She was the poster girl of world tennis, quite literally.
At one stage during the late 1990s and early 2000s, sporting sensation Anna Kournikova was on magazine covers, movie screens and catwalks. And some times on the courts of Wimbledon and Roland Garros, too.
She was, at one point, the most searched for image in the early days of search engine giant Google. It’s not hard to believe, either, given her movie star looks and celebrity status that saw her given the moniker of the “Spice Girls of tennis”, alongside playing partner Martina Hingis.
She was, at one point, the most searched for image in the early days of search engine giant Google. It’s not hard to believe, either, given her movie star looks and celebrity status that saw her given the moniker of the “Spice Girls of tennis”, alongside playing partner Martina Hingis.
But whatever happened to her? Why did give up her career on the baseline at tender age of just 21? And what has she done since hanging up her tennis whites? Now 42, Kournikova lives a very different life to her early years.
Early life and tennis career
Kournikova was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1981. Her father was a professor at the University of Physical Culture and Sport in Moscow, while her mother was a 400-metre runner. Her half-brother, Allan was a talented youth golfer and continues to play today.
She first picked up a tennis racket aged five and by eight was appearing in youth tournaments. By age 10 she had been signed by a talent agency and moved to Florida to train at the world-renowned Nick Bollettieri tennis academy.
She quickly tore up the junior circuit and went professional in 1995. The next year she made the fourth round of the US Open and made her SW19 debut at age 16 – making it all the way to the semi-finals.
Career outside tennis and post-retirement
She became a regular on the front covers of magazines, including FHM and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and in 2002, Kournikova was voted the world’s sexiest woman, beating the likes of Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez to the accolade.
Kournikova was cast in cult comedy classic Me, Myself and Irene in a minor part alongside Hollywood stars Jim Carrey and Rene Zellweger in the year 2000.
She also did some TV presenting work, featuring for NBC’s The Biggest Loser show as a celebrity trainer.
Love life
Kournikova was reportedly seeing fellow Russian sports star Pavel Bure in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They quickly became a celebrity couple back in Russia but denied they were ever engaged.
Before she hung up her racket, Kournikova was finding stardom in the mainstream media after undertaking a number of projects. In 2001 she starred in the music video of Spanish star Enrique Iglesias’ song Escape. The steamy scenes in the video continued off camera and the two began dating.
They remain together to this day, although they appear to have never married, remaining coy on the subject.
Despite being together for more than 20 years, they famously avoid talking about their relationship. The couple have three children together.
They appear to live a quiet life away from the spotlight they both found fame in during their early careers. They welcomed twins Nicholas and Lucy in 2017, with sister Mary arriving in 2020. The pair live in Miami, Florida, and she maintains a low profile on social media, posting on Instagram sporadically.
Sportskeeda report Kournikova’s net worth around the $50million mark. They report her tennis earning raked in around $3.5million but that she made the majority of her money from lucrative sponsorship deals.
The Russian partnered with adidas, Omega and Berlei in the early part of the century, with her brand earnings vastly outweighing what she won in prize money on the court.
She has also embarked upon a lot of charity work, participating in exhibition tennis matches for AIDS awareness.
