===============
AUSTRALIAN OPEN
(Melbourne, Australia; outdoor hard (Rebound Ace); Grand Slam)
=============== http://2007.australianopen.com/

For last year's Australian Open, I have added a new TV-report of
Anna's quarter-final with Maria Sharapova, which I recently acquired
from Tennis Videos International
<http://www.users.bigpond.com/tennisvideos1/>.

My report is at:
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/chakv/australian_open2007.html

It also includes reviews of Anna's first four matches, adding no new
information to the reports I posted here at the time - except a link
to Anna's fourth-round press-conference.


==================================
Articles from Australian Open 2008
==================================

Venus makes her presence felt
By Clive White for The Sunday Telegraph (20th January 2008)
>>>
Two of the top Russian seeds went out, but that wasn't a complete
disaster because one of them - Anna Chakvetadze - went out to another
Russian, Maria Kirilenko, who, if she was a shade more successful,
might start challenging her friend Maria Sharapova for some of the
game's bigger contracts because she certainly has the requisite
looks. Maybe she just needs a little more confidence.

"Usually I'm losing like every time first round in the Grand Slam,"
she said, which isn't exactly true. The fourth round here will be as
far as she has gone in one, and she might well go even further.

<snip discussion of other players>

Chakvetadze normally sheds enough tears both for herself and all her
fans when she loses, but on this occasion, one could not help but
feel for the No6 seed, who was the victim of a frightening robbery at
her family's home in Moscow just before Christmas when she, her
father and a maid were tied up and robbed. Her father was struck over
the head - he thinks with a pistol-butt.

Even so, the 20-year-old could have done without him walking out of
the arena just as she fell 2-5 behind in the third set; there's
nothing like having the support of one's family when you most need
it. After staving off four match-points, somewhat inevitably, she
lost 6-7 6-1 6-2.
<<<

http://tennis.com/news/ticker.aspx
>>>
In a press-conference ahead of the Paris Indoors, Chakvetadze says
playing in Australia was a mistake as she had not fully recovered
from the armed robbery at her home in December.
<<<

I don't regret Anna playing the Australian Open, but playing Antwerp
was certainly a mistake. I know Anna was considering pulling out for
rest and recovery after winning Paris with injuries!


=======================
Anna's official website
=======================

has moved from
http://www.theannachakvetadze.com/
to
http://www.annachakvetadze.us/

It seems that the old URI has already been taken over by a new
website called "Hot Tennis Celebrity Anna Chakvetadze"!


=====================
Andrew dreams of Anna
=====================

A few nights ago, I saw Anna in a dream. I dreamed that I arrived at
some tennis-tournament, and as I went past the queue to get in (which
was surreal enough as it was the players - not me - who had to
queue), I saw Anna close up and she smiled at me!

According to Freud's interpretation of dreams, if you recognise
someone's face in a dream, then she is not herself but a symbol for
someone else - she is only herself if you don't see her face but you
feel her presence.

Well, I /did/ see Anna's face, but I still feel rather certain it was
her! Unfortunately I couldn't take a photo, because I had forgotten
to take my camera into the dream. Perhaps one day we'll be able to
record our dreams on video.


=====================================
UK TV-alert: Anna in Transworld Sport
=====================================

Congratulations to Anna on winning Paris and extending her record in
finals to 7:0!

Look out for brief highlights of the Paris-final in the next
Transworld Sport, which - for those in the UK - is televised from
06:35 to 07:30 GMT on Sunday morning on Channel 4.

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/chakv/