{"id":2182,"date":"2017-05-11T14:12:56","date_gmt":"2017-05-11T18:12:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordontennis.com\/?p=2182"},"modified":"2017-05-12T10:07:50","modified_gmt":"2017-05-12T14:07:50","slug":"anastasija-sevastova-top-20-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2017\/05\/11\/anastasija-sevastova-top-20-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"Anastasija Sevastova To Enter Top 20 After Run in Madrid"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Dear all, I want to inform you about my latest decision &#8211; retirement from professional tennis&#8221;. Those were the words chosen by <strong>Anastasija Sevastova<\/strong> four years ago when she announced her retirement from tennis.<\/p>\n<p>She continued, &#8220;Because of almost three years of conftinuing illnesses, injuries and the related problems, I don&#8217;t see myself carrying on in this complex sport at the highest possible level.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Fast forward four years from that decision and where can you find the Latvian? Into her first <strong>Premier Mandatory<\/strong> semi-final and poised to crack the top twenty in the world of course.<\/p>\n<p>Sevastova&#8217;s\u00a0narrative falls neatly\u00a0into the &#8220;fairytale&#8221; category. An early success story was cut agonisingly short by injury and illness but redemption and a second run on the <strong>WTA Tour<\/strong> has given the 27-year-old a fresh approach.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Sevastova?src=hash\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Sevastova<\/a>&#8216;s impressive run continues! The ?? dispatches <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Bertens?src=hash\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Bertens<\/a> (6-3 6-3) and advances to the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MMOPEN?src=hash\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#MMOPEN<\/a> semifinals. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/J1l2IhPEWF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/J1l2IhPEWF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mutua Madrid Open (@MutuaMadridOpen) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MutuaMadridOpen\/status\/862660053303689216\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 11, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>The &#8220;First Career&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>The Latvian largely bypassed the junior circuit, heading straight for the <strong>ITF Tour<\/strong> where she began making a splash aged just 17. In 2007 she reached her first professional ITF\u00a0final in <strong>Antalya<\/strong> and just a fortnight later qualified for her first WTA Tour level event in <strong>Istanbul<\/strong> where she lost to <strong>Alona Bondarenko<\/strong> in three tight sets.<\/p>\n<p>Five ITF finals in 2008 put her within qualifying range of the<strong> Grand Slams<\/strong>. In 2009 she delivered, qualifying for her first major at <strong>Roland Garros<\/strong>. Later in the year Anastasija Sevastova notched up her first victory at a Grand Slam, defeating Thailand&#8217;s <strong>Tamarine Tanasugarn<\/strong> at <strong>Flushing Meadows<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.co.uk\/detail\/98927300\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 69.865320% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/98927300?et=ozNaZ2N_RS9Q95I-LNPDpQ&amp;tld=co.uk&amp;viewMoreLink=on&amp;sig=NvjXn0_5-hdZOvW4rSTnwQLGrFpQM-Wx4oWp4BKK_2c=&amp;caption=true\" width=\"594\" height=\"415\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">\n<\/div>\n<p>A career highlight came in the following year when, aged 20, she stormed through the field to collect her first &#8211; and only &#8211; WTA title on the red clay of <strong>Estoril<\/strong>. The title catapulted her to the fringes of the top #50 and in 2011 she\u00a0peaked at\u00a0a high of #36 in the world.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I was not having fun anymore&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Anastasija Sevastova<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>From there though it all began to unravel. A string of injuries to the back and arms saw her ranking plummet and her enjoyment of the game began to waiver. &#8220;I was not having fun anymore&#8221;, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/09\/01\/sports\/tennis\/anastasija-sevastovas-upset-no-3-garbine-muguruza-us-open.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">she later told the New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In February 2013 she lost her third first round in four matches. Three months later she officially hung up her rackets and retired from the sport. That might well have been that for the career of the talented Latvian.<\/p>\n<h3>Anastasija Sevastova&#8217;s retirement U-turn<\/h3>\n<p>Yet, as is common in tennis, retired players can never stay away from the game for long. After spending time recovering and healing both her body and mind, Anastasija Sevastova returned to the court\u00a0at the start of 2015. An explosive start followed.<\/p>\n<p>In her first\u00a0six ITF tournaments she reached five finals, winning\u00a0four and boasting a 25-2 record. She did not have to wait long for her return to the WTA circuit, playing in <strong>Bad Gastien<\/strong> in July.<\/p>\n<p>By early 2016 Sevastova had collected enough points to return to the top #100 and she cracked the top #50 after reaching two more WTA fianls in <strong>Mallorca<\/strong> and<strong> Bucharest<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Flushing Meadows<\/strong>\u00a0was the\u00a0venue for her most impressive career run last year as she surprisingly made it through to the quarter-finals of the <strong>US Open<\/strong>. The marvellous run included dispatching French Open champion <strong>Garbine Muguruza<\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordontennis.com\/2016\/09\/06\/panelists-predictions-us-open-womens-quarterfinal-matches-including-vincikerber\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Britain&#8217;s <strong>Johanna Konta <\/strong><\/a>who was in red-hot form.<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.co.uk\/detail\/599187590\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 69.696970% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/599187590?et=-CDoA8uNTb1Iu_FXmHKUvQ&amp;tld=co.uk&amp;viewMoreLink=on&amp;sig=U72PUBSVgDR6-jQ-pDev_IwPIAILls54yO71NTyAjM0=&amp;caption=true\" width=\"594\" height=\"414\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">\n<\/div>\n<h3>Success in Dubai and Madrid<\/h3>\n<p>The path through to the quarter-final was rewarding for the Latvian who moved to #30 in the world, a new career high. While she may not\u00a0have been consistent so far\u00a0in 2017 she has had a couple of remarkable tournaments.<\/p>\n<p>In <strong>Dubai<\/strong> she sailed through to the semi-finals for the loss of just one set before falling to <strong>Caroline Wozniacki<\/strong>. Now in <strong>Madrid<\/strong> she has reached another semi-final after defeating <strong>Kiki Bertens<\/strong>, this time her first at Premier Mandatory level. This\u00a0will guarantee she becomes the first ever female Latvian to crack the worlds top #20.<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.co.uk\/detail\/645009528\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.666667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/645009528?et=Lprh_FW6QVdxrWwTU4RxCQ&amp;tld=co.uk&amp;viewMoreLink=on&amp;sig=OTyJl5aHh6iyUUauV76GkuNsgODGReXxnOu2__PnGL0=&amp;caption=true\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">\n<\/div>\n<p>She faces a mammoth task to progress further through the competition, welcoming<strong> Simona Halep<\/strong> in the semi-final. The defending Madrid champion has looked good on the red dirt and defeated Sevastova just two weeks ago in <strong>Stuttgart<\/strong> 6-3 6-1.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Upset complete! \u2705<\/p>\n<p>Sevastova stuns Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-3 to reach <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MutuaMadridOpen\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@MutuaMadridOpen<\/a> Round of 16! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Mya4v2mlq0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/Mya4v2mlq0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 WTA (@WTA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WTA\/status\/861543346895859716\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 8, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\nThere\u00a0is little question that Anastasija Sevastova&#8217;s stock is rising at an alarming rate. She is chalking up\u00a0the big victories\u00a0and has defeated two top ten players in <strong>Karolina Pliskova<\/strong> and Johanna Konta recently. To label her as a dark horse for the French Open would not be unjust given the open nature\u00a0of the tournament. Do not be surprised if the 27-year-old is still present in the second week in Paris.<\/p>\n<p>As <strong>Roger Federer<\/strong> has recently emphasised, prolonged rest can\u00a0do wonders\u00a0in modern tennis. With one &#8220;retirement&#8221; already under her belt, Sevastova has had plenty of rest. Now can she capitalise?<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo:<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.co.uk\/detail\/681893646\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 72.222222% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/681893646?et=IobJnBESS3lN1L7Ttsgqjg&amp;tld=co.uk&amp;viewMoreLink=on&amp;sig=EXlCEEVAXVacaUPKXL9lZZZGZdfZMfSAUPAkZulCQFY=&amp;caption=true\" width=\"594\" height=\"429\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Dear all, I want to inform you about my latest decision &#8211; retirement from professional tennis&#8221;. Those were the words chosen by Anastasija Sevastova four years ago when she announced her retirement from tennis. She continued, &#8220;Because of almost three years of conftinuing illnesses, injuries and the related problems, I don&#8217;t see myself carrying on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1355,"featured_media":2183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,2,5,9],"tags":[119,60,407,931,930,74,48,15],"class_list":["post-2182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wta","category-featured","category-french-open","category-news","tag-anastasija-sevastova","tag-johanna-konta","tag-kiki-bertens","tag-latvia","tag-madrid-open","tag-simona-halep","tag-tennis","tag-wta"],"modified_by":"Yesh Ginsburg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1355"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2182\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}