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Nationality:
Russian Place and Date of Birth: Moscow, Russia,
June 7, 1981 Occupation: "Athlete/Model"
Biography:
Anna
Kournikova's talent was first discovered when she played
at a weekly children's sports program at the age of 5,
thanks to the racket she received from her parents for
Christmas. She started to play and practice more often,
in places such as Moscow's Soklniki Park and the prestigious
Spartak Tennis Club, despite the fact that her family
was far from wealthy.
While still in Moscow, Anna's first tennis coach was Larissa
Preobraschenskaja, from 1985 to 1989. The budding tennis
player trained and practiced while studying at school.
In 1992, 11-year-old Anna moved to Florida with her mother
to attend Nick Bollettieri's Tennis Academy in Bradenton.
The tennis facilities made it easier for Anna, who had
to commute from the gym to the tennis court to school
while in Moscow.
By the time she was 14, she had become the youngest player
to win a Fed Cup match, and made sure people took notice
of her when she won the European Championships and Italian
Open juniors. When she turned pro in 1996, she stepped
onto the scene as an ITF Junior World Champion.
Expectations were high and Kournikova delivered: she reached
the fourth round in her first Grand Slam tournament, the
1996 U.S. Open and the semifinals in her first Wimbledon
appearance in 1997.
1998 was a big year for the blonde beauty: Anna became
the first Russian female to be seeded at the U.S. Open
since 1976, reached the Top 10 of the singles rankings,
and upset Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals at the 1998
German Open, becoming the ninth-youngest player to defeat
a No. 1 tennis player before turning 17 (since 1968).
The following year, Kournikova won her first Grand Slam
doubles title at the 1999 Australian Open, with partner
Hingis. She managed to reach the fourth round in singles
at all three Grand Slams, two Grand Slam doubles finals
and one Grand Slam mixed doubles final.
In 2000, Kournikova and Hingis continued to do damage
on the courts, and ended the season with a career ranking
of No. 8. She even defeated Lindsay Davenport and Nathalie
Tauziat on the way to the fifth semifinal of that year,
in San Diego. She later moved down the rankings to No.
19 and beat Sandrine Testud before losing to Venus Williams.
At the 2000 German Open in May, Anna experienced the first
in what would become a string of injuries.
She continued to make appearances in high-profile tournaments,
drawing in big crowds but unfortunately, not as many titles
or wins. After 2003's Australian Open, she suffered a
back injury that led to her withdrawal from that year's
Wimbledon games. But even though Kournikova hasn't been
on the tennis scene, she's still everywhere else.
In 2001, she had a bit part in the Jim Carrey comedy,
Me, Myself & Irene, as a motel manager, and the following
year, she starred opposite Enrique Iglesias in the pop
singer's video for "Escape." FHM's "Sexiest
Woman in the World" also made headlines thanks to
her relationships with NHL players Pavel Bure and Sergei
Fedorov (who she was allegedly married to), and her on-again,
off-again romance with Iglesias (apparently, the two are
engaged, as Anna's been sporting a fat diamond on her
engagement finger since March 2004). The two are always
spotted in South Beach, and even made the tabloids when
they were apparently heard causing a ruckus in a hotel
room.
Anna has also proven her earning power by being one of
the richest women in sports, thanks to lucrative contracts
with companies like Adidas, Yonex, Berlei (the famous
sports bra), Omega (also the choice of Cindy Crawford
and Pierce Brosnan), and Lycos (who once named Anna the
most popular athlete on the Internet, moving Michael Jordan
to the No. 2 spot).
By 2002, she was reportedly making $10 million a year,
and she continues to be the most photographed woman in
sports -- even though her ranking and stats are nothing
to write Russia about.
Also stretching her modeling muscle, Kournikova graced
the cover of Sports Illustrated's June 2000 edition, and
was featured in Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition
in 2004.
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Career Statistics:
Total Matches 310
-
Career Win-Loss Record 186
: 124 60.00%
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