Childhood & Early Life
Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova was born in Moscow, Russian SFSR, to a wrestling champion and professor, Sergei Kournikov and Alla, an athlete. She was gifted her first tennis racket at the age of 5.
In 1986, at the age of five she joined the Spartak Tennis Club, where she was coached by Larissa Preobrazhenskaya. By the time she turned eight she began playing junior tournaments.
When she was nine years old, she impressed many international tennis scouts with her playing skills. At the age of ten, she signed her first deal to train at Nick Bollettieri’s well-known tennis school in Florida.
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Career
She entered professional tennis at the age of 14, winning the Fed Cup for Russia - becoming the youngest player to do so. She also won European Championships and the Italian Open Junior tournament.
In 1995, she was a two time winner of the International Tennis Federation title. That year, she also made it to the doubles final at the Women's Tennis Association Tour at the Kremlin Cup.
In 1996, she made her grand slam debut at the US Open. The following year, she played the Australian Open, Italian Open, French Open and also made her Wimbledon debut, reaching the semi-finals.
In 1997, she played the US Open and lost against Irina Sp�rlea. The same year, she played the WTA Tour event, which was held at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Filderstadt.
In 1998, she participated in the Australian Open and at that time she was ranked number 16 on the WTA’s top 20. She lost against Martina Hingis, World Number one then. The same year, she lost in the second round at the Paris Open.
In the 1998 French Open she reached the fourth round, after which she lost to Jana Novotn�. She also made it until the fourth round in the U.S Open, after which she lost to Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.
In 1999, she reached the World No 1 position in doubles. She reached the final round of the French Open that year and won the Grand Slam Doubles at the Australian Open.
In 2000, she won the Gold Coast Open doubles and reached the singles semi-finals at the Medibank International, Sydney, where she lost to Lindsay Davenport. She reached the fourth round in singles and the semi-finals in doubles at the Australian Open.
In the 2000 season, she made it to eight semi-finals at the WTA Tour Championships - Sydney, Scottsdale, Stanford, San Diego, Luxembourg and Leipzig. She reached the finals of the U.S Open.
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In 2001, she suffered from an injury in her left foot due to which could not play in more than twelve tournaments, which included the French Open and the Wimbledon.
In 2001, she reached the second grand slam quarterfinals at the Australian Open. That season, she was ranked number 74 in singles and number 26 in doubles.
In 2002, she won the Grand Slam Doubles at the Australian Open along with her partner Martina Hingis. She also reached the semi-finals in the Wimbledon and reached the quarter-finals at the U.S Open.
After 2003, she did not play any more of the Women's Tennis Association Tournaments. She however played various matches for charitable causes and exhibitions.
In March 2004, she retired from professional tennis due to chronic lower back pain.
In 2005, she played a doubles charity match for the Indian Ocean tsunami. The same year, along with Martina Hingis she played for the World Team Tennis charity.
In 2008, she attended the Nautica Malibu Triathlon in order to raise money for children's hospitals in Los Angeles. That year, she also played exhibition charity matches in North Carolina.
Later in 2008, she played to raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Atlanta AIDS Partnership Fund. The following year, she played at the ‘legendary night’ event match that was held in New York.
In 2010, after a long break from competitive tennis, she played with her doubles partner Martina Hingis in the Invitational Ladies Doubles event at Wimbledon. They won against Samantha Smith and Anne Hobbs.
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Personal Life & Legacy
She was romantically involved with the Russian ice Hockey player, Pavel Bure. It is believed that the two met in 1999. The following year, it was speculated that the couple was engaged but they denied it.
It was rumoured that she dated Russian ice hockey player Sergei Viktorovich Fedorov and the two were married in 2001 and divorced in 2003. Her agents however, repeatedly denied this.
In 2000, she played a small role in the film, ‘Me, Myself & Irene'.
Around 2001, she was seen with Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias and even appeared in one of his music videos; ‘Escape’ the same year. According to reports, they got married and later separated.
Along with Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias, she invested $20 million house in Miami.
She has also appeared on the TV show, ‘The Biggest Loser’.
Facts About Anna Kournikova
Off the court, Kournikova is a dedicated philanthropist, supporting various charitable causes and organizations.
She made a cameo appearance in the music video for Enrique Iglesias's hit song "Escape," sparking a romance that has lasted for many years.
Kournikova has appeared in several movies and television shows, showcasing her versatility and talent beyond the tennis court.
Despite never winning a singles title, Kournikova's star power and marketability made her one of the most recognized and popular athletes of her time.
