Anna voted sexiest tennis player
She may have retired from professional tennis, but Anna Kournikova has certainly lost none of her appeal. The glam gal, who turns 29 today, was named the hottest tennis player of all time by British tabloid The Sun, with the second place going to Maria Sharapova.
-
Anna voted sexiest tennis playerShe may have retired from professional tennis, but Anna Kournikova has certainly lost none of her appeal. The glam gal, was named the hottest tennis player of all time by British tabloid The Sun, with the second place going to Maria Sharapova. -
Anna voted sexiest tennis playerAnna Sergeyevna Kournikova is the only child of Sergei Kournikov (a lecturer at the University of Physical Culture and Sport in Moscow and part-time tennis coach) and Alla Kournikova. She was born in Moscow, Russia on June 7, 1981. -
Anna voted sexiest tennis playerAnna's first tennis racquet was a Christmas gift from her parents when she was just 5. "I found my first racquets under the Christmas tree, but I found out later that my parents sold one of their TVs to get me those racquets," Anna said in an interview. -
Anna voted sexiest tennis playerHer parents' modest income didn't stop Anna from playing tennis at Moscow's Soklniki Park and the high-class Spartak Tennis Club (coached by the husband of Russian pro Olga Morozova). From 1985 to 1989 she was coached by Larissa Preobraschenskaja and caught the attention of local tennis scouts at junior competitions. -
Anna voted sexiest tennis player1992 proved to be a turning point in her career when she moved to Florida with her mother and signed up with Nick Bollettieri's celebrated Tennis Academy in Bradenton that has produced stars like Monica Seles and Andre Agassi. -
Anna voted sexiest tennis playerIn 1995, 14-year-old Anna announced her arrival in world tennis. She became the youngest player to compete and win in Fed Cup competition, helping Russia defeat Sweden 3-0. With victories in the European Championships and Italian Open juniors, she ended the year as ITF Junior World Champion U-18 and Junior European Champion U-18. From this point onwards her professional career flourished. -
Anna voted sexiest tennis player1998 was probably Anna's greatest year. She became the first Russian female player at the US Open since 1976 and reached the Top 10 of the singles rankings. She registered a win over Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals of the 1998 German Open and in the process became the ninth-youngest player to defeat a No. 1 tennis player before turning 17 (since 1968). She ended the year ranked #13 in singles and #10 in doubles. -
Anna voted sexiest tennis playerDespite all her obvious talent, Anna never won a major singles title in her career. Her career best Grand Slam tournament singles results are: Australian Open quarterfinals in 2001, French Open 4th round in 1998 and 1999, Wimbledon semifinals in 1997, US Open 4th round in 1996 and 1998. -
Anna voted sexiest tennis playerA left foot stress fracture forced her out of major tournaments in 2001 and her ranking had slipped to #74 in singles and #26 in doubles by the end of the year. Anna finished 2003 ranked #305 in singles and #176 in doubles. -
Anna voted sexiest tennis playerInterestingly Anna fared much better as a doubles player during her career. She won 16 tournament doubles titles and reached the No.1 spot in doubles in the Women's Tennis Association tour rankings. Her pro career doubles record was 200-71. Compared to this, her singles record is 209-129. Anna's career prize money totals US$3,584,662. -
Anna voted sexiest tennis playerWhile she has said goodbye to professional tennis, Anna still plays exhibition matches for charitable causes. In October 2008 she helped raise more than $400,000 for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Atlanta AIDS Partnership Fund by partnering Andy Roddick against Martina Navratilova and Jesse Levine. -
Anna voted sexiest tennis playerBesides her work as spokesperson for the sports brand K-Swiss, Anna is keeping her options open for a comeback. According to some reports, she intends to partner Martina Hingis in the Invitational Ladies Doubles event at Wimbledon. If that happens, it will be the first time Anna plays competitive tennis in seven years. -
Anna voted sexiest tennis playerBefore getting into a relationship with singer Enrique Iglesias, Anna dated Russian hockey stars Pavel Bure and Sergei Fedorov. Federov even claimed that he had secretly married Anna in July 2001 and got divorced shortly after that. Anna's representatives have however denied she was ever married to Federov. -
Anna voted sexiest tennis playerAnna began seeing Iglesias in 2001. She also appeared in his music video 'Escape'. The two have continued to deny rumours of a split and were spotted together taking a ride on their brand new power boat in Miami Beach, Florida in April 2010. The Russian tennis star even fueled pregnancy rumors by wearing a loose fitting dress as she left a restaurant with her beau. -
Anna voted sexiest tennis playerThe tennis beauty wowed her fans by wearing a saree during her visit to India in 2003. "It has been a very fascinating experience for me and I have enjoyed the hospitality of Indians and their culture has really interested me," Kournikova told reporters. She was also seen clad in a traditional ghagra choli for an Omega photocall. -
Anna voted sexiest tennis playerThere has been no shortage of celebrity brand endorsements for Anna. She has had a long association with footwear manufacturer K-Swiss and was seen in a stunning black and white Spring/Summer 2009 promotional campaign. (Photo Courtesy: K-Swiss) -
Anna voted sexiest tennis playerAnna became the brand ambassador for Swiss watch manufacturer Omega in September 2000. She has appeared in various Omega ads, besides events all over the world, including Hong Kong, Dubai, Shanghai, Plymouth, Tapei City, Singapore, St. Moritz and Mexico City. (Photo Courtesy: Omega) -
Anna voted sexiest tennis playerAnna has sometimes made headlines for the wrong reasons. In 2006, her sudden weight loss sparked fears that she has an eating disorder. Gone was the shapely figure that had kept men around the world begging for more. In 2009 there were reports that Anna had got into a 'catfight' at Las Vegas nightclub. There was believed to have been a scuffle with an unnamed woman, that left the tennis star with scratches on her neck.
