Anna Sergeevna Kournikova is a fashion model, Russian tennis player who holds the title of the first racket of the world in doubles. Anna is the youngest participant in the Olympic Games in the history of Russia.
Anna Kournikova was born in Moscow on June 7, 1981. Anna's family was athletic - her father was fond of wrestling, her mother was a tennis coach. From her mother, the girl adopted a love for this sport.
On the maternal side, the athlete has a brother, whose name is Allan. And the famous tennis player Evgeny Korolev is Anna's cousin.
Tennis
Anna Kournikova took up tennis at the age of 5. At the age of 10, she received a scholarship from the famous Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida, USA.
In 1995, she won the Orange Bowl tournament and several European championships.
These victories allowed the young athlete to rise to first place in the junior rankings by the end of the year. This allowed the girl to move to the rank of professional tennis players. In the same year, Kournikova won the Federation Cup, playing for the Russian team (being the youngest participant).
In 1996 she participated in Olympic Games in Atlanta, playing for the Russian national team. In 1997, Kournikova reached the semifinals of Wimbledon, in 1998 she entered the top twenty tennis players in the world, defeating Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport.
From 1999 to 2003, in doubles with Martina Hingis, she won 2 final WTA tournaments (Women's tennis association) and 2 Grand Slams.
Despite the success of performances in doubles and popularity, in singles Kournikova only moved up to number 8 in 2000. The athlete did not have major victories in single performances. Possibly related to this interesting fact- Poker players named the combination AK (ace and king) after Anna. Logically, such a pair, although it looks presentable, wins infrequently.
In 2001 and 2003, the girl was injured and left professional sports. From that moment, Anna Kournikova began to develop a modeling career - she participated in the filming of clips, films, shows and photo shoots. Anya starred for Adidas and Berlei, Omega and Lycos, Wrangler, Rolex, Yonex. Played a motel receptionist in Me, Myself & Irene. She also participated in charity tennis tournaments.
In 2001, Playboy magazine invited Anna Kournikova to appear in the nude. According to media reports, the tennis player did not agree, but did not refuse. Today on the Web you can find many candid shots of the famous athlete.
In 1998-2003, she was included in the list of the 50 most beautiful people in the world by People magazine, in 2002, according to FHM magazine, she became the most sexy woman planets. In 2010, the US authorities granted Kournikova citizenship of the country, which, as the girl said, was a “logical step”, since Anya always felt herself both Russian and American.
Despite the end of her career, Anna retains a magnificent figure, and without visiting expensive gyms. In numerous videos, Kournikova gives fitness tips on how to train without leaving home. The tennis player is sure that for full-fledged fitness it is enough to have comfortable sneakers and clothes, and there is no need for simulators at all. Anna Kournikova's workouts are a great success with women.
Once, one video aroused suspicions among the athlete's fans that her beloved tennis player was suffering from anorexia: Anna's arms and shoulders looked too thin. As a result, subscribers in the comments asked Kournikova to eat better in order to get a little better.
Personal life
It is known that Anna had affairs with famous athletes: and . According to some reports, the girl even formalized the relationship with the first, but the athlete's father denied this information. Fedorov later confirmed that he and Kournikova were husband and wife, but it did not work out.
Then Anya became the bride of Bure, but it did not come to the registration of marriage.
In 2001, the girl met with the famous Spanish singer. Since then, Anna's biography has been closely associated with this handsome man.
Future lovers met on the set of Enrique's video for the song "Escape". That day, Kournikova's lip became inflamed, and the tennis player was afraid that the singer would refuse to kiss Anya. And so it happened. Iglesias said he would not kiss "that pimply youngster". Then it took layers of makeup to shoot the right shots. It seemed that this could put an end to the relationship of celebrities, but it turned out differently.
Soon the couple began to notice together. Information was leaked to the press that there was an affair between Anna and Enrique, but at first the stars did not comment on this. Everything was clear without words.
Then, in an interview, Iglesias shared that he appreciates the simplicity and lack of “glamour” in his beloved. According to the musician, he and Anya can eat hamburgers and go hiking in the mountains. And the second half of a popular artist always supports her lover.
There have been rumors in the press about the breakup of the couple. But then Anna and Enrique showed up together and dispelled speculation. Information also leaked that the lovers had been married for a long time. Allegedly, Anya more than once flashed a wedding ring, and Enrique called the girl his wife. But there is no confirmation of these statements.
In an interview with Gala, the musician shared that marriage does not make people happy or does not make you love a person more. The man has friends who are married, but are not happy about it. And with Anna he has complete mutual understanding. A couple has ups and downs. But relationships are hard work. In the same interview, Enrique called the tennis player the love of his life.
There was another rumor: allegedly Iglesias is gay, and the man needs Anna for cover. However, at the end of 2017, an event happened that silenced the evil tongues.
December 16, 2017 Anna Kournikova Enrique Iglesias had two children at once, although she once said that she plans to give birth after 40 years. The lovers had twins - a girl and a boy. The babies were named Lucy and Nicholas.
4 years before the appearance of their son and daughter, young people celebrated a housewarming party. The couple moved into a house that was built for lovers in the most prestigious place on the coast of Miami, in Biscayne Bay. Anna and Enrique bought the plot for $9 million, and paid $11 million for construction and finishing. Celebrities chose the futuristic style of the mansion. There is a pier next to the cottage. Paparazzi often take pictures of stars either on the beach or on a boat trip on a yacht.
Anna Kournikova is often compared with another famous Russian tennis player -. Often articles appear in the media that Anya is the opposite of Mary. Sharapova is a hard worker, she achieved fame thanks to the tournaments she won. But Kournikova is known for posing with a racket and an affair with Iglesias. Despite the fact that Anna has not appeared on the court for a long time, the girl's name is still well known to the public.
According to experts, Kournikova did the unbelievable. Having made a name for herself, she successfully promoted it, although she did not win a single serious tournament in singles. The image created by the athlete is still an example for many novice tennis players to follow.
In 2001, a mail virus named "AnnaKournikova" was noted. This phenomenon was mentioned in season 9, episode 23 of the popular TV series.
Anna Kournikova now
In January 2018, Anna Kournikova and Enrique Iglesias newborn children to the fans. The newly-minted parents posted a photo of the kids in the profiles Instagram' with a difference of several minutes.
Until this moment, the appearance of heirs was confirmed only by the singer's mother, Isabelle Preisler. In an interview, the woman commented on Anna's pregnancy and the happy event that happened in the family.
The fact that the girl was in position, the public did not know until the very birth of the children. Isabelle said it didn't happen on purpose. Anya does not need to hide from the paparazzi, she just likes to spend time at home. The girl's pregnancy proceeded well, bed rest was not required.
Due to the lack of at least some hint of the appearance of an addition to the family, journalists and fans of the couple doubted that Enrique's beloved was carrying children herself. There were rumors that the couple used the services of a surrogate mother. On May 4, Anna Kournikova again denied the speculation with a new picture on the Web. A young mother shared with subscribers, where you can see a rounded tummy.
In March 2018, at a concert in Budapest, Enrique Iglesias spoke for the first time about newborns and publicly confessed his love to the kids.
Awards
- 1996 - Midland, USA - victory
- 1996 - Rockford, USA - victory
- 1998 - Toyota Princess Cup - victory
- 1999 - Australian Open- victory
- 1999 - Indian Wells, USA - victory
- 1999 - Final championship of the year - victory
- 2000 - Gold Coast, Australia - win
- 2000 - Final championship of the year - victory
- 2002 - Australian Open - victory
The first part of the revelations of the main Russian tennis player.
About the escape from Chernobyl
“My parents moved north. Many stayed. My dad's mom stayed. We then came to her place to rest and were amazed at the size of the mushrooms in the forest. Everyone said it was from radiation, which is suggestive. My parents are not short, but not tall either. And I'm 188 cm, and that's without heels. I rise above them. Where does this growth come from? Dad says that I grew up by willpower - because I needed it to compete. He generally believes in human will. But the reactor exploded shortly before my mother became pregnant; she drank that water and ate those vegetables, and continued to do so when she was already waiting for me. So who knows?
About the apartment in Sochi
“We still have this apartment on Cherry Street, on the sixth floor, from the side of the courtyard. When we got home, I always ran ahead with the key while my parents trudged six flights of stairs. I have wonderful memories of the days I spent there, of our quiet dinners, of our conversations, of the people who came and went, of my grandmother, who sat on the stairs and chatted through the evenings.
My earliest memory is looking out of the window at the children playing in the playground on the hill. My parents were always worried about me and they didn’t let one out too much. I mostly watched from the window as the other kids were playing.”
About my father's plan to go to America
“Dad began to make a plan as soon as we returned to Sochi ( from the Moscow master class by Martina Navratilova). He was determined to go to the States, because he considered them the only place where he could develop my tennis. His target was Florida. Why? He would give you a complicated explanation with comparative characteristics regions and academies, but in fact, Yuri is just superstitious and follows the signs. And the sign he saw pointed to Florida. They were two magazine articles. One was about the Williams sisters and how they train at the Rick McKee academy in Boca Raton, the second was about Anna Kournikova and how she trains at the Nick Bollettieri academy in Bradenton. Dad believed that these articles fell into his hands for a reason. They told him where to go.
<...>It was impossible to get a visa then. They were issued only to officials. Realizing that he would need some official reason for the trip, dad wrote to the coach of the Russian junior team. There was no question of me playing for this team: children from 12 years old played there, and I was six. But dad hoped that the Russian Tennis Federation would want to sponsor me with an eye to the future. He explained our situation and talked about my talent, mentioning ( the first coach known for his work in Sochi) Yudkin and Navratilov. It worked, or at least it seemed to. The team was training in Florida at the time in preparation for the American tournaments. The coach replied and in a letter invited us to train with them.
Dad went to the embassy in Moscow for visas. He was 28, he was dressed in his only suit - a wedding. He completely relied on fate and luck. (There are always signs that show you the way - the main thing is to learn to read them.) He had a letter from the coach, and he rehearsed what he would say. He waited half a day before he found himself in front of a consular officer. The man carefully examined Yuri, studied the letter and other documents, photographs and pages with seals. Dad was pushing his speech all this time: Yudkin, Navratilova, talent.
“I have a daughter too,” the man finally said. And she also plays tennis. And he plays well. She's eight. But I don't consider her a gift. Your daughter is six. What makes you think she's better than my daughter? Maybe you're just looking at her with paternal eyes.
“I don't know your daughter,” Yuri said. But I know mine. What I told you is true.
- Do you want to take your six-year-old daughter to train in the USA?
"And you have no doubts?"
He looked into his father's eyes.
- Sure?
And do you know what you will do there?
This man gave us a visa for three years. Dad then returned to Russia to renew it, but it was him - our golden ticket.
About the apartment in Florida, in which the Sharapovs first rented a room
“The apartment was like something out of an 80s movie about dysfunctional families, single mothers and people on the run. When I think of it now, I'm not sure if it's the apartment in Bradenton I remember or the one Daniel and his mom lived in in The Karate Kid, one of my favorite movies that I used to learn English from. It was two stories high, like a motel, with a courtyard and doors that opened onto an open corridor. It was cramped and dark inside, and the windows overlooked a road lined with palm trees. Dad and I slept in the living room on a pull-out sofa that sagged in the center. It was necessary even in a dream to keep a balance so as not to fail. This sofa is the likely cause of the back problems that have plagued dad all his life.
Was it strange to sleep in the same bed with dad as if we were husband and wife? No. This was my life and I liked it. No matter what happens to us, I always knew that he was next to me and would lay down his bones for me.
On comparisons with Kournikova
“Anna Kournikova was the star of the Bollettieri Academy and people started comparing me to her right away because we are both blondes and Russians. In the early years - I don't even know why - when I needed clothes, for some reason I constantly got Kournikova's cast-offs, and tight things with animal prints are not really my style. The further, the more I was compared with her, and the more it annoyed me. What the hell? It's hard to find two more different people. We are not alike either in appearance or in behavior, and our tennis is completely different. But people only saw hair color and country of origin.
At the same time, this connection turned out to be useful, and not only because of the clothes, but also as a kind of landmark. I understood that I had to bypass Kournikova. That when I do that, I will be judged by my own accomplishments."
About two years without a mother
“Was I lonely? Or sad? I don't know. I didn't have any other life that I could compare it to. Once a week, my mother and I talked on the phone. She asked me what I do and said she loves me. The conversations were short because they were expensive.
My mother continued to educate me, even though she was far away. For her, it was very important that I remember my Russian origin, that I could read and write fluently in Russian, that I know Russian writers and their main works. She said not to forget where you come from. “If you don’t know where you are from, then you don’t know who you are,” she said. I don’t remember our conversations well, but I remember the letters that I wrote to her every day, and at the end: “I love you, I love you, I love you!”. One day a Russian boy with whom I was friends tore out a letter from me and began to read it aloud and laugh at me:
- To whom do you write that you love?
– Mom?! Are you at all? It's stupid.
And I remember looking at him and saying:
"Don't you tell your mother that you love her?"
- Well, yes, but not as many times as you wrote.
“Well, maybe it’s because your mom is with you and mine isn’t.
I had tears in my eyes as I said this, so maybe I was sadder than I want to admit now.
<...>These early years I've been hardened. In general, I even think that they explain my character, my playing style, my behavior on the court, which makes me so difficult to beat. If you don't have a mother to cry on, you don't cry. You just hold on, you believe that the moment will come when everything will change: the pain will subside, the screw will turn. It defined my career like nothing else. I don't swear. I don't throw rackets. I don't threaten linesmen. I do not give up. If you want to beat me, you have to work for every point. I won't give you anything. For some, especially those who grew up on the licked lawns of country clubs, it is unusual to see a girl who cannot be broken.
On expulsion from the Bollettieri Academy
“It is not completely clear what the matter was, but it was due to age. I was too young to play with those with whom I played. And the fact that I beat children four or five years older caused dissatisfaction with the parents, who, unlike my dad, paid for the education. But dad felt that was not the whole reason. After all, they knew how old I was when they originally offered me a scholarship. Yuri didn't blame Nick. He blamed Anna Kournikova's mother, Alla.
Before my arrival, Anna was the only Russian in the academy, a beautiful blonde sensation. And then I arrived - the same fair-haired, with the same good shots and even younger. And every day I got better. Yuri gradually realized that Alla was spreading all sorts of ideas, first of all, that something was wrong with our history. Dad and daughter just showed up out of nowhere in the middle of the night? How is that persuasive? She seemed to inspire everyone that Yuri had kidnapped me and taken me to the States. What about school? Does this girl even go to school? What kind of mother is she, who let her child go like that? Something is not right here. So Nick realized that something might be wrong with us, and as much as he wanted me to continue to study at the academy, he could not afford to embarrass himself.
About the relationship of tennis players with tennis
“All these drills and sets and games and matches. Punch after punch to all corners of the court. At times like this, it's impossible to think of tennis as a way to pass the time, as something that people do for fun. Tennis is not a game. It's a sport and a mystery and a test of endurance. All means are good for victory. Tennis is my friend and my enemy, my nightmare and my solace after a nightmare, my wound and my healing from a wound. Ask anyone for whom tennis has become a life, who rushed on the ground even before they understood what it means to have talent. I understand that you want us to love the game - so it's more interesting for you to watch us. But we don't love her. We don't hate her either. We just have it. Always was".
About gaming development
"My own strong point was my mood, my concentration, my tension. I stuck with the game, punch after punch, game after game, I never gave up, never gave up hope, even when I was behind. If there was at least one point left in the match, even if I was losing two breaks to someone who was twice my size, I played as if I were serving to win. I don't know where it comes from in me. From dad? From Mom? From my crazy childhood? Maybe it's in the mind. Maybe in sports you have to be dumb enough to believe you always have a chance."
About the contract with IMG
“The contract with IMG changed everything. For the first time, we no longer had to worry about food and rent. If something happened, we could go to the doctor. If we had to go to a tournament, we could get there ourselves so that I could concentrate on the game. When this money appeared, I seemed to wake up. For the first time, I understood what was going on. Tennis is a sport, but not only a sport. Passion, but not only passion. This is business. Money. stability for my family. Now I understand it. You might think that I was upset or disillusioned. But in fact, the opposite is true. I finally understood why all this, what are the stakes. At that moment, I realized that my task was to win.”
On returning to the Bollettieri Academy
“I became part of an elite group of girls and boys different ages, the best students of the academy. There were six or eight of us in it at different times. Todd Reed, Jelena Jankovic, Horia Tekau, Tatiana Golovin were among those whom Nick wanted to become professionals. We played with each other and against each other, ate at the same table, stretched each other and traveled to tournaments in a separate minibus. Nick tried to mold us into a team, a single whole, and even gave us a name - I think the Tigers. Or Pumas? The fact that I don't even remember says how little this "team spirit" meant to me.
<...>Off the court, we didn't spend much time together. I saw them as rivals and could not get close to them. And they were very strong. Jelena Jankovic played in the final of the "Slam" and was the first racket of the world. I remember when we were 11, we started our first emails together. My password was "loveworld". I wonder if she remembers.
Tatyana Golovin was from France. She, I and Elena were rivals at the academy. Tatyana was a star. Everyone loved her. She always had perfect braids, beautiful outfits, properly tucked shirts. She walked Nick's daughter's dogs and wore pom-poms on her slippers. Elena was more of a tomboy, and I was somewhere in the middle, vanilla. I was content to spit on the clothes and completely spit on the hair. Sometimes we all went to dinner together at a restaurant with a coach. It was fun, but I never came back from those dinners thinking "they're my girlfriends now." I never forgot that one day the moment will come when we will meet on the court, and everything will be at stake.
Photo: Gettyimages.ru / Clive Brunskill, Dean Purcell, Phil Cole, Brian Bahr, Scott Halleran; /Kin Cheung; express.co.uk Global Look Press /Sonia Moskowitz/ZUMAPRESS.com
46-year-old Alla Kournikova, mother of the famous Russian tennis player and fashion model Anna Kournikova, was arrested in Palm Beach, Florida.
After Alla Kournikova's youngest son fell out of a window, she was charged with neglect of her parental duties and a third-degree felony. Kournikova Sr. was taken to the district prison. She faces 2 to 10 years in prison under an article with the wording "for child abuse."
On Wednesday afternoon, Alla Kournikova decided to go to the post office and the bank, leaving five-year-old Allan, who is the half-brother of the tennis player, alone at home. The American media write that the boy is unusually developed for his age, smart and restless. Alla Kournikova herself once said that he was "full of energy and should always be busy with something." At the age of five, Allan is already playing golf, and the coaches predict a bright sports future for him.
Alla Kournikova admitted to the investigation that she locked the doors and left her son alone, since he categorically refused to go with her. She said that when she left home, she left the child watching TV. She gave her son a telephone and the second keys to the house, having previously locked the doors with her key and closed the windows, except for one, on the second floor. According to Western newspapers, Alla Kournikova's house is worth $2.2 million. It was purchased five years ago and registered in her name.
In a luxurious mansion, Allan was left alone, without adult supervision. He went up to the second floor, went to the ill-fated window and opened the shutters. Allan told investigators that he wanted to get out and jumped out of the window himself, first hanging on his hands, and then landing on the path near the house, lined with broken stone.
The bloodied and screaming boy, wandering around the pool in wet clothes, was noticed by Kournikova's neighbors. They immediately called 911 and after a while the police and rescue services. Allan said that when he noticed abrasions and blood on his legs, he decided to wash it off and climbed into the pool in the backyard of the house. The child was taken to the hospital. The investigation report indicated that the boy fell barefoot on the stones from a height of 4.5 meters. The document also states that the child hung in the air for a long time, holding onto the windowsill with his hands. As a result, Allan received bruises on his feet and lower back. At the hospital, the injuries were considered minor.
The police meanwhile unsuccessfully tried to enter the closed house. Only after placing the ladder against the window on the second floor did the police go inside and make sure that no one was there. The police report also notes that "no signs of a criminal offense" were found in the house. Unsuccessful were attempts to get through to Kournikova herself. She did not pick up the phone, and the law enforcement officers had to leave a message for her on the answering machine. Alla Kournikova arrived home only 50 minutes later. She was handcuffed and taken to the police station, where she was charged.
Meanwhile
Alla Kournikova, former track and field athlete, after graduation sports career she devoted herself entirely to raising her daughter and said more than once that it was she who initiated Anna's sports career. “I try to accompany Anya on all trips. Not because I don’t trust her, I just want to make her already difficult life easier, to suggest how to behave in various life situations,” Alla Kournikova admitted in an interview.
On the page on the social network Instagram, the former eminent tennis player and beloved woman of the famous performer Enrique Iglesias Anna Kournikova shared a new photo with numerous subscribers. In the picture, a young athlete poses in the arms of her mother Alla. In the caption to the photo Anna congratulated her on her birthday and confessed her love.
ON THIS TOPIC
Obviously, she managed to establish a relationship with her mother. Earlier in foreign press There were persistent rumors that Kournikova almost sues her parents. Allegedly, they filed a lawsuit, trying to take away from her part of the cost of a luxurious mansion on Sunset Island in Florida. Moreover, Alla and Sergey did this at the moment when Anna and Enrique flew away from America.
A little later, the relationship between Anna and her mother had to go through another test of strength: Alla Kournikova was detained by the police after her five-year-old son Allan jumped out of a second floor window home in Palm Beach. The kid, locked in the house, “stepped” from a 4.5-meter height onto concrete slabs. After hurting his legs, back and severely skinned, Allan crawled into a cold pool to relieve the pain. Neighbors found him frozen, wet and bloodied, after which they immediately called the police. Law enforcement officers left a voice message on Alla Kournikova's phone, she returned home and was immediately taken into custody. According to Alla, she needed to go away on business, but her son threw a tantrum, refusing to leave the house. Then she decided to leave him alone, sitting in front of the TV. A day after the arrest, the mother of a famous tennis player was released from custody on bail of three thousand dollars.
Anna Kournikova was outraged by her mother's act. " Allan is an ordinary normal kid who loves to run. He can't sit still at all. It seems to me that children should be active, it needs to be developed in them, it’s terrible when they spend all the time at the computer, ”HELLO! magazine quotes Kournikova. Nevertheless, the relatives managed to find a common language.