Anna Kournikova is a Russian former professional renowned tennis player as well as a TV personality. At the age of 5, she received her first tennis racquet as a New Year gift. By the age of 7, she had started taking lessons at a professional academy. She signed her first management deal at the age of 10 and moved to Miami to take training at celebrated tennis coach, Nick Bollettieri’s tennis academy. She made her professional debut in the Fed Cup while representing Russia. She was 14 years old at that time, creating the record of being the youngest player to participate and win the match in the competition. For her tremendous success at the start of her professional career, she was declared WTA Newcomer of the Year in 1996. Despite never winning a singles title, she reached No. 8 in the world in 2000. She achieved greater success playing doubles, where she was at times the world’s No. 1 player. Partnering with Martina Hingis, she won Grand Slam titles in Australia in 1999 and 2002, and the WTA Championships in 1999 and 2000. They referred to themselves as the “Spice Girls of Tennis”. Due to serious back and spinal problems, she retired from professional tennis in the year 2003. She played in occasional exhibitions and in doubles for the St. Louis Aces of World Team Tennis before the team folded in 2011. In a 1997 episode, she was seen on the talk show “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”. In the year 2000, she made her first film appearance in the role of a “Motel Manager” in the comedy flick, “Me, Myself & Irene”. In 2005 and 2011, Maxim magazine had placed her on #29 and #19 respectively on the “Hot 100 list”. She has worked as a global ambassador for Five & Alive, which is a program launched by Population Services International to battle health problems faced by children below the age of 5. In May 2011, it was announced that Kournikova would join The Biggest Loser as a regular celebrity trainer in season 12. She did not return for season 13. A computer virus named after her spread worldwide beginning on 12 February 2001 infecting computers through email in a matter of hours. She is nickname ‘Murzik’.
What is Anna Kournikova Famous For?
- Being a successful tennis player.
- Being compared to such doubles specialists as Pam Shriver and Peter Fleming.
Source: @givemesport
Where is Anna Kournikova From? Know About Her Nationality, Ethnicity, and Family
Anna Kournikova was born with the birth name of Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova on 7th June 1981. She holds Russian-American nationality and her ethnicity is Russian-White as she is of Russian descent. She is from Moscow, Russia. About his parents, she was born to her father, Sergei Kournikova (Former Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion, Former professor at the University of Physical Culture and Sport and part-time martial arts instructor), and her mother, Alla Kournikova (Former 400-meter runner). Also, she has a sibling, a younger half-brother namely Allan Kournikova (Youth golf world champion who was featured in the 2013 documentary film The Short Game). Her religion is Russian Orthodox and her Zodiac sign is Gemini. She celebrated her 40th birthday as of 2021.
Source: @instagram.com/annakournikova
Focusing on her education, she graduated from the Russian High School in 1997. She then got enrolled at the Russian University of Physical Culture.
Anna Kournikova Career Timeline (1986-Retirement)
- Anna Kournikova’s early tennis career began in 1986 when she became a member of the Spartak Tennis Club, coached by Larissa Preobrazhenskaya.
- When she was eight, she began appearing in junior tournaments.
- Then, she signed a management deal at age ten and went to Bradenton, Florida, to train at Nick Bollettieri’s celebrated tennis academy.
- She won the European Championships and the Italian Open Junior tournament when she was only fourteen.
- Further, she became the youngest player to win the 18-and-under division of the Junior Orange Bowl tennis tournament in December 1995.
- She was also crowned the ITF Junior World Champion U-18 and Junior European Champion U-18.
- She then debut in the WTA Tour in September 1995 at the age of 14 receiving a wildcard into the qualifications at the WTA tournament in Moscow, the Moscow Ladies Open, and qualified before losing in the second round of the main draw to third-seeded Sabine Appelmans.
- Later, she reached her first WTA Tour doubles final in that debut appearance partnering with 1995 Wimbledon girls’ champion in both singles and doubles Aleksandra Olsza. They lost the title match to Meredith McGrath and Larisa Savchenko-Neiland.
- She won two ITF titles, in Midland, Michigan, and Rockford, Illinois in February-March 1996.
- She debuted at the Fed Cup for Russia in April 1996 becoming the youngest player ever to participate and win a match.
- She then began playing under a new coach, Ed Nagel in 1996.
- She made her Grand Slam debut, reaching the fourth round of the 1996 US Open, losing to Steffi Graf. At that time, she was 15.
- Her ranking jumped from No. 144 to debut in the Top 100 at No. 69.
- Also, she was named WTA Newcomer of the Year, and she was ranked No. 57 at the end of the season.
- She entered the 1997 Australian Open as world No. 67 losing to world No. 12, Amanda Coetzer.
- She lost to Amanda Coetzer at the Italian Open.
- She reached the semi-finals in the doubles partnering with Elena Likhovtseva and later lost to the sixth seeds Mary Joe Fernández and Patricia Tarabini.
- She became only the second woman in the open era to reach the semi-finals in her Wimbledon debut, the first being Chris Evert in 1972 at the Wimbledon Championships. However, she lost to Martina Hingis.
- She lost in the second round to the eleventh seed Irina Spîrlea at the US Open.
- She played her last WTA Tour event of 1997 at Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Filderstadt losing to Amanda Coetzer.
- Next, she broke into the top 50 on 19 May and was ranked No. 32 in singles and No. 41 in doubles at the end of the season.
- I was in 1998 when she broke into the WTA’s top 20 rankings for the first time ranking No. 16.
- She lost in the third round to world No. 1 player, Martina Hingis at the Australia Open.
- She reached her first WTA Tour singles final, before losing to Venus Williams in the final at the Miami Open.
- She injured her thumb during her quarterfinals match at the grass-court Eastbourne Open versus Steffi Graf which forced her to withdraw from the 1998 Wimbledon Championships.
- She reached the fourth round before losing to Arantxa Sánchez Vicari at the US Open.
- At the 1998 WTA Tour Championships, she lost to Monica Seles in the first round. With Seles, she won her first WTA doubles title, in Tokyo, beating Mary Joe Fernández and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the final.
- She was ranked No. 10 at the end of the season in doubles.
- She won her first doubles Grand Slam title partnering with Martina Hingis at the start of the 1999 season defeating Lindsay Davenport and Natasha Zvereva in the final.
- She reached her second WTA Tour final at the Tier I Family Circle Cup.
- She reached the fourth round before losing to eventual champion Steffi Graf at The French Open.
- At Wimbledon, Kournikova lost to Venus Williams. She reached the final in mixed doubles, partnering with Jonas Björkman. Later, they lost to Lisa Raymond and Leander Paes.
- Further, Anna and Martina Hingis won tournaments in Indian Wells, Rome, Eastbourne, and the WTA Tour Championships, and reached the final of The French Open where they lost to Serena and Venus Williams.
- She reached the world No. 1 ranking in doubles on 22nd November 1999.
- Next, she opened her 2000 season winning the Gold Coast Open doubles tournament partnering with Julie Halard.
- At the Australian Open, she reached the fourth round in singles and the semi-finals in doubles.
- In the same season, she reached eight semi-finals (Sydney, Scottsdale, Stanford, San Diego, Luxembourg, Leipzig, and Tour Championships), seven quarterfinals (Gold Coast, Tokyo, Amelia Island, Hamburg, Eastbourne, Zürich, and Philadelphia), and one final.
- She reached the final of the US Open in mixed doubles, partnering with Max Mirnyi losing to Jared Palmer and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.
- Later, she won six double titles – Gold Coast (with Julie Halard), Hamburg (with Natasha Zvereva), Filderstadt, Zürich, Philadelphia, and the Tour Championships (with Martina Hingis).
- Her 2001 season was plagued by injuries including a left foot stress fracture which made her withdraw from 12 tournaments, including the French Open and Wimbledon. In April 2001, she underwent surgery.
- At the Australian Open, she reached her second career grand slam quarterfinals.
- She withdrew from several events due to continuing problems with her left foot and did not return until Leipzig.
- She won the doubles title in Sydney with Barbara Schett.
- At the end of the 2001 season, she was ranked No. 74 in singles and No. 26 in doubles.
- In her 2002 season, she reached the semi-finals of Auckland, Tokyo, Acapulco, and San Diego, and the final of the China Open, losing to Anna Smashnova.
- With Martina Hingis, she lost in the final at Sydney, but they won their second Grand Slam title together, the Australian Open.
- Further, they lost in the quarterfinals of the US Open.
- At the end of the 2002 season, she was ranked No. 35 in singles and No. 11 in doubles.
- She achieved her first Grand Slam match victory in two years at the Australian Open in 2003.
- She withdrew from Tokyo due to a sprained back suffered at the Australian Open and did not return to Tour until Miami.
- She reached the semi-finals at the ITF tournament in Sea Island, before withdrawing from a match versus Maria Sharapova due to an adductor injury.
- She was ranked No. 305 in singles and No. 176 in doubles at the end of the 2003 season.
- Her two Grand Slam doubles titles came in 1999 and 2002, both at the Australian Open in the Women’s Doubles event with partner Martina Hingis.
- During her professional circuit, she won 16 tournament doubles titles, including two Australian Opens and being a finalist in mixed doubles at the US Open and at Wimbledon, and reaching the No. 1 ranking in doubles in the WTA Tour rankings.
- Her final playing years were marred by a string of injuries, especially back injuries, which caused her ranking to erode gradually.
- She did not play on the WTA Tour since her 2003 season. However, she plays exhibition matches for charitable causes.
- She also participated in three events organized by Elton John and by fellow tennis players Serena Williams and Andy Roddick in late 2004.
- She played in a doubles charity event for the Indian Ocean tsunami with John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, and Chris Evert in January 2005.
- She is also a member of the St. Louis Aces in the World Team Tennis (WTT), playing doubles only.
- She showed up for the 2008 Nautica Malibu Triathlon held at Zuma Beach in Malibu, California in September 2008.
- Next, she played exhibition mixed doubles matches in Charlotte, North Carolina, partnering with Tim Wilkison and Karel Nováček on 27th September 2008.
- In addition, she played one exhibition match for the annual charity event, hosted by Billie Jean King and Elton John, and raised more than $400,000 for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Atlanta AIDS Partnership Fund on 12th October 2008.
- She competed alongside John McEnroe, Tracy Austin, and Jim Courier at the “Legendary Night” at the Turning Stone Event Center in Verona, New York on 2nd May 2009.
- After seven years, in June 2010, she reunited with her doubles partner Martina Hingis to participate in competitive tennis for the first time in seven years in the Invitational Ladies Doubles event at Wimbledon. They defeated the British pair Samantha Smith and Anne Hobbs on 29th June 2010.
Anna Kournikova Husband: Who is she married to?
Anna Kournikova is a married woman. She tied a knot to her long-term partner and boyfriend, Enrique Iglesias. She started going out with Spanish pop star Enrique Iglesias in 2001. Their closeness broadened while they shoot for his music video, “Escape”. It was later rumored that they had tied the knot in a secret wedding ceremony. After a couple of years, Anna’s family and her representative refuted reports of them having got married. They reportedly split in October 2013 but reconciled. Then, she kept her relationship out of the media. In December 2017, Anna gave birth to twins, Nicholas and Lucy. In October 2018, Anna’s long-time partner Enrique Iglesias claimed that their sex life had improved a lot after welcoming twins in December 2017. In January 2020, she gave birth to the couple’s third child, daughter Mary. Her sexual orientation is straight.
Source: @usmagazine
About her past relationship, she went out with the Mexican singer, Pablo Montero in 1996. Then, she met and dated former ice hockey star, Sergei Fedorov in Moscow at the age of 15. At 16, she started an on-and-off relationship with Sergei. In a 2001 interview, Fedorov alleged that they had got married at a Moscow register office in a wedding ceremony which was attended by their parents and Fedorov’s brother. Later, Anna’s family and her representative refuted. Fedorov also claimed that she was with him when she fell in love with another ice hockey star, Pavel Bure. In 1999, she met ice hockey star, Pavel Bure and started dating. After a year, they were rumored to have got engaged after a reporter had spotted Bure proposing to her in the Florida restaurant. They denied these reports and later in 2001, they got married in 2003 in Moscow. Bure would later confirm that they did get married in 2001 before divorcing in 2003. Again, Anna’s family and her representative refuted reports of them having got married. She briefly dated the Australian tennis star, Mark Philippoussis in 2001.
Source: @usmagazine
Currently, she is residing in Miami Beach, Florida, United States.
Anna Kournikova Prize Money and Salary: How Much Is Her Net Worth?
Anna Kournikova is a former tennis player as well as a TV personality whose net worth is estimated to have $50 Million as of 2021. She has made the prize money of US$3,584,662 from her tennis career. Furthermore, she had a lucrative endorsement deal with sportswear giant, Adidas. As part of the deal, she appeared in a series of commercials for the brand. She has also done promotional work for Lycos search engine (TV commercial as well as a print advert), K-Swiss athletic shoes and apparel (Print advert), Charles Schwab (TV commercial), Berlei’s sports bra, BMW. Her appearance and celebrity status made her one of the best-known tennis stars worldwide. Anna and her partner, Enrique own a $20 million dollar home on a private island. Details regarding her annual salary are still to get disclosed yet but there is no doubt in the mind of her followers that she is making a cool amount of money from her work. She has made a huge amount of money throughout her career mostly from her tennis career. After her retirement, she did modeling and appeared in films as well as ads from where she made a cool amount of money. She is living a lavish lifestyle at present.
Anna Kournikova Body Measurements: How tall is she?
Anna Kournikova is a beautiful woman with an athletic body type. She has a height of 5 ft 8 in or 173 cm and her body weight consists of 61 Kg or 134.5 lbs. She has a pair of blonde hair colors and her eye color is blue. Her body measurement is 36-25-36 in or 91.5-63.5-91.5 cm. Her dress size is 8 (US) or 40 (EU) and her bra size is 34B. Her shoe size is 9.5 (US) or 7 (UK) or 40 (EU). In 2003, she debuted a tattoo of a sun on her lower back at the Australian Open. In a bizarre interview, she denied it was a tattoo and claimed it was a heat patch used for back pain.
Source: @instagram.com/annakournikova
