Latest news with #Kournikova
Irish Times
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Without the personalities, rivalries and characters tennis is just another game
The queues at Adidas were the longest of any stall at Roland Garros in 1999. The Los Angeles Times reported that Anna Kournikova, the most glamorous player in women's tennis, had one of her dresses cut up and made into keyrings that her sponsors were giving away for free. Then ranked 20th in the world, everyone knew who Kournikova was, especially teenage boys, who were drooling over the pieces of fabric. Creepy as the stunt was even by last century standards, the Russian star was a household name. At the time Adidas didn't know how many dresses they were going to have to destroy to satisfy an expected distribution of 150,000 keyrings. The current world number 20 is Liudmila Samsonova. Great athlete, ever heard of her? As much as Kournikova was being adored, that same year Martina Hingis was finding out how hateful and lonely the centre court could be in the city of love. Facing an ageing Steffi Graf in the final, the then 18-year-old served for the title leading 6-4, 5-4. READ MORE But the German player, inspired by the French crowd chanting 'Steffi! Steffi!' broke the Swiss Miss serve to win eight of the next 10 games and take the third set and Grand Slam title number 22. Hingis crossed the net to dispute a line call, took an extended bathroom break at the end of the second set, was issued with two penalties, docked a point and served underhanded on Graf's first championship point. At the end of the match, Hingis left the court, and, in tears, returned in the arms of her mother for the trophy presentation. Drama. Anna Kournikova of Russia in May, 1999, serves during the French Open at Roland Garros. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Allsport The year after that a young kid no more than 14 years old walked in through the gates of the Parisian club at Boulevard d'Auteuil and turned left to walk up towards Court Suzanne Lenglen. A British colleague turned and said: 'That Spanish kid is beating senior players.' The Spanish kid wore a sleeveless top and had ripped arms. Rafa Nadal, at 14, had begun his professional career and was already winning against adults. Five years later, on his 19th birthday, he defeated Roger Federer in the semi-final before winning the first of his 14 French Open tiles on his first attempt. This week the headlines were about Carlos Alcaraz saying he doesn't want to be labelled Nadal's successor. The current tennis sensation has been promoting his three-part docu-series on Netflix, Carlos Alcaraz: My Way, where the big reveal appears to be that he went to Ibiza and partied before winning his first Wimbledon title in 2023. The problem for Alcaraz is that he is in an era where Novak Djokovic, who will be 38 years old next month, is, with Alcaraz, the most recognisable player in the sport and we're not far away from saying perhaps the only recognisable faces in the sport. The current world number one player, Jannik Sinner, has yet to return from his three-month doping ban. The sport tried to save the Italian when the International Tennis Integrity Agency ruled that he wasn't at fault for the positive tests, accepting that the contamination was caused by a physio applying an over-the-counter spray. The World Anti-Doping Agency then stepped in and lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, leading to Sinner accepting a suspension that will end on May 4th. The likelihood is that Sinner couldn't be picked out of a line-up of tennis players except by the most devoted fans. Neither could they identify Alex de Minaur, the world number seven or Holger Rune, who is ranked ninth in the world. Italy's Jannik Sinner (left) greets Australia's Alex de Minaur after his victory in their men's singles quarter-final match on day 11 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 22nd, 2025. Photograph: Yuichi Yamazaki/AFP via Getty Images The sixth-ranked woman in the world is an Italian player, Jasmine Paolini, while the world number eight is Qinwen Zheng from China. There is a strong chance sponsors won't be cutting up their dresses to make 150,000 keyrings. Rivalry, personalities and X factor have long been the mainstay of tennis. The lack of that is not a new phenomenon, it just seems to have become worse. Ten years ago, before he served eight months of a 2½ year prison sentence for hiding millions of euros in a fraud case, Boris Becker argued that the game was in danger of lacking real characters because of the intense scrutiny on them. The three-time Wimbledon champion said the rise of microscopic social media and news coverage had sterilised players' personalities. 'Nowadays everything is so supervised and so observed and everybody is very judgmental,' said Becker, who claimed players were more emotional on and off court when he competed. And so, he proved in a brief broom cupboard encounter with a model in Mayfair's Nobu restaurant during which his daughter was conceived. It's easy to see the past with rose-tinted specs and say how it was more interesting and colourful with greater rivalries and more daring personalities. Sure, players probably reach many more people now because of social media, but if the current world number one woman player, Aryna Sabalenka, was dressed in her civvies, could most people pick her out of a crowd? The sport can do without cutting up teenage players' dresses and handing the bits out to infatuated adolescents. Alcaraz and Djokovic aside, a Roland Garros without Federer, Nadal or Andy Murray coming up in a matter of weeks seems much more difficult to get excited about.
Daily Mirror
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Anna Kournikova hardly looks different now aged 43 years after tennis star's life in public eye
Anna Kournikova was a tennis sensation in the 1990s and early 2000s, but her time in the spotlight was relatively short-lived as she stepped away from the sport at just 21 Anna Kournikova's tennis excellence saw the Russian beauty explode into fame in the late '90s and early 2000s. She became much more than a sports figure as she graced magazine covers, appeared in films, showcased her strut on catwalks, while displaying her sporting skills on celebrated courts like Wimbledon and Roland Garros. She became one of Google's most searched individuals, winning hearts with her charm and being dubbed the "Spice Girls of tennis" with former on-court partner Martina Hingis. Despite her immense popularity, many wonder why Kournikova left the pro tennis scene at just 21. Now 43, Kournikova has embraced a new life chapter away from the competitive tennis circuits. Born to a sporty family in Moscow in 1981 – with a father who was an academic in physical education and a mother who excelled as a 400-meter sprinter – her dedication to sport is no surprise. Allan, her half-brother, exhibits his own sporting skills in golf, reports Wales Online. Rising up the tennis ranks Kournikova was thrust into the tennis limelight at five years old and by eight, she was already a youth tournament competitor. Noticed for her outstanding abilities, she was signed by a talent agency at ten and whisked off to train at Florida's esteemed Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. She quickly climbed the junior tennis ladder and turned pro in 1995. Kournikova left a lasting mark when she made it to the fourth round of the US Open the following year and reached the Wimbledon semi-finals at just the tender age of 16. Throughout her career, Kournikova found more success in doubles than singles, reaching the top spot with Hingis and becoming a household name in tennis and beyond. However, as the new millennium began, she started to battle injuries that would eventually lead to her retirement. Injury-ridden career A stress fracture in her left foot led to her missing a whopping 12 tournaments, stalling her progress on the international stage. By 2001, she was ranked No. 74 in singles and No. 26 in doubles globally. Later, back and abductor issues further affected her career, and by the end of 2003, she had dropped out of the world's top 300 tennis players. Sadly, she was forced to retire that year, just a mere eight years after turning pro. However, in 2010, she teamed up with Hingis again to compete in the Invitational Ladies' Doubles event at Wimbledon, marking her first competitive tennis match in seven years. Off the court, Kournikova became a regular feature on magazine covers, including FHM and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. In 2002, she was voted the world's sexiest woman, beating out celebs like Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez. She also had a minor role in the cult comedy classic Me, Myself and Irene in 2000, sharing screen time with Hollywood legends Jim Carrey and Rene Zellweger. Kournikova also dabbled in TV presenting, featuring on NBC's The Biggest Loser show as a celebrity trainer. Romantic life In the late 1990s and early 2000s, rumours of a romance between Kournikova and fellow Russian sports star Pavel Bure were rife. Despite their high-profile status in Russia, they quashed any whispers of an engagement. Before she retired her tennis racket, Kournikova was making waves in mainstream media through various ventures. In 2001, she starred in the music video for Enrique Iglesias' hit 'Escape'. The on-screen chemistry spilled over into real life, and the pair started dating. They are still together today after 24 years and are now married. Despite being a couple for over two decades, they rarely discuss their relationship publicly. They have three children and lead a private life away from the public gaze that marked their early careers. Their twins, Nicholas and Lucy, were born in 2017, followed by their third child three years later. The family resides in Miami, Florida, and Kournikova maintains a low-key presence on social media, occasionally posting on Instagram. Net worth Sportskeeda estimates Kournikova's net worth to be around £37million ($50m). Her earnings from tennis reportedly totalled about £2.6m ($3.5m), but the majority of her wealth comes from her profitable sponsorship deals. In the early 2000s, she teamed up with brands like Adidas, Omega, and Berlei, raking in significantly more from these endorsements than her tennis wins. She's also been actively involved in charity work, taking part in exhibition tennis matches to raise AIDS awareness.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Anna Kournikova's Mother-in-Law Shares Health Update for Tennis Star After Rare Photos Surface of Her in a Wheelchair
After former tennis star Anna Kournikova made a rare public appearance while using a wheelchair late last month, fans were left speculating about her health. Now, Isabel Preysler, her mother-in-law, is clearing things up with a health update for the athlete—who, while not married to her son, Enrique Iglesias, has been with him for over 20 years. Preysler, a well-known Spanish and Filipino socialite and television host, assuaged any fears after a few days of family time in Miami, where Hello!'s sister publication Hola! caught up with her before boarding her flight back to Spain. 🎬 🎬 "It's nothing serious, just a minor foot injury," she told them. "It's a small sprain, but you know how painful those can be." Kournikova was photographed out with friends and family members, wearing an orthopedic boot on her foot as a friend pushed her in a wheelchair while her daughters, Lucy, 7, and Mary, 5, walked by her side. (Kournikova also shares 7-year-old Nicholas with Iglesias, neither were pictured.) It was the first time she was seen publicly in almost three years, the last time reportedly being Iglesias' May 2022 birthday celebration. This time, the group was seen at a Miami shopping mall, where Kournikova was clearly in good spirits. The athlete, now 43, retired from tennis at just 21 years old, crediting a debilitating back injury in an interview with People. 'I never planned or thought that was going to be it,' she told the publication. 'My back really forced me to stop. It got so bad; I couldn't tie my shoes, literally. I would be in excruciating pain." With "six to eight hours [of training] every day" starting at the age of five, it's not surprising to hear that she suffered a variety of injuries throughout her career. As she once told The Guardian, "Basically, I've had an injury nearly every single year." Next:
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former Tennis Star Anna Kournikova Makes Rare Appearance in Wheelchair
Former tennis star Anna Kournikova made a rare public appearance over the weekend. Kournikova, 43, was photographed being pushed in a wheelchair by a friend while out and about in Miami in January, according to pictures published by Hello magazine, seen here. 🎬 🎬 In the snaps, a fresh-faced Kournikova was seemingly in good spirits as her youngest daughter, Mary, 5, walked alongside her. The Grand Slam doubles champion was dressed comfortably in an all-black athleisure ensemble, wearing her hair in a top knot with sunglasses perched atop her head. The former pro tennis player also wore an orthopedic boot on her foot, suggesting she may have either sustained an injury or had surgery, though it is unclear why she sported the boot. Another photo showed Kournikova's older daughter, Lucy, 7, standing beside her younger sister. Both girls were adorably wearing matching pink boots and white tops. In addition to her two daughters, Kournikova shares a son, Nicholas, 7, with her longtime partner, Enrique Iglesias, whom she started dating shortly after starring in the singer's "Escape" music video in 2001. The pair welcomed their fraternal twins in December 2017, later completing their family with the birth of Mary in January 2020. "[The 'Escape' music video changed my life] in ways that I didn't even think about," Iglesias, 49, previously told People of the day he and Kournikova met. "When we met—although she came from the sports world—we kind of got each other. We just started connecting little by little and got stronger and stronger and stronger." Related:
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tennis star Anna Kournikova seen in public for first time in years in wheelchair
Former pro tennis player Anna Kournikova was recently spotted in a wheelchair, sparking concerns about her health. Photos of Kournikova were captured at Bal Harbour Shops in Miami, Florida, showing her sitting in a wheelchair with an orthopedic boot on one of her feet. She was seen wearing black-tinted sunglasses with a matching black hoodie and sweatpants. Kournikova, who retired from playing tennis when she was 21 years old over a series of back and spinal injuries, was accompanied by two of her daughters Lucy, seven, and Mary, four, and a few friends. The paparazzi photos were published by the Daily Mail. The Grand Slam doubles champion has not revealed any details about her injury. The Independent has reached out to her representatives for comment. The retired tennis player has largely kept her life private aside from the occasional tribute Instagram post to the father of her children and long-term boyfriend, Enrique Iglesias. The Spanish singer and Kournikova have been dating since 2001 after the ex-tennis pro appeared as Iglesias's love interest in the music video for his hit single 'Escape.' Iglesias has previously spoken about their decision not to get married. 'I've never really thought marriage would make a difference,' he explained in an interview with Parade magazine back in 2012. 'Maybe it's because I come from divorced parents, but I don't think you love somebody more because of a piece of paper. Nowadays, it's not taboo to have kids and not be married. What makes a difference is that you're a good parent, period.' Nevertheless, Kournikova added Iglesias's last name to her own on her Instagram profile back in 2022, sparking speculation that the pair had tied the knot. At the time she posted a rare photograph of their family to celebrate the singer's 47th birthday. In the photo, Kournikova and the 'Hero' singer are sitting on the grass with their twins Nicholas and Lucy sitting on their mother's lap, while Mary sits on top of her father's shoulders. Kournikova wrote in the caption of her post: 'Happy Birthday to the most amazing Dad! We super love you!!!' Fans were delighted by the rare family snap, with several commenting 'finally' under the post. Kournikova also posted on Instagram to celebrate Father's Day last year, showing off three photos of Iglesias with each of their three children. 'Happy Father's Day to my man @enriqueiglesias. And to All the Dad's!!!' she captioned the June 2024 post.
