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MARIA ANDREA CARDENAS CONTI , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiAVrWhF0jQ, eluniversal.com/2008/09/08/desc_art_criolla-sacude-la-ar_1030629.shtml, eluniversal.com/2008/05/08/desc_art_criolla-sacude-a-eur_848543.shtml, www.itftennis.com/juniors/players/player.asp?player=100128375 www.mtateam.com/eddie-herr-7d49371d7c89ae7fbfd6f12b224923cb.html www.itftennis.com/juniors/players/bestx.asp?player=100128375 www.mtateam.com/orange-bowl-c5b173e25016d829b07f82f7e12657bc.html www.cadenaglobal.com/Noticias/default.asp?Not=162799 www.worldclasstennistour.com/docs/tableau-girls-qualifs-2007.pdf www.tenislarense.com/indexnoticias.php?op=content&accion=60 ligue.fft.fr/paris/pariscadets/IMG/pdf/draw_girls_doubles_main_draw www.excelsiortc.be/ycc/info/2008 - Main Draw Girls Singles.pdf www.terra.es/deportes/articulo/html/dpo447184.htm www.unionradio.com.ve/Noticias/Noticia.aspx?noticiaid=228196 www.el-nacional.com/www/site/detalle_noticia.php?q=nodo/9597 www.myfreesport.fr/sports/tennis/0/graine-star-academy-15250.html

Maria Andrea Cardenas Conti was born on December 16, 1994 to dad Juan Andres Cardenas and mom Carmen Elena Conti in Caracas, Venezuela -. Maria Andrea first started playing tennis at age six at the Venezuelan Tennis Federation ( FVT ) and at age of eight years old Maria Andrea was granted an exception to play the 10 and under National Tournament and even though she had never played any Tournament before,Maria Andrea reached the Finals.Because of her performance at the Nationals she qualify to play the Masters Tournament in which she reached the Finals again and ended the 2003 as the # 1 player Regional and in Miranda State and # 6 in the National Ranking,she also qualify for the 12 and under National Tournament and lost on the first round.

Maria Andrea showed great potential at an early age,so several coaches recommended that she should train and develop her game. Juan Andres decided to follow up with the advice given by these coaches and they made the move to San Luis Tennis Center,Caracas,Venezuela to train at the HardCastle Tennis Academy when Maria was just eight years old. Maria Andrea's parents made a lot of sacrifices but they were determined to help Maria Andrea be the best that she could be. Maria Andrea's enormous potential was noticeable and her parents were supporting her all the way.

2004

In the year 2004 at nine years old she became the 10 and under National Champion,and the # 6 player in the National Ranking for the 12 and under. She also played her first 12 and under International Tournaments in Curacao N.A. at the Caribbean International Tournament (Curacao,Aruba,Bonaire,Venezuela) which she won, the Farallones International Tournament in Cali,Colombia in which she reached the Finals in Singles and Doubles,the Prince International Tournament in Miami,Florida in which she reached the round of 16,and the Caselys International Tournament # 5 in which she reached the Finals. . 2005

In the year 2005 at ten years old she became the # 2 player in the National Ranking for the 12 and under and the # 1 player Regional and State. Maria Andrea played the 14 and under category also with great success and ended the year as the # 12 player in the National Ranking for the 14 and under and the #3 player Regional and State. She also played several 12 and under and 14 and under International Tournaments with great success.

A Food and Beverage Company (Empresas Polar) sponsored Maria Andrea and took care of the cost to travel to Morocco,Marrakesh to play the final stage of the Kids Cup International World Tournament in which Maria Andrea reached the Finals playing against the best in the world 12 and under. Because of her performance at the Kid’s Cup World Tournament Maria Andrea was invited to train one month at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy under the supervision of Patrick Mouratoglou and Olivier Roux

Another food company (Fine Foods) sponsored Maria Andrea and took care of the cost to travel to Cali,Colombia to play the Farallones International Tournament in which Maria Andrea won in Singles and Doubles in the 12 and under.

Maria Andrea learned English pretty quickly,Carmen Elena made it a priority to work with Maria Andrea and educate her well,   Maria Andrea is a grade A student and up to this point she had attended a formal bilingual school named Instituto Andes,which is very helpful in granting the necessary leave of absences for Maria Andrea be able to attend her National and International Tournaments.

Maria Andrea's off court interests include,music, dancing, singing, movies, swimming, water sky,horseback riding and fashion,she also enjoys reading books.

At only 11 years old Maria Andrea was already an extremely accomplished tennis player and a role model. Featured on several magazines like Deuce,Todo en Domingo,Zona Escolar,National Newspapers like El Universal,El Nacional, Correo del Caroni,Meridiano,El Impulso,Notitarde,2001,International Newspapers like El Tiempo(Colombia),El Pais (Colombia),La Voce D’Italia (Italy),Ouest-France (France),Presse Ocean (France) and TV like Meridiano Television,Tenis para Todos,Radio Caracas Television,Venevision,CMT where she is listed as a promising female athlete and making comparisons in her performance with Professionals Players like Gabriela Sabatini and Gisela Dulko

Maria Andrea enjoyed another great season in 2005,she finished the year ranked #2 in the 12 and under,  #12 in the 14 and under and # 90 in the COSAT Ranking 14 and under, In December 2005 Maria Andrea went to compete at the Orange Bowl Tournament (Miami,Florida) in the 12 and under category,and she lost in the Round of 8.

2006

In 2006 Maria Andrea started the year currently ranked #2 in the 12 and under, #7 in the 14 and under,and  # 29 in the COSAT Ranking 14 and under

At only 11 years old Maria Andea played her first 14 and under International Tournaments Tour starting with the  first two stages of the COSAT Tour (South American Tennis Confederation):  The Venezuela stage in which she lost on the Round of 16 and The Colombia stage in which she lost in the Round of 8 She also was invited in December of that year to be part of the JUNTOS POR LA PELOTA event Sponsored by Empresas Polar,and at said event Maria Andrea played a set against the Baseball Hall of Fame Star Omar Vizquel,who Maria Andrea defeated in front of more than 5.000 people who attended the event at the center court of the Venezuelan Tennis Federation site.

Then she continue the International 14 and under Tour and went to Europe  to play The BNP Paribas Stade Francais (Paris,France) in which she lost in the last Round of Qualifying, The   Le 13/14 Des Hauts De Seine (Paris France) in which she Qualify and lost on the first Round,  The Balle Mimosa Loire Atlantique (Nantes,France) in which with an incredible performance even described in local French  newspapers like Presse ocean and Ouest France she reached the QuaterFinals

. A Food and Beverage Company (Empresas Polar) sponsored Maria Andrea through the year 2006 and took care of the cost to travel to Europe, Maria Andrea went to  Paris,France (Liberty Club) on July to play the final stage of the OUATT Kids Cup International World Tournament in which Maria Andrea reached the SemiFinals playing against the best in the world 12 and under and ended up # 3. Because of her performance Maria Andrea was invited to train and be part of the Raising Players Group at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy (Paris,France) under the supervision of Patrick Mouratoglou

Maria Andrea became one of the Raising Players at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in Paris,France on August 2006   Juan Andres and Carmen Elena with the help of the Mouratoglou Academy,Mouratoglou Management Group and Empresas Polar, decided to follow up with the advice given by Coaches, that she should train and develop her game  in a professional environment  and part of the family made the move to Paris,France to train at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy when Maria was just  eleven years old At 11 years ols Maria Andrea played her first Womens Open tournaments in France: L’Open CCT Taverny in which she reached the round of 32, and L’open Stade Francais in which she reached the round of 16. On September 2006 Maria Andrea played the Nike junior Tour,Qualify for the Masters of the NJT and Maria Andrea reached the SemiFinals playing against the best in the world 12 and under and ended up # 3,in this prestigious Tournament which have been played by Profesionals like Rafael Nadal

Maria Andrea's parents made a lot of sacrifices at this stage because of the family separation in a group living in Caracas,Venezuela (Carmen Elena and Maria Andrea’s brother Juan Andres) and the other in Paris France (Maria Andrea and his father), but they were determined to help Maria Andrea to succeed

On October 2006 Maria Andrea played the OpenBenjamins in Gradidnan,France and Maria Andrea won the B Draw of this prestigious Tournament for girls 13 and under playing against the best in Europe,this Tournament has been played by Profesionals like Justine Henin Hardenne,Kim Clisters,Ferrero and Ferrer

On November and December Maria Andrea went to the USA to play the Eddie Herr,Prince Cup and Orange Bowl,and even though she was first seeded at the Eddie Herr and Orange Bowl she did not perform to the expectations due to pressure and left wrist Tendinitis injury (which we did not think it was important) because of change of grip at a wrong moment.It also made us realize that the Coaching was not as professional as should be a

Maria Andrea any way enjoyed another great season in 2006,she finished the year ranked # 2 in the 12 and under in Venezuela, # 8 in the 14 and under and # 42 in the COSAT Ranking 14 and under,she also stablished herself as one of the top five players in Europe in 12 and under.

2007

We Started 2007 with the wrist tendonitis injury which started by the change of grip during the Eddie Herr and Orange Bowl Tournaments, still not diagnosed correctly and started the COSAT Tour in Valencia,Venezuela,then Cali, Colombia and then travel back to France for the Petit As in Tarbes, France.The results were disappointing but after the Specialist Medical check up of the wrist we realize the mistake commited by the Coach and the Academy and Maria Andrea had the left hand (she hits  two hands backhand) off for 7 weeks,so it was only forehand and slice backhand training throughout this period.

Maria Andrea then went to South America to play COSAT at the Asuncion Bowl,Banana Bowl and Gerdau Cup all G1 Tournaments in which the performance and results were much better with QuarterFinals and Semifinals in Singles and Doubles,but we were by then very disappointed at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy for many unfulfilled promises regarding Education,Housing,Alimentation,Family Relocation,Sponsorship and others,as well as a continual degradation of the Coaching Staff Quality,the Quality of the food,the new Management and Marketing Team brought in without Tennis Experience and Patrick Mouratoglou lack of attention to the day to day program at the Academy as before and dedication to promote only himself

All this led us to start looking for alternatives for Maria Andrea´s future .As soon as we decided that it was best to departure from The Mouratoglou Tennis Academy we search and receive several offers by Academies in France and Spain,and we even thought to go back to Venezuela to start all over again or even stop because of the disappointment, the family separation and not being able still to be in a place with all the family together and have a good Infrastructure along with Professional Tennis and Physical Coaching Maria Andrea´s and his father did leave Mouratoglou in June 2007 and went on during the summer to compete in Tournaments of the 14 and under European Championship in France,Holand,Germany and Belgium with mixed results but by the end of the Tour

Maria Andrea was positioned top 200 in the 14 and under category and 900 in the 16 and under category.This encouraged the Family to go on looking for a solution to the Tennis  Training Infrastructure and Team.. Finally we decided that the Player´s Tennis Academy located at the Paris Golf and Country Club offered the best Infrastructure,enviroment and for the first time a real ATP / WTA Coach by the name of Stephan Huet,himself an ex ATP # 90 and an experienced  Physical Coach, who had worked before at the high performance Academy of the French Federation, by the name of Nicolas Morillon.

In September 2007 Maria Andrea qualify for the Nike Junior Master U14t in Nimes,France and reached the 3rd position in this prestigious Tournament.

In October 2007 Maria Andrea was chosen amongst hundreds of Junior  Players to play an exhibition with Bjorn Borg,Ilie Nastasse,and Mansour Bahrami pro-benefit of the Children Hospital of Garches In October She also signed a long term Sponsorship Contract with LACOSTE S.A. a very well recognized brand in the world of tennis and a business with family style which suited  Maria Andrea and her family very well.

At this point of her career Maria Andrea was helped by Pierre Barthes an ex pre ATP pro player as well as ATP founder who gave the family advice on technical faults,sponsorship and how to proceed to advance her tennis.Also at this point Bruno Rebeuh ex Marketing Director of LACOSTE began helping Maria Andrea for Sponsorship Maria Andrea signed in November 2007 a long term Sponsorship Contract with Prince Europe to continue her relationship of 5 years with theTennis Raquets and Strings Company

Maria Andrea any way enjoyed another great season in 2007,she finished, in the 14 and under # 42 in the COSAT Ranking,and 150 in the European Tennis Asociation (ETA) Ranking,even though she did not play enough Tournaments,she also stablished herself as one of the top five players in France in 14 and under, she finished the year not ranked  in the 14 and 16 and under in Venezuela due to not playing any National,Regional or State Tournaments there

2008

We Started 2008 playing Maria Andrea´s first ITF Tournament by requesting and obtaining a wild card from the Venezuelan Tennis Federation for the Gatorade Cup a Grade 1 ITF which was played at the Altamira Tennis Club in Caracas,Venezuela.

Maria Andrea played against a German Player 400 ITF and did not take advantage of oportunities and lost in the first round of the Tournamen and did not get any points

Not having enough funding we were not able to play the COSAT Tour  and  traveled  back to France for Teen Tennis Tournament  in Bolton,England and  the Petit As Tournament  in Tarbes, France.The results were disappointing second round in Bolton and first round in Tarbes but we realized that the preparation time and overseas traveling so close to a Tournament needs better planning to arrive able to play at high level..

Maria Andrea then continued training at the Paris Golf and Country Club and made changes on her service and volleys and perfected her tactics, backhand and forehand,and worked very hard her physical and coordination to overcome her size and weight disadvantage against the other players in the 14,16 and ITF Categories In Aprilr 2008 Maria Andrea qualify for the Nike Junior Master U14  in Paris,France and reached the Final  in this prestigious Tournament.

Maria Andrea then went to play in April 2008 the Espoirs Poitou Charentes in Iteiul,France were in 2007 she reached the Finals in Doubles,she did a good Tournament by reaching the QuarterFinals in Singles and the SemiFinals in Doubles and starting to see results with the changes in her game

During April she also went to play the Cukurova Cup in Adana,Turkey with similar results QuarterFinals in Singles and SemiFinals in Doubles to boost her confidence and to realize that the changes made to her game as well as the Coach and Academy changes were the right decision. Maria Andrea upon her return to France continued working on her physical preparation as well as on her Tennis Skills to prepare for the Summer Tour in clay courts,since we did not have the money to be able to go to South America to play the COSAT Tour in which Maria Andrea had good results in 2007.

It was decided that Maria Andrea should play some under 16 European Championship Tournaments as preparation for her Summer Tour,as well as to get points for the Ranking for the following year,so in June Maria Andrea was accepted to play the Derby Cadets in La Baule,France a Category 1 U16 Tournament in which she lost in the second round of singles and the second round of doubles,and gaining ponts during her performance by finishing on the top 32.This allowed her to be able to be accepted in the qualify of the Mondial Paris Cadets Trphee Lagardere in Paris,France in which she lost in the last round of qualification,but playing at a good level against the top U16 players in the World.

Maria Andrea then went on during the rest of the summer  to compete in Tournaments of the 14 and under European Championship in France: the BNP Paribas and Le 13/14 Des Hauts de Seine,in Holand: the Windmill Cup,in Germany: the 31 Tennis Jungsten Cup  and in Belgium: The Laperre Young Champions Cup and the Argayon Cup, with mixed results ,second rounds on both FranceTournaments but Eight of Final in Germany and the first of Belgium and then QuarterFinal in the second Belgium Tournament,and by the end of the Tour Maria Andrea was positioned top 100 in the 14 and under category and 600 in the 16 and under categoryl

Maria Andrea any way enjoyed another great season in 2008,she finished, in the 14 and under # 96,and 600 in the 16 and under in the European Tennis Asociation (ETA) Ranking ,even though she did not play enough Tournaments,she also stablished herself as one of the top five players in France in 14 and under, she finished the year not ranked  in the 14 and 16 and under in Venezuela or COSAT due to not playing any National,Regional or State Tournaments there

Coached by ,Stephan Huet and. her dad Juan Andres Cardenas ,she lives in Paris,France and trains at The Paris Golf and Country Club at the Player´s Tennis Academy