Sergei and Alla Kournikova knew that their lives would change when they brought daughter Anna into the world on June 7, 1981. They just didn't know the entire tennis world would soon be turned upside down as well. Both Alla and Sergei, a natural athlete who wrestled professionally and coached tennis part-time, encouraged their daughter to take part in physical activity at an early age. When she turned five, Anna received a Christmas gift that would change her life. "I found my first racquets under the Christmas tree," Anna recalls, "but I found out later that my parents sold one of their TVs to get me those racquets." From that moment, Anna has rarely put down her racquet. She began hitting at Moscow's Soklniki Park and soon was a member of the prestigious Spartak Tennis Club, coached by the husband of Russian pro Olga Morozova. At eight, Anna began appearing in junior clinics and quickly caught the eye of local tennis scouts. Still, she says, her childhood was "regular, average" as she spent a lot of time shopping, going to amusement parks and spending time with friends. When the ATP Tour established a major tournament in Moscow in 1990, Anna would have the opportunity to show off her skills for the international tennis community. The nine-year-old prodigy competed in the juniors and soon signed a management deal. Within two years, Anna was headed to Bradenton, Fla., where she would train at coach Nick Bolletierri's famed tennis academy. Bolletieri instantly recognized her potential. "Anna is a shotmaker," he said. "She has the ability to create situations on the court that very few people can create. And at the net she's brilliant. She hits volleys from all angles. The only person I could compare her to is John McEnroe." Anna Kournikova was on the professional track, and everyone knew it. At 14, she become the youngest player ever to win a Fed Cup match and captured the European Championships and Italian Open juniors. At the close of 1995, she was ranked No. 1 and crowned as ITF Junior World Champion. She was ready to hit the professional circuit. Shortly after turning 15, Anna burst onto the pro scene after much media fanfare by reaching the fourth round in her first Grand Slam tournament, the '96 U.S. Open, and the semifinals of her debut at Wimbledon in '97. In the subsequent years, she has maintained a consistent presence in the top ten singles rankings and captured a Grand Slam doubles title with Martina Hingis at the '99 Australian Open. Most recently, she tore through the competition en route to a semifinal appearance at the 2001 Australian Open in Melbourne. The 19-year-old Russian has beaten virtually every top player in the women's field and is the only player in the past 15 years to have defeated four consecutive top ten players in a single tournament, which she did on her way to the '98 final in Key Biscayne, Fla. Perhaps the most heavily sponsored and marketed female athlete in sport today, Anna also ranks as one of the biggest draws on the entire tennis tour, commanding Standing-Room-Only crowds for her Grand Slam appearances and often selling out exhibitions from Mahwah, N.J. to Sao Paulo, Brazil. The game's most respected veterans seem to agree that Anna is destined for superstardom. "She's a gorgeous young woman who's very fit and works hard at her profession and is in the top ten in the world," says 18-time-Grand-Slam winner Chris Evert. "I think she's good for tennis." Tennis legend Billie Jean King echoes those sentiments. "Anna is the real thing," says King. "She's great off the ground and quick. Most of all, she loves the limelight and loves the show courts. She's having a good time out here and is poised for the big time."
Anna Kournikova Career Highlights
2001
Suffered a stress fracture in her foot in February. Withdrew from the French Open because of continuing problems with her injury.
Knocked out of the quarterfinals of the Australian Open by defending champion Lindsay Davenport. Davenport lost in the next round to eventual champion Jennifer Capriati.
Martina Hingis broke up their doubles partnership saying she wanted more independence. The pair finished 2000 with Hingis ranked No. 3 and Kournikova No. 4 in doubles.
2000
The glamorous Russian has played 80 WTA Tour main draw singles matches without a title. She reached the final of the Kremlin Cup and eight other semifinals this season. She advanced to the quarterfinals in Philadelphia but lost to doubles partner Martina Hingis.
Advanced out of the first round of the Chase Championships for the first time in three years making it to the semifinals where she lost to Hingis. She won the doubles title with Hingis for the second consecutive year at Madison Square Garden.
Vowed greater stability this season but went through her fourth professional coach and endured controversy relating to her relationships with NHL players Sergei Fedorov and Pavel Bure.
1999
She captured her first Grand Slam title, teaming with Martina Hingis to beat the team of No. 1 singles player Lindsay Davenport and No. 1-ranked doubles player Natasha Zvereva 7-5, 6-3 for the doubles title.
Made it to the semifinals of the IGA Superthrift Tennis Classic before falling to Amanda Coetzer 6-4, 6-2.
1998
Won four consecutive matches against top-10 players, a feat unprecedented on the women's tour, before losing to Venus Williams in the finals of the Lipton Championships.
Was the first Russian woman to be seeded at the US Open since 1976.
Became the ninth-youngest player in the Open Era (starting 1968) to defeat a reigning world No. 1 before her 17th birthday, upsetting Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals at the 1998 German Open -- the defeat marked Hingis' first professional loss to a younger player. Also defeated No. 5 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the third round and her ranking moved up to a then-career high No. 13.
Defeated Steffi Graf in the quarterfinals of Eastbourne, becoming one of eight players who have defeated both Hingis and Graf.
1997
Playing in just her fourth Grand Slam tournament, she reached the semifinals at Wimbledon. She lost to eventual champion Martina Hingis in straight sets after defeating Anke Huber, then-ranked No. 10, in the third round and Iva Majoli, then-ranked No. 5, in the quarterfinals.
1996
Advanced to the fourth round of the U.S. Open by defeating the tourney's 14th seed, Barbara Paulus.
Her world ranking improved 224 spots as she climbed to No.57 by the end of the year.
1995
Made her pro debut in October at age 14.
[ Anna Kournikova Biography ]
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