Anna Kournikova

Anna Kournikova was a Russian tennis player who played professionally from 1995 to 2003. Kournikova was world #1 in the doubles in November 1999 and achieved a career-best singles ranking of eight in the world in November 2000. She won two Grand Slam doubles titles and made more than $3.5 million in prize money during her career.

When Kournikova was only 14-years-old she won the European Championships and the Italian Open Junior tournament. In September 1995, still aged 14, she made her début on the WTA Tour at the Moscow Ladies Open. She lost in the second round in the singles to Sabine Appelmans but reached the final of the doubles with her partner Aleksandra Olsza of Poland. Early in 1996 she won her first two ITF single titles, the first at Midland, Michigan, followed by victory at Rockford, Illinois.

Kournikova was still only 14 when she made her Fed Cup début for Russia in April 1996, becoming the youngest player to compete and win a Fed Cup match (through 2023). After turning 15 in June 1996, she made her Grand Slam début in the singles at the US Open, losing to eventual winner Steffi Graf in the fourth round. A month later she represented Russia at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in the singles and doubles but did not advance past the first round in either.

In singles at Grand Slams Kournikova reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in 2001 and the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 1997. She had more success in the doubles, reaching the final of the 1999 French Open with Switzerland’s Martina Hingis. Earlier the same year Kournikova and Hingis won the Australian Open, with the pair repeating the success at the 2002 tournament. She also reached the quarter-finals of the US Open twice (1996, 2002), and the semi-finals of Wimbledon twice (2000, 2002). Kournikova was forced to retire from the sport in 2003 after suffering from a string of back injuries, including a herniated disk. Since retiring she has competed in exhibition and charity matches including playing with her doubles partner Martina Hingis.

Kournikova was often derided by critics for never having won a WTA singles tournament, who often felt she was highly publicized and remunerated for her looks and body, but in her defense she did achieve a world ranking of #8 in singles. Kournikova had a long-time relationship with well-known singer Enrique Iglesias.