Wimbledon icon Anna Kournikova disappeared as reclusive life at 44 now emerges

Wales Online

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Wimbledon icon Anna Kournikova disappeared as reclusive life at 44 now emerges
Anna Kournikova became a worldwide celebrity during her tennis career before it was cut short in 2003 due to injuries, two years after she began dating pop superstar Enrique Iglesias
Russian tennis star Anna Kournikova in 2001
Anna Kournikova may have endured a sad end to her tennis career due to injury but the sporting icon found solace in her family with Enrique Iglesias.
Bursting onto the scene in the late 90s, the Russian's looks and celebrity status saw her become a household name that transcended the world of sports. She was only 15 years of age when she reached the third round of the US Open, before losing to eventual winner Steffi Graf.
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A year later, she continued to establish herself as a tennis phenom as she made it to the semi-finals of Wimbledon aged just 16. She was knocked out by future doubles team-mate Martina Hingis, who went on to win the title.
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Beyond tennis, Kournikova became a familiar face on magazine covers, including FHM and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. In 2002, she was voted the world's sexiest woman, beating celebrities like Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez.
Kournikova transcended tennis in the late 90s and early noughties
(Image: Getty Images )
She also had a small role in the cult comedy classic Me, Myself and Irene in 2000, starring alongside Hollywood heavyweights Jim Carrey and Rene Zellweger.
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Kournikova also ventured into TV presenting, appearing on NBC's The Biggest Loser show as a celebrity trainer.
While her future looked incredibly bright, that stunning run at the All England Club would be the furthest she'd reach at a Grand Slam before her untimely retirement in 2003 at 21 years of age due to debilitating back and spine issues.
At the time of her retirement, she had been dating the Spanish artist for two years and has remained together with the Hero singer ever since. The pair share three children, twins Nicholas and Lucy, 7, and Mary, 5 and live a quiet life out of the public spotlight for the most part.
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They share a $26m mansion in Miami, which has 16ft-high walls as a security and privacy measure.
Anna Kournikova, Enrique Iglesias and their children
It was in 2017 that Kournikova, 44, gave birth to her twins as Iglesias later made a stunning revelation about the pair's sex life when talking to The Sun. "It's probably more sex now than ever," the 50-year-old confessed.
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"The sex has not diminished. Like any couple, you still go through your ups and downs and it's not always perfect. But it is perfect in a way. It's incredible to watch her be such a great mother.
"It's incredible to watch a mum do what she does, when a mother's instinct kicks in." It was in 2011 that Kournikova recalled her decision to retire from tennis and detailed just how much pain she was forced to endure.
Tennis star Anna Kournikova as she is today
(Image: Anna Kournikova/ Instagram )
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Speaking to People, she said: "I never planned or thought that was going to be it. My back really forced me to stop. It got so bad; I couldn't tie my shoes, literally. I would be in excruciating pain.
"I had been doing six to eight hours [of training] every day since I was 5 years old. It was very interesting to me to stop playing and to figure out, 'Who am I without tennis?' It was very difficult and scary as hell."
Anna Kournikova and Enrique Iglesias have been together since 2001
(Image: John Parra/WireImage )
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She paid tribute to Iglesias for the part he played around the time her tennis career came to an end as she said he "helped me figure out who I am" before revealing the different methods she had undertaken to discover who she was without tennis.
"I did everything from therapy to 10-hour walks on the beach to discover, and think, and try new things," she explained.
It was in January earlier this year that photos of Kournikova emerged for the first time in two years which showed her in a wheelchair outside a shopping centre in Miami with a medical boot on her foot.