Anna Chakvetadze, whose career has been derailed by a series of worrying health problems, believes she can rediscover the form that once took her to number five in the world and the semi-finals of the US Open. The Russian was sidelined for most of 2011 after suffering an inner ear inflammation in Dubai, where she was forced to retire from her second-round clash with world number one Caroline Wozniacki. “When I got sick in Dubai I was in very good shape,” Chakvetadze said. “I had found my game again and was really ready to compete. But then I got sick.”
The 24-year-old played just three more matches in the year, retiring from two and withdrawing from 11 other events.
“Doctors found an inflammation in my ear and connected it with the dizziness. I had to take medication for it,” she told wtatennis.com. “I didn’t expect that it would take so long to get over it, but I did it. When I felt ready to play again it was already almost the end of the season, so I just decided to wait until the new season to play again. “I hope I’ll be able to do some good things in the new season. I’m 100 percent healthy now.” Her absence from the tour meant her ranking nose-dived to 232, but she can call upon her ranking protection in eight tournaments in 2012 to avoid having to qualify.
