EXCLUSIVE: At the Net with Kaia Kanepi
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Dec 21, 2006 | Print
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This entry is part three of a four-part series previewing the 2007 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tennis season. The remaining section is the second part of players to watch next year.
Kaia Kanepi’s name may not be familiar to casual tennis fans, but if the twenty-one year old from Estonia keeps tearing through the rankings, she may quickly become a familiar face on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
Hailing from a country that has not had much success in the sport of tennis, Kaia Kanepi has been a breath of fresh air for her countrymen. Estonia is barely more than a dot on a world globe, and the size of the country is actually smaller than the states of New Hampshire and Vermont combined, but thanks to Kanepi, they are finally able to fly their flag proudly in the world of tennis.
Even though she is only 21-years of age, Kanepi has already played for her country in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and in 2004 at Athens. She lost in the first round at Athens, but just two years later Kanepi is the best tennis player to ever come from Estonia.
Now, as the off-season is rapidly coming to a close, Kaia is preparing for her 2007 season to start in Auckland, New Zealand at the ASB Classic. Before heading to the tournament, she was gracious enough to provide a few minutes of her time via email for an interview with On the Baseline.
Kaia, you had a remarkable 2006 season, including a third-round finish at the US Open, and a run to the final in Hasselt. What was your motivation this season?
“I had a goal for this year. I wanted to finish top 50, but it didn’t happened. So I have good motivation for next year. I think I had a good season, but I didn’t play so stable. I played some really good tournaments and then not so good.”
You pushed former world number one and Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters to three sets in the final at the Gaz France Stars on Clijsters’ home turf in Belgium. How did this match improve your confidence heading into next year?
“The whole week was very good for me and gave me lots of confidence. I played really well every single match in this week. I saw and felt that I can play on high level and I am looking forward to next year to break through.”
Kaia, I’m not sure that our readers are aware of this, but you are the most successful tennis player in Estonian history. Can you explain what it is like to compete for your nation on the Tour?
“I love my country and I have big honour to play for Estonia. Estonia is really small and it is so nice to see that tennis is getting very popular here.”
What was your most special memory from the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens?
“To stay in the Olympic park and to see all the great champions.”
If you had your pick of one tournament to win, which one would be the most meaningful?
“Roland Garros…because I won juniors there and I would love to repeat that.”
What are your goals for the 2007 tennis season?
“Top 30″
Do you have any plans for life after your tennis career is over? Are you planning on going to college?
“Right now, I think that I am not going to college, but who knows? I would like to help young tennis players for sure.”
Other than playing tennis, what do you like to do with your free time?
“I like reading books, listening to music, and meeting friends.”
Kaia, keep up the good work and we wish you the best for next season!
You can find out more about Kaia Kanepi at her official website of www.kaiakanepi.com.
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Nexty | Dec 22, 2006 | Reply
thanks for the interview…pretty intersting