Anna Kournikova
About
Biography
Biography
Unlike her tennis counterparts Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis, Anna Kournikova achieved international fame not for winning a championship tournament, but for the glamour and sex appeal she brought to the sport. The Russian-born beauty trained at an early age, displaying prowess on the court while training at top tennis academies. Kournikova captivated the sports world with an impressive Grand Slam debut at the 1996 U.S. Open, where she reached the fourth round of competition against top-ranked Graf. Kournikova failed to win a singles title throughout her career, but instead showed her strength as a doubles player along with her partner (and former competitor) Hingis. Trading in her tennis gear for skimpy swimsuits while posing in numerous magazine pictorials, including the 2004 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, helped rebrand Kournikova's image from a rising tennis star into one of the world's sexiest athletes. Despite attracting plenty of media attention for her bombshell court attire and her steamy romance with crooner Enrique Iglesias, Kournikova also used her fame to help others, whether it was playing in charity matches or appearing as a celebrity trainer on "The Biggest Loser" (NBC, 2004- ), which endeared her to millions as a genuine role model.
Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova was born on June 7, 1981 in Moscow, Russia to Sergei Kournikov, a former Greco-Roman wrestler and professor at a Moscow university, and his wife, Alla, a 400-meter runner. Kournikova received her first tennis racket at the age of five and began playing two times a week via a children's program. She entered a professional tennis academy two years later, dividing her time between her studies and tennis instruction. In 1986, Kournikova joined the Spartak Tennis Club, where she met Larissa Preobrazhenskaya, one of Russia's top instructors, who saw raw talent and began coaching the budding athlete. Kournikova began competing in junior-level tournaments at age eight and catching the attention of international athletic scouts. At 10 years old, Kournikova signed a management deal and hopped on a plane to Florida to begin training at the renowned Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton. She made her professional tennis debut at age 14 in the Fed Cup for Russia, where she was the youngest player to compete and win.
Kournikova made her Grand Slam debut at just 15 years old when she competed at the 1996 U.S. Open. She faced top-ranked Steffi Graf (who went on to win the tournament) during the fourth round of competition. Though she did not win, her performance at the U.S. Open was enough to raise Kournikova's professional ranking from No. 144 to No. 69. That same year, she joined her fellow Russian athletes to represent their country at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA. At 16, Kournikova became the second woman in her sport - after no less than Chris Evert in 1972 - to reach the semifinals round during her debut appearance at Wimbledon, considered the sport's most prestigious tournament. Facing Swiss-born Martina Hingis in the semifinals, she eventually lost the game, but tennis experts were wowed by Kournikova's footwork, speed and aggressive baseline play whenever she took to the court. These same groups also criticized her for making too many unforced errors during matches and for wearing - for tennis - rather provocative uniforms. Ironically, Kournikova won her first Grand Slam title in the women's doubles with Hingis as her partner. The pair finished first during the 1999 Australian Open. Kournikova and Hingis were again crowned the Australian Open women's doubles champions in 2002. Kournikova retired from professional tennis in 2004 due to chronic lower back trouble, yet she frequently competed in exhibition matches for charity.
Apart from her athleticism, even non-sports fans could not help but notice Kournikova's modelesque features - standing at 5'8" with long, blonde hair - landed her on People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" list in 1998 and helped her become one of the most-searched athletes on the Internet. Kournikova continued to mine her sexy assets by appearing in various men's magazines like Maxim and FHM, as well as in the highly publicized Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue" in 2004. The tennis bombshell made her feature acting debut with a cameo in the Farrelly brothers-directed comedy "Me, Myself & Irene" (2000) starring Jim Carrey and Renee Zellweger. With professional tennis simply a memory, the eternally fascinating Kournikova instead made headlines for her personal life. She was romantically linked to Russian hockey players Pavel Bure and Detroit Red Wing Sergei Fedorov, the latter of which she reportedly married in 2000, despite both denying any legal union. In 2001, she began dating Latin pop star Enrique Iglesias after co-starring in his steamy "Escape" music video. They remained a couple for several years, amidst two rumored secret marriages (in 2003 and 2005) and several breakups. In 2010, Kournikova finally revealed to British host Graham Norton that she had been in a long-term relationship with Iglesias, but they did not have any marriage plans. That same year, Kournikova made a guest appearance on NBC's hit reality series "The Biggest Loser" during a tennis workout challenge. So successful was her appearance, she was invited back to the show the following season, replacing Jillian Michaels as the celebrity trainer alongside Bob Harper. However, after only one season on the hit show, Kournikova announced in November 2011 that she was not returning for the show's 13th season.
By Candy Cuenco
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Life Events
1989
Began appearing in junior tournaments
1991
Signed a management deal at age ten and went to Bradenton, FL, to train at Nick Bollettieri's celebrated tennis academy
1995
Crowned the ITF Junior World Champion U-18 and Junior European Champion U-18
1995
Made her professional tennis debut in the Fed Cup for Russia, becoming the youngest player ever to participate and win at age 14
1996
Made her grand slam debut at the U.S. Open
1998
Won her first WTA doubles title, partnering with Monica Seles in Tokyo
1999
Won her first doubles Grand Slam title, partnering with Martina Hingis at the Australian Open
1999
Reached the World No. 1 ranking in doubles
2002
Won her second doubles Grand Slam title, partnering with Martina Hingis at the Australian Open
2003
Ended her professional tennis career due to injuries
2008
Named a spokesperson for K-Swiss
2010
Appeared on an episode of NBC's "The Biggest Loser" where she led the contestants in a tennis-workout challenge
2011
Joined the fourth season of NBC¿s "The Biggest Loser" as a regular celebrity trainer
