sponsor and also because Tallink is sponsoring Estonian tennis in broader terms as well. It is great that Enn likes tennis so much and we have such person in Estonia. Tennis in so popular in Estonia now that I have difficult times finding available courts to practice :)
„When I am abroad, people often ask me about Estonia. I am glad that I have such opportunity to introduce Estonia in the world. I do not feel the support of my Estonian fans in big extent when I’m on tour, I have no idea how many people watch my matches. As I have spent quite a lot of time in Estonia this year, I have also met with my fans. People in shops, streets, elevators have come up to me to wish me luck and ask about my health. It is very great that I actually have so many fans :)
I have mostly been in touch with my fans via my Facebook fan page. After a loss, I do not feel like going the website to read any comments, not all of them are positive. But in the same time it is great to know that many fans encourage me after I have lost. I would like to thank Viktor and Vadim for taking care of my Facebook site and are complete tennis fans.
I wish to all my current and future supporters and fans a merry Christmas and exiting experiences in the next year!"
 © Delfi.ee/ Tanel Meos |
Kaia was signing autographs for her fans in the Estonian Tennis Federation's press conference today in Viru Center. Kaia was also sharing information about her recovery. Kaia said that the recovery has so far been as expected. She is mainly doing physical training for upper body and is hoping to start practicing tennis in January. Most probably she will return to the wta circuit in February, but it is still open and depends on how the recovery goes.
Videos are available here (in Estonian): ERR video Delfi video
The CEO of AS Tallink Grupp Mr. Enn Pant signed the sponsorship contracts to support Kaia in value of up to 125 000 Euros in 2013. Tallink has sponsored Kaia Kanepi from 2007. More about the sponsorship here
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In the end of October dr Sakari Orava performed a surgery on Kaia’s heels.
Kaia’s own words: „I’m happy that the surgery was done. Both my heels were operated and it was the right decision. The surgery went well, it lasted about 40 minutes and it was done with lower-body anesthesia. I stayed in the hospital for the first night but now I’m back at home. I cannot move around very much. I read books, watch movies. After about two weeks I can start swimming and after four weeks also riding a bicycle. I can probably start playing tennis with full power in the end of January. But of course everything depends on how the recovery process goes.“
Kaia together with her team, including dr Madis Rahu, have decided to go under surgery in order to cure Kaia’s heel bones. The decision was taken after consulting with Finnish sport’s medicine surgeon dr Sakari Orava.
Dr Rahu explained that Kaia’s heels have been injured for quite some time now and the treatment in past three months did not make Kaia to fully recover. Dr Orava offered help and explained after examining Kaia’s heels that the permanent changes and the uniquness on her heel-bone do not let the full recovery to take place.
Dr Orava is the world famous surgeon who has performed over 20 000 surgeries. His patients have been also David Beckham, Haile Gebreselassie, Merlene Ottey, Boris Tadi, Ivo Karlovic, Didier Deschamps, Josep Guardiola etc.
Kaia’s own words: „I am happy to go under surgery, then I have hope, that the heels will get well. The surgery was the last option for us. As I have the uniqueness my heel-bones then it looks like the surgery is the best choice at the moment. I just want my heels to be well so I could play tennis. It is not clear yet, when I can play again, it will be more evident after the surgery. Right now we have discussed about three month break. There is nothing to do, there will also be the Brisbane tournament during that time and I’m not able to defend my title there next year.“
The surgery will take place in Finland, Neo hospital in October the 30th. The full recovery may take about three months.
Although Kaia qualified to the Tournament of Champions in Sofia, she was forced to withdraw due to heel injufy.
Kaia reached to the third round.
Kaia's own words:"It was a good match today. I had a little big arena fright in the beginning :). I actually like to play at bigger arenas. When I got over it I played aggressively and did not want to let her to build her game. Compared to Portugal Open, the balls fly here a bit faster and bounce a bit higher. This was an advantage for me. I played well today."
Kaia will meet Petra Kvitova (CZE, WTA 8) or Daniela Hantuchova (SVK, WTA 71) in the next round.
In the picture: Kaia with her fitness coach Kristjan Prüüs at the centre court today morning