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Anna Kournikova Profile |
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Birth Date: June 7, 1981
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Birth Place: Moscow, Russia
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Birth Name: Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova
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Height: 5'8"
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Biography |
Anna Kournikova was born on June 7,
1981, in Moscow, Russia, to Sergei and Alla. Her father, a
lecturer at the sports university in Moscow and a part-time
tennis coach, and mother, did not encourage Anna to play
tennis for the fame, but rather for the health benefits of
the sport.
anna's early tennis days
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.
anna kournikova goes pro
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.
anna kournikova dates enrique
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 makes millions with endorsements
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.
anna kournikova in sports illustrated
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.
Although she hasn't been a strong force on the courts, Anna
still claims that her No. 1 dedication in life remains the
sport that made her famous: tennis. |
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Other
Information |
Is an only child
Tennis player
Named one of "People" magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People of
1998
Graduated from a Russian high school in 1997, and has
attended Physical Culture Russian University since 1997
Dated Pavel Bure and childhood sweetheart Sergei Fedorov at
the same time. Fedorov told The Hockey News that he and
Kournikova had secretly married in July 2001, but were
divorced shortly thereafter; Kournikova has never confirmed
this.
2002: Appears in the new Enrique Iglesias video "Escape".
Her fastest serve was clocked at 111.2 mph during the Paris
Indoors of 1998.
May 2002: has been voted "sexiest woman in the world" in the
magazine "FHM" (Australian version).
Has never won a major tennis tournament, as of January 2004.
It is announced that Kournikova was voted the Sexiest Woman
in the World in FHM's 100 Sexiest Girls poll for 2002,
American edition. [May 2002]
Knocked out of Wimbledon in the first round. [June 2002]
Ranked 299th in the world (as of October 2003).
Has a tattoo of a sun design on her lower back, which made
its "debut" at the 2003 Australian Open. Oddly, she denied
having it, telling reporters that it was actually a heat
patch to treat back pain.
Sold her Miami Beach condo at Portofino Tower to Sergei
Fedorov for $1.63 million (December 2003).
In February 2001, the Anna Kournikova Virus was released.
Within a few hours of its distribution anti-virus vendors
received thousands of reports. However, investigators were
only able to list 55 incidents of infection, causing just
$166,827 worth of damage. On 27 September 2001, a Dutch
court gave the virus's author, Jan De Wit, the choice of 150
hours community service or 75 days in jail.
Her favorite food is Sushi
Voted as #9 on the Top 100 Sexiest Women 2004 in FHM [DK]
Her best ranking in tennis was number 8 in the world (2000)
Career best Grand Slam tournament singles results:
Australian Open quarterfinals in 2001, French Open 4th round
in 1998 and 1999, Wimbledon semifinals in 1997, U.S. Open
4th round in 1996 and 1998.
Named #29 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list. |
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