Anna Kournikova, who surrendered her early tennis celebrity for a peaceful family life, has gone from being one of the most Googled individuals ever to one of the most forgotten about.
She had the entire world at her fingertips as a young tennis sensation.
But in her new life as a devoted mother and lover, 41-year-old Anna Kournikova avoids the spotlight. It’s a far way from the fame that swept her up in the late 1990s at such a young age.
The Russian, who entered the stage at the age of 14, makes Emma Raducanu look like a retiree. However, she ended her profession after seven eventful years when most others were just getting started.
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Kournikova rose to prominence despite never making it through the semifinals of a Grand Slam and only reaching the eighth spot in the world singles rankings.
She appeared in the comedy Friends as a guest star, won FHM magazine’s 2002 title for prettiest woman in the world, and was dubbed “the Spice Girls of tennis” along with doubles partner Martina Hingis.
Naturally, there was a lot to manage. It was difficult for her to grow up under the spotlight, she recounted.
“When people said things like, ‘You’re too gorgeous, you can’t play,’ or other such statements, I did feel under pressure. On the court, I would become so anxious and tense that I couldn’t move.
With Hingis by her side, Kournikova did succeed, winning the Australian Open twice and rising to the top of the global rankings.
Her career as a professional player was ultimately cut short by injuries, including severe back and spinal issues.
But because of her fame, she had all she needed, including Iglesias, whom she had first met when she appeared in the music video for his song Escape in 2001.
Soon after, they started dating, and they haven’t looked back. Kournikova gave birth to twins Nicholas and Lucy in 2015, and they welcomed Mary, their third child, in 2020.
And it’s understandable why, given what Iglesias openly admitted in an interview with The Sun in 2018: “I think there’s more passion now than before. The passion is still there.
The young Kournikova, who has taken her boyfriend’s last name but hasn’t yet tied the knot, posts on social media that she continues to look great.
She enjoys the fact that she is no longer among the top Googled individuals, yet she still has wonderful memories of her early years.
Kournikova remarked, “It’s incredibly odd; it feels like it happened to me, but it didn’t happen to me because it was so long ago. By the time I was 16, I had played on every continent.
Growing up in that way was interesting. Most others had just graduated from college when I stopped, and I was doing the only thing I knew at the time.
