Anna Kournikova Biography

Anna Kournikova was born on June 7, 1981, in Moscow, Russia. She was the only daughter of Sergei Kournikova who was a lecturer at the sports university in Moscow and a part time tennis coach and Alla Kournikova. They encouraged their daughter to take part in physical activity at an early age. When she turned five, Anna received a Christmas gift that would change her life.

"I found my first racquets under the Christmas tree," Anna recalls, "but I found out later that my parents sold one of their TVs to get me those racquets."

Anna Kornikova completed her education from a Russian high school and graduated in 1997, then enrolled at the Physical Culture Russian University. She received her first tennis racket from her parents for Christmas at age 5.

She then began to play and practice in such tennis courts as Moscow's Soklniki Park and the high-class Spartak Tennis Club from 1985 to 1989. Then she started appearing in junior competitions and quickly caught the eye of local tennis scouts.

In 1992, when Anna was of 11 she moved to Bradenton, Florida and trained by coach Nick Bolletierri at his tennis academy. Bolletieri instantly recognized her potential.

"Anna is a shotmaker," he said. "She has the ability to create situations on the court that very few people can create. And at the net she's brilliant. She hits volleys from all angles. The only person I could compare her to is John McEnroe."

At the age of 14 Anna won the Fed Cup at that time she was the only youngest player to get that honour. By the end of 1995, she was ranked number one in the Junior Circuit (ITF Junior World Champion) by winning the European Championship and the Italian Open for the junior bracket.

In 1996 she reached the fourth round in the U.S. Open which was her first Grand Slam tournament and also reached at Wimbledon as a semifinalist. Also she won her first grand slam title in the year 1999, with Martina Hingis in doubles at the Australian Open.

In 2001 she appeared as motel manager in Jim Carrey's starring comedy movie Me, Myself & Irene. After that she starred in Enrique Iglesias' pop singer's music video for the song Escape. She was a model for the product ads Adidas, Yonex, Berlei and Omega. Also she has appeared on several TV series and shows including "The View," "Open Access" and "The Apprentice 2".

In late 2004, Anna reportedly was getting married secretly to boyfriend, Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias in a Mexico ceremony in Puerto Vallerta. She was also allegedly briefly married to NHL hockey player Sergei Federov in 2001.

Some facts about Anna Kournikova

• She was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People of 1998.
• She collects dolls from every country she visits.
• She has a tattoo of a sun design on her lower back.
• Her favorite food is sushi.
• In February 2001, a computer virus named the Anna Kournikova Virus was released.