# Anett Kontaveit
**Anett Kontaveit** (born 1995) is an Estonian former professional tennis player who reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 2 in June 2022, the highest ranking ever attained by an Estonian woman tennis player, and won six WTA singles titles before retiring at age 27 because of a degenerative back injury.[1](https://wtafiles.wtatennis.com/pdf/publications/2025MG/WTAMG2026_WTARecordBook.pdf) • [2](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/tennis/wimbledon-anett-kontaveit-retiring-injury-b2360702.html) • [3](https://wtafiles.wtatennis.com/pdf/publications/2023MediaGuide/2023MG_PlayerProfiles_31Jan2023.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Career-high ranking | World No. 2, first reached June 6, 2022 and held until September 11, 2022[1](https://wtafiles.wtatennis.com/pdf/publications/2025MG/WTAMG2026_WTARecordBook.pdf) |
| Singles titles | 6 (three at WTA 500 level, three at WTA 250 level)[4](https://www.wtatennis.com/players/318425/anett-kontaveit/record) |
| Career win/loss | 390/204, with career prize money of $8,151,602[4](https://www.wtatennis.com/players/318425/anett-kontaveit/record) |
| Best Grand Slam result | Australian Open quarterfinal, 2020[4](https://www.wtatennis.com/players/318425/anett-kontaveit/record) |
| Breakthrough season | 2021: four titles, tour leader in wins, WTA Finals finalist, Top-10 debut on November 1, 2021[5](https://www.wtatennis.com/news/3332263/___kontaveit) • [3](https://wtafiles.wtatennis.com/pdf/publications/2023MediaGuide/2023MG_PlayerProfiles_31Jan2023.pdf) |
| Retirement | Announced June 20, 2023 at age 27, diagnosed with lumbar disc degeneration; final tournament Wimbledon 2023[2](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/tennis/wimbledon-anett-kontaveit-retiring-injury-b2360702.html) |
| National significance | Highest ranked Estonian woman in WTA history; represented Estonia in the Billie Jean King Cup from 2011 to 2023[3](https://wtafiles.wtatennis.com/pdf/publications/2023MediaGuide/2023MG_PlayerProfiles_31Jan2023.pdf) • [6](https://tennis.ee/fed-cup/) |
## Early life and beginnings
Kontaveit was born in 1995, and stands 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) tall.[7](https://sportbaseline.com/tennis/player/anett-kontaveit) Her mother, Ulle, is a tennis coach who introduced her to the game at age 6 and coached her until she was 11, after which she worked with Estonian coaches; her father, Andrus, works as a manager at the Port of Tallinn.[8](https://www.wtatennis.com/legends/318425/Anett_Kontaveit)
She made her WTA main draw debut at the 2013 Miami Open as a wildcard.[3](https://wtafiles.wtatennis.com/pdf/publications/2023MediaGuide/2023MG_PlayerProfiles_31Jan2023.pdf) Her breakthrough came in 2017, when she won her first career singles title at 's-Hertogenbosch, defeating Natalia Vikhlyantseva 6-2, 6-3 in the final.[3](https://wtafiles.wtatennis.com/pdf/publications/2023MediaGuide/2023MG_PlayerProfiles_31Jan2023.pdf) • [4](https://www.wtatennis.com/players/318425/anett-kontaveit/record) In 2019 she reached her first Premier Mandatory semifinal at Miami, losing to eventual champion [Ashleigh Barty](https://www.edgepedia.org/ashleigh-barty), a run that lifted her to a then career-high ranking of No. 14 on April 1, 2019.[3](https://wtafiles.wtatennis.com/pdf/publications/2023MediaGuide/2023MG_PlayerProfiles_31Jan2023.pdf)
## Peak years, 2021 to 2022
**The 2021 season** was Kontaveit's strongest. She captured four titles, finishing the year as the WTA Tour's leader in wins, and qualified for her first [WTA Finals](https://www.edgepedia.org/wta-finals), where she advanced to the championship match before losing.[5](https://www.wtatennis.com/news/3332263/___kontaveit) • [4](https://www.wtatennis.com/players/318425/anett-kontaveit/record) Her titles that year came at the WTA 500 and WTA 250 levels, including the Transylvania Open in [Cluj-Napoca](https://www.edgepedia.org/cluj-napoca), where she beat [Simona Halep](https://www.edgepedia.org/simona-halep) in the final, and the inaugural Tennis in the Land event in Cleveland, where she beat Irina Begu.[4](https://www.wtatennis.com/players/318425/anett-kontaveit/record) She made her Top-10 debut on November 1, 2021, climbing to No. 7 and becoming the highest ranked Estonian woman in WTA history.[3](https://wtafiles.wtatennis.com/pdf/publications/2023MediaGuide/2023MG_PlayerProfiles_31Jan2023.pdf)
The ranking peak followed in 2022. She won the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, a WTA 500 event, and reached the final in Doha, where she lost to Iga Swiatek 6-2, 6-0, and in Hamburg, losing to Bernarda Pera 6-2, 6-4.[9](https://as.com/tenis/wimbledon/kontaveit-cabeza-de-serie-numero-dos-cae-en-segunda-ronda-n/) • [4](https://www.wtatennis.com/players/318425/anett-kontaveit/record) She first reached No. 2 on June 6, 2022, and held the position until September 11, 2022.[1](https://wtafiles.wtatennis.com/pdf/publications/2025MG/WTAMG2026_WTARecordBook.pdf) Her final match at No. 2 came at the 2022 US Open, where she lost in the second round to [Serena Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/serena-williams) 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-2; the victory was the last of Williams's career.[10](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jun/20/former-world-no-2-anett-kontaveit-forced-into-early-tennis-retirement-with-injury) • [11](https://time.com/6210161/serena-williams-us-open-second-round-win/)
Her Grand Slam record never matched her ranking. Her best major result was a quarterfinal at the 2020 [Australian Open](https://www.edgepedia.org/australian-open), where she lost to Simona Halep 6-1, 6-1; she also reached the round of 16 at Roland Garros in 2018 and at the US Open in 2015 and 2020.[4](https://www.wtatennis.com/players/318425/anett-kontaveit/record)
## Injury and retirement
A back problem began to affect Kontaveit's play in late 2022. She cut her 2022 season short in October and took a two-month break beginning in February 2023 to focus on the issue.[2](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/tennis/wimbledon-anett-kontaveit-retiring-injury-b2360702.html) In March 2023 she said her back had troubled her in most matches dating back to the previous October, and she was sidelined from late February to mid-April, playing only 10 matches in seven events that year.[12](https://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2023-06-20/anett_kontaveit_to_retire_from_tennis_at_wimbledon.html) She returned in May at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, where she said she had done months of core exercises to keep the back together, and beat Alycia Parks 6-1, 6-1 for her first win since February.[5](https://www.wtatennis.com/news/3332263/___kontaveit)
On June 20, 2023, at age 27 and ranked 79th, she announced her retirement. "After several doctor's visits and consultations with my medical team, I have been advised that I have lumbar disc degeneration in my back," she wrote on Instagram. "This does not allow for full-scale training or continued competition."[2](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/tennis/wimbledon-anett-kontaveit-retiring-injury-b2360702.html) She played her final tournament at Wimbledon 2023, where she beat Lucrezia Stefanini in the first round and then lost to Marie Bouzkova 6-1, 6-2 in the second round on July 6, ending her career.[13](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/anett-kontaveit-ends-playing-career-wimbledon-retires-estonia)
## Career summary
Kontaveit finished with 6 singles titles, a 390/204 win/loss record, and $8,151,602 in career prize money.[4](https://www.wtatennis.com/players/318425/anett-kontaveit/record) Her title distribution was three WTA 500 trophies (2022, and two in 2021) and three WTA 250 trophies (two in 2021 and the 2017 's-Hertogenbosch title), with finals also at WTA 1000 level in 2018 and 2022 and at the 2021 WTA Finals.[4](https://www.wtatennis.com/players/318425/anett-kontaveit/record) She played for Estonia in the [Billie Jean King Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/billie-jean-king-cup) (formerly Fed Cup) from 2011 through 2023, appearing in the 2023 Group 2 tie in Portugal alongside Elena Malõgina, Maileen Nuudi, Ingrid Neel, and Laura Rahnel.[6](https://tennis.ee/fed-cup/) The WTA described her, at her retirement, as a trailblazer for Baltic tennis and the highest-ranking Estonian in tennis history.[12](https://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2023-06-20/anett_kontaveit_to_retire_from_tennis_at_wimbledon.html)
## References
1. [WTA All-Time Records, Career-High Rankings (WTA Record Book)](https://wtafiles.wtatennis.com/pdf/publications/2025MG/WTAMG2026_WTARecordBook.pdf)
2. [Former world No.2 to retire at age 27 after Wimbledon due to degenerative back injury, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/tennis/wimbledon-anett-kontaveit-retiring-injury-b2360702.html)
3. [Anett Kontaveit player profile, 2023 WTA Media Guide](https://wtafiles.wtatennis.com/pdf/publications/2023MediaGuide/2023MG_PlayerProfiles_31Jan2023.pdf)
4. [Anett Kontaveit, Player Stats & More, WTA Official](https://www.wtatennis.com/players/318425/anett-kontaveit/record)
5. [Kontaveit wins first match since February, advances in Rome, WTA Insider](https://www.wtatennis.com/news/3332263/___kontaveit)
6. [BJK Cup Eesti koondised 1992-2026, Eesti Tennise Liit](https://tennis.ee/fed-cup/)
7. [Anett Kontaveit, WTA Tennis Profile, SportBaseline](https://sportbaseline.com/tennis/player/anett-kontaveit)
8. [Anett Kontaveit, Player Stats & More, WTA Legends](https://www.wtatennis.com/legends/318425/Anett_Kontaveit)
9. [Kontaveit, 2ª favorita, eliminada, AS.com](https://as.com/tenis/wimbledon/kontaveit-cabeza-de-serie-numero-dos-cae-en-segunda-ronda-n/)
10. [Former world No 2 Anett Kontaveit forced into early tennis retirement with injury, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jun/20/former-world-no-2-anett-kontaveit-forced-into-early-tennis-retirement-with-injury)
11. [If Serena Williams Keeps Playing Like This, She Has a Shot at Equaling the All-Time Grand Slam Record, TIME](https://time.com/6210161/serena-williams-us-open-second-round-win/)
12. [Anett Kontaveit to retire from tennis at Wimbledon, US Open official site](https://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2023-06-20/anett_kontaveit_to_retire_from_tennis_at_wimbledon.html)
13. [Anett Kontaveit, No. 2 in the world in 2022 and just 27, ends playing career at Wimbledon, Tennis.com](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/anett-kontaveit-ends-playing-career-wimbledon-retires-estonia)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Racket and precision ball sports › Tennis › Tennis players and seasons › Individual tennis player biographies › Nordic and Baltic tennis player biographies*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license