By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday November 19, 2021
Anett Kontaveit’s brilliant season came to an end on a losing note when she fell to Garbiñe Muguruza in Wednesday’s WTA Finals title match. The Estonian, who made a dynamic run to qualify for the year-end finals and locked down a year-end ranking of No.7, says she is immensely pleased with her season, despite the loss.
“Definitely a really positive season,” she told reporters on Wednesday night in Guadalajara. “I mean, I was just so happy to qualify here and to make it to the finals. It feels incredible. Very proud of what I've achieved in the second half of the season.
Kontaveit won 29 of her final 33 matches of 2021 and won four titles to increases her career title haul to five. The 25-year-old admitted that nerves got to her a bit in the final. She held a 5-3 lead in the final set but saw Muguruza win 16 of the final 20 points to take the title.
“I think a lot of it was nerves,” she said. “Just felt pretty anxious on the court. Never really eased into the match. Didn't feel fully comfortable.”
But Kontaveit says that win or lose the experience of playing her biggest career final was one that can be used as a teachable moment.
“I think it's definitely a very good experience for me, something that I have a lot to learn from,” she said. “A lot of credit to Garbine. I think she did great.”
Kontaveit, who caught fire after pairing with coach Dmitry Tursunov, the former coach of Aryna Sabalenka, says the biggest difference in her game in the second half of 2021 is self-belief. That’s something she intends to carry forward in 2022.
“I think it definitely has given me so much confidence, so much self-belief,” she said. “Looking forward to just taking some time to reflect, just think of what has happened in the last few months because I've been playing matches non-stop so there hasn't really been any time for that. Really looking forward to doing that.
“I think I'm excited for the next season. Really want to keep this momentum up, just keep improving on my game, have a very good pre-season with Dmitry, just keep working. I think we're doing the right things. My game is definitely improving in the right direction. I'm very excited for what's to come.
"I think the self-belief is a big thing. I think you can achieve as much as you believe you can. I think that's definitely what has really grown for me. Yeah, I mean, I think it's very important to just keep trying to improve my game. If you're doing the right things, the wins will come, the confidence will come. Believe in yourself, trust what you're doing, trust your coach. ”