Serena Williams is heading back to Flushing Meadows on Wednesday where she’ll take on the No. 2 player in the world. Boardroom has everything that you need to know about Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit.
Serena Williams took the court in Flushing Meadows in a custom train that overlayed her self-designed Nike ensemble. Throughout the stadium, a record crowd of 29,402 looked on in awe as she returned to a form that fans have not seen in years.
The queen is back.
Williams deftly handled Danka Kovinić in straight sets (6-3; 6-3), but now she has her work cut out for her as she prepares to face the world’s No. 2, Anett Kontaveit, on Wednesday.
Don’t know much about the 26-year-old Estonian rising tennis star? Don’t worry — Boardroom has you covered.
Subscribe for the biggest stories in the business of sports and entertainment, daily.
Inventing Anett
Kontaveit’s mother introduced her to the game when she was six years old, and she won her first competition the very next year. With the taste of victory, the young Estonian was hooked. She burst onto the ITF scene in 2011 and has already surpassed her goal of breaking into the global top 10.
While she does not have the mass following of some of tennis’s other young stars, she has a golden opportunity to become a household name by knocking off Serena on Wednesday.
In addition to her close friendship with Ons Jabeur (and her thriving plant collection), Kontaveit has connected with a number of different sponsors, serving as a key face in Lacoste’s global campaigns. In Summer 2022, she joined the Porsche family as one of the iconic international brand’s newest athletes alongside Emma Raducanu and Anett’s childhood idol, Maria Sharapova.
Age: 26
Nationality: Estonian
Height: 5-foot-9
Career prize money: $7,655,943
2022 Season prize money: $870,473
Key endorsements: Babolat, Lacoste, Porsche, GlobeAir, Tallink, Hotell Telegraaf, Zenith
Instagram Followers: 150K
Twitter Followers: 10K
Career Accomplishments
Professional singles record: 381 – 193
World Ranking: 2
Career-high ranking: 2
Grand Slams: 0
Notable WTA Results: Quarterfinals appearance at the 2020 Australian Open
ITF Titles: 6
Kontaveit is known for her mastery of the European indoor hardcourt circuit, where she catapulted to success in 2021.
Earlier this year, Kontaveit parted ways with her coach Dmitry Tursunov. Tursunov helped her fine-tune her game and was with her throughout her 2021 victories. The Russian now coaches the British phenom Raducanu.
This season, Kontaveit’s top-level performance has scaled back, due in large part to an ongoing struggle with long COVID. However, a February win in St. Petersburg launched her to the No. 2 spot in the WTA rankings.
As she steps onto the court in Queens, she’s looking to secure the one outstanding line item on her résumé: a grand slam title.
Subscribe for the biggest stories in the business of sports and entertainment, daily.
