Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova
(born 7 June 1981) is a Russian professional tennis player. Her beauty
and celebrity status made her one of the best known tennis players
worldwide. At the peak of her fame, fans looking for images of
Kournikova made her name one of the most common search strings on
Google.
Although
reaching No. 8 in the world in 2000, she never won a WTA Title in
singles. Kournikova's forte has been doubles, where she has at times
been the World No. 1 player. With Martina Hingis as her partner, she won
Grand Slam titles in Australia in 1999 and 2002. Based on their looks,
Hingis and Kournikova referred to themselves as the "Spice Girls of
Tennis". Kournikova's professional tennis career has been curtailed for
the past several years, and possibly ended, by serious back and spinal
problems. She resides in Miami Beach, Florida, and plays in occasional
exhibitions and in doubles for the St. Louis Aces of World Team Tennis.
She currently is the new trainer, replacing Jillian Michaels, on the
television show The Biggest Loser.
Anna Kournikova was
born in Moscow, Soviet Union, on June 7, 1981. Her father, Sergei
Kournikov, was 19 at the time. Sergei, a former Greco-Roman wrestling
champion, had earned a Ph.D. and was a professor at the University of
Physical Culture and Sport in Moscow. As of 2001, he was still a
part-time martial arts instructor there. Her mother Alla, who was 18
when Kournikova was born, had been a 400-meter runner.