COUNTRY OF BIRTH

Moscow, Russia

INDUSTRY

TOP ACHIEVEMENTS

Sport – women’s professional tennis

TOP ACHIEVEMENTS

Anna Kournikova is a Russian athlete who was a highly successful professional tennis player for several years before retiring from the game in 2003 after a season dominated by injuries. Known for her good looks and her prowess on the courts, Kournikova achieved number 1 ranking in the world.

EARLY LIFE

Anna Kournikova was born in Russia in 1981 into a sporty family. Her father was a champion wrestler, her mother a 400-meter runner, and her brother was a youth world golf champion. She started playing tennis at a young age after receiving her first racquet as a gift when she was five years old. Aged eight she started playing at junior tournaments and soon attracted the attention of tennis scouts around the world.

TAKING HER TENNIS CAREER ABROAD

After arriving in the United States, Anna Kournikova quickly rose to stardom on the tennis scene. She won the Italian Open Junior tournament in the European Championships when she was 14 and went on to become the youngest player to win the 18-and-under division of the Junior Orange Bowl tournament. Kournikova went on to win several major titles including both the Grand Slam in Australia and the WTA Championships twice.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

Anna Kournikova and her tennis partner Martina Hingis called themselves the ‘Spice Girls of Tennis.’ • She was a trainer on season 12 of the television show ‘The Biggest Loser.’ • Served as a Global Ambassador for ‘Five & Alive’, a Population Services International program. • A computer virus, a variation of a white Russian cocktail and a computer game were all named after Kournikova. Quote: ”Why are people afraid of getting older? You feel wiser. You feel more mature. You feel like you know yourself better. You would trade that for softer skin? Not me!” – Anna Kournikova