WIMBLEDON — In the days of social media, where a blue tick can be bought and true identity verification is nigh on impossible, it pays to double-check when a post looks too unbelievable to be true.
So when an account claiming to be Anett Kontaveit posted that she had decided to retire after Wimbledon at the age of 27, it sent hordes of fans scrambling.
It turned out to be true though, and the greatest ever tennis player from the tiny nation of Estonia was indeed done with the sport thanks to a back injury, specifically lumbar disc degeneration that could not be reversed.
“Tennis has given and taught me a lot, and I am very grateful for that. It has been important for me to bring the Estonian flag to the tennis courts and to be able to play in front of my supporters and fans all over the world,” she wrote on Instagram.
“I am ready for new challenges after my last effort as a professional tennis player – to enjoy the game and compete as hard as I can at Wimbledon.”
She would not have chosen to end at SW19, the tournament where she has had the least success of all the slams, but this was not a choice.
“I’ve been trying to do everything in my power, tried to take time off, tried to do exercise, nothing seemed to help,” Kontaveit tells i.
The former world No 2’s retirement was a red rag to a bull for the producers of tennis’s Netflix series Break Point, now filming its second series, and they are following her this fortnight to document her last tournament.
They are hoping for tears and agony as Kontaveit waves goodbye to the sport that has been her whole life, although she seems remarkably calm as it looms ever closer.
“I thought about it for a long time because my back’s been bothering me since last year,” she explains.
“I’ve talked about this quite a lot so now I’ve come to terms with it. I can be composed and everything but there was definitely a time where I was getting very teary-eyed every time I talked about it.
“I think when the match is finished, it’s going to be very difficult to stay composed.”
It does not sound as though Kontaveit has much confidence it prolonging her career by winning, even though she has been handed what appears a kind draw in the shape of Lucrezia Stefanini, the world No 111 playing in the Wimbledon main draw for the first time.
It’s not as though Kontaveit’s form has completely abandoned her either. She has top-100 wins as recently as May when she beat Alycia Parks in Rome, but she has not won tour-level consecutive matches since September and things are only getting worse.
“When I stand up for a while, it starts aching. When I sit for too long starts aching,” Kontaveit adds.
“So when I do like normal things, I feel it as well.”
You are a long time retired, ex-players often warn, and Kontaveit will ensure she is not about to get bored.
“I’m studying psychology. I’ve done that for three years now,” Kontaveit says.
“I have a few more years to go. So I’m gonna put the load on little bit, do that more intensively. I’m just really looking forward to being able to be at home.
“I think it’s important for me to learn how to relax a little bit. I think I’m very much I do one thing 100 per cent and then I do another thing 100 per cent.
“It’s very hard for me to just take easy, very difficult so I’m gonna hopefully learn a little bit.”
Heather Watson, the senior British woman in the main draw, reckons she might even end up making her way back to the sport in a different role to utilise her new skills.
“I’ve known Anett for many years. We practise together a lot. She’s such a nice girl,” Watson said.
“I think it’s a shame for her professional career that she was doing the best she’d done in her career and that’s when the injuries came.
“I wish her the best, but I have a feeling this isn’t the end of Anett. Well, I hope not, for tennis.”
