By Nick Georgandis

Nearly a year to the day after her last professional match, Russia's Anna Chakvetadze officially announced her retirement from tennis on Thursday due to injury.

Once ranked as high as No. 5 in the world, Chakvetadze is just 26 years old. She peaked in 2007 when she reached the semifinals of the US Open, but she remembers that year more for the armed robbery her family suffered in December.
In the robbery, which occurred at her family's home, armed men assaulted her father, stole money and were never caught. Chakvetadze said the event left her emotionally scarred.

The six armed men assaulted and tied up the family maid, and hit Chakvetadze's father over the head with a pistol. They tied up Chakvetadze as well and escaped with $106,000 in cash and more than $200,000 in jewelry and other valuables.

Chakvetadze made her main draw WTA debut in August of 2004 at Stockholm. She raised eyebrows with an upset of then No. 3 Anastasia Myskina in the second round of the 2004 US Open, and finished the year ranked in the Top 100.

She won her first tour event in 2006, fittingly in Moscow, knocking off three Top 7 players in a row.
She started 2007 ranked No. 13 in the world and reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open, and did likewise at the French to enter the Top 10. He best effort was at the US Open where she reached the semifinals before losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova. She qualified for the Tour Championships that fall, going 2-2 with a win over No. 1 Justine Henin.

She dropped back to No. 18 in 2008 and even further to No. 70 the following season. By 2011, she was out of the Top 100 for good.