WTA Stunners

Visit The Anna Kournikova Shop

Although now semi-retired a list of tennis stunners could not be complete without the Russian Beauty Anna Kournikova. As a player, Kournikova was noted for her aggressive baseline play and excellent angles and drop shots which made her a exceptional doubles player especially when teamed with former world number one Martina Hingis. But it was off the court that Anna made her biggest mark on the world. A successful modelling career that continues to this day has seen Anna appear in various men's magazines including the famous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Anna has also advertised Berlei's shock absorber sports bras, K-Swiss and Yonex products.

Early Life

Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova was born in Moscow, Russia on the 7th of June, 1981. Kournikova was encouraged to be involved in sports from a young age by her parents Sergei and Alla Kournikova. Annas mother was a former 400 meter runner while her father was a former Greco-Roman wrestling champion and tennis coach, which influenced Anna's decision to play tennis. Anna was given her first tennis racquet on her fifth birthday and enrolled at the prestigious Spartak Tennis Club the same year. In 1989, at the tender age of eight, Anna began competing in junior tournaments, and by the following year, was attracting interest from tennis scouts around the world. At age ten she went to Florida to train at Nick Bollettieri's tennis academy. She became the youngest player ever, at 14, to win a Fed Cup match. By the end of the year, Anna was crowned the ITF Junior World Champion U-18 and Junior European Champion U-18. In 1995, she turned pro, and won two ITF titles, in Midland, Michigan and Rockford, Illinois.

WTA Career 

Kournikova burst onto the world scene at the 1996 US Open. After coming through the qualifying rounds she eventually lost to Steffi Graff in the fourth round of the main draw in her first-ever Grand Slam Tournament. After making the second round in Moscow and Zurich, Kournikova was named WTA Newcomer of the Year, and she was ranked No. 57 in the end of the season.

In 1997, Anna Kournikova became only the second woman in the open era, after Chris Evert in 1972, to reach the semi final stage (her first on the WTA Tour) on her Wimbledon debut. There she lost to the eventual champion and future doubles partner Martina Hingis 6–3, 6–2. At the end of the season, she was ranked No. 32 in singles.

1998 was Kournikova’s breakthrough year, when she broke into the WTA's top 20 rankings for the first time, when she was ranked No.16. She also scored impressive victories over top ranked players Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, and Steffi Graf. Anna’s singles highlight was an appearance in the final of the prestigious Lipton Championships and in doubles she won her first title in Tokyo playing with Monica Seles.

1999 saw another season of success on the doubles court for Anna. Playing with Swiss world number one Martina Hingis she started the season in fine form taking the Women’s doubles title at the first grand slam of the year at the Australian Open. They also took the title in Indian Wells, Rome, Eastbourne and at the WTA Championships. At the end of the year Kournikova and Hingis were handed the WTA Award for Doubles Team of the Year. She also lost in the final of mixed doubles at Wimbledon, partnering Jonas Björkman. Her best performance in singles came at the Hilton Head Island tournament where she was a beaten finalist, ironically to her doubles partner Hingis. She was ranked 12^th in the world at the end of the season.

2000 again saw a season of huge success in doubles. Anna made a total of nine WTA Tour finals winning a impressive six, four of them with Martina Hingis. In singles she again lost out to her doubles partner in the final at the Kremlin Cup in front of her home crowd. Anna also broke into the world top 10 for the first time, finishing the season ranked No.8 in singles.

The 2001 season started with a impressive performance as she reached her second career grand slam quarterfinals, at Australian Open. However injuries caused her withdrawal from 12 tournaments, including the French Open and Wimbledon. This saw her world ranking take a huge fall and finish at 71^st. Anna did however add another two doubles titles to her record winning in Sydney, with Barbara Schett and Moscow at the Kremlin Cup with Hingis.

Although failing to make it past the first round of any of the four Grand Slams, 2002 saw Kournikova reach the semi finals of Auckland, Tokyo, Acapulco and San Diego, and the final of Shanghai. There she lost to Anna Smashnova. This would prove to be her last singles finals and the last chance to win a singles title. With Hingis, She lost in the finals of Sydney, but at the Australian Open they won their second grand slam title together.

Kournikova started the 2003 season ranked 35^th but again suffered a series of injuries that would ultimately see her career end prematurely at the age of 23. She has not played on the WTA Tour since, but still plays exhibition matches for charitable causes and for the St. Louis Aces in World Team Tennis.