Kanepi Pulls Out of Olympics (9)

Published: 18.07.2012 12:19

Kaia Kanepi is currently ranked 16th in the WTA.
( Photo: Reuters/Scanpix )

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Estonia's top tennis player, Kaia Kanepi, announced today that her lingering heel injuries have forced her to pull out of the London Olympics.

According to a release posted on her website, an ultrasound examination performed yesterday, July 17, showed her heels had not recovered as fast as had been hoped.

"It is very sad that I cannot participate in the Olympics. I do not know if I will ever get another chance to participate in the Olympic Games. At the moment all I want is my legs to be OK and that I could play tennis without feeling any pain," Kanepi said in the statement.

Kanepi began experiencing heel pain during the Estoril tournament in spring, and after making it to the quarterfinals at the French Open, the 27-year-old decided to skip Wimbledon and take an injury break in preparation for representing Estonia in the women's singles in London.

Had Kanepi participated in the event, it would have been her third Olympic run. She competed at the 2004 games in Athens and the 2008 games in Beijing.

Representatives for the player have said that her playing schedule is not yet clear and will depend on the results of future tests.

 

Steve Roman

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Comments (9)

  • marzen

    18.07.2012 12:24

    27 and on the way out, sad. A less meat-heavy diet and some weight loss could keep Estonian athletes even in youth-driven sports such as tennis competitive into their mid-30s.

  • @marzen

    18.07.2012 14:14

    What a foolish comment. No matter what her diet, she could blast you off the court without breaking a sweat.

  • avatar

    auslane

    18.07.2012 16:14

    @marzen - it's good to see that the simple-minded ignorance of armchair experts is well-represented, even in the relatively small arena of Estonian women's tennis.

  • jreb

    18.07.2012 20:31

    She actually reached the third round in the Beijing Olympics; I think she could have won bronze if she had won that close match against Li Na. Sadly, getting unlucky has been a facet of Kaia's career. She can be great on grass, but will be missing the Olympics on grass when she is at the peak of her game.

  • @Kanepi

    18.07.2012 22:36

    I'm a fan of Kanepi simply because I want Estonian sports to succeed, but every time I've ever seen her play, she scores only when the opponent makes a mistake, not because she was a better player.

  • avatar

    auslane

    19.07.2012 11:24

    Making less mistakes than your opponent is exactly what makes you a better player.

  • marzen

    19.07.2012 13:09

    What, auslane and commenter #2, this has never been mentioned before? Certainly her weight has been mentioned. Come on now. And a prominent German football coach (i.e. from the land of sausage) famously mentioned the Neanderthal diet of Estonian footballers as a major impediment. And look at the average age of retirement of top athletes - the facts bear me out.

  • jreb

    20.07.2012 05:22

    What are you talking about marzen, Kaia got super fit this year and is a skinny girl now. She's barely played but has climbed her way to 16th in the world. Not on her way out either, she always gets injuries.

  • kanepi smoker

    25.07.2012 02:04

    @marzen whoah dude, you may have something there... that must mean vegetarians never get heel injuries