Anna Kournikova
Birth Name:
Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova
Birth Place:
Moscow, Russia
Profession
Actress
Fast Facts
- Helped open a Boys and Girls Club in Mexico after retiring from professional tennis
- In Haiti, she promoted safe drinking water with Population Services International
- Became a Global Ambassador for Population International's "Five & Alive" program
- When she was 5 years old, she received her first tennis racquet as a gift on New Year's
- When she was 10 years old, she signed a management deal and started training at Nick Bollettieri's tennis academy in Bradenton, Fla
- Quote: "Anyone can change their body, but you have to work for it․"
- Quote: "[on retiring] "I started learning about who I am as a person--not Anna the tennis player․""
- Played professional tennis from 1995 to 2007, and won Grand Slam titles in doubles with partner Martina Hingis in Australia in 1999 and 2002
- Played tennis right-handed with a two-handed backhand, and was known for her prowess at the net, as well as her forceful groundstrokes and drop shots
- Gained her United States citizenship in 2009 so that she could go on USO trips