Gallery: New book about Estonian tennis star Anett Kontaveit launched in Tallinn
On Tuesday, Estonian tennis star Anett Kontaveit and author Eia Uus spoke at Fotografiska in Tallinn at the launch of a new book about Kontaveit's life and career. Uus admitted that while she knew little abut tennis previously, she became immersed in the sport during the writing process.
"Eia Uus has written Anett's story as authentically and directly as possible, just as Anett herself tells and interprets it," says the book's written introduction.
"'Võitlejahing' is the story of an athlete's career, with everything that affects her work and performance – mental state, injuries, illness, world events, loved ones, worries and joys. In the book, Anett opens the door for readers into everyday life in the world of major tennis."
Kontaveit, who retired last year through injury at the age of 27, reached a career-best of WTA No. 2 in June 2022.
The Estonian also made the final of the WTA Finals and won a total of six WTA tournaments. Kontaveit's best Grand Slam performance was in 2020 when she reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
Before starting work on the book, author Eia Uus had only seen one tennis match between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. "I didn't know who they were, and I didn't understand how points were counted," Uus laughed.
"However, before I began interviewing Anett, I read through memoirs of other tennis players, watched hundreds of hours of matches and explanatory videos as well as interviews with tennis players while taking notes. I familiarized myself not only with Anett's performances, but also with the careers of her competitors to better understand the background."
While writing the book, Uus kept herself constantly immersed in the world of tennis. "For eight months, I even listened to tennis podcasts in my sleep and watched tennis movies and documentaries on Netflix in my free time. At night I even dreamed I was Anett Kontaveit living my tennis life," Uus said.
Uus added that while writing the book, for the first time in her life, she had an irresistible urge to do more exercise. "Just reading and watching this endless amount of training made me want to exercise more."
"Võitlejahing" was published by Pilgrim Publishing and is currently only available in Estonian.
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Editor: Siim Boikov, Michael Cole