Reclusive life of tennis player voted world’s sexiest
From the moment she set foot on the grass at Wimbledon in 1997, aged just 16, Anna Kournikova became a household name.
Her supermodel looks and tenacity on the tennis court propelled her to worldwide stardom, The Sun reports.
As she got older the Russian athlete, now 41, and her doubles partner Martina Hingis were dubbed “the Spice Girls of tennis”.
At the height of her career she ranked number eight in the world and was one of the most Googled people ever.
In 2002 Anna was voted the world’s sexiest woman, and became a lads’ mag favourite, gracing the covers of Maxim and FHM.
But these days Anna lives a much quieter life, having stepped away from the limelight since she retired from tennis in 2002 due to a series of injuries – mainly involving her back.
The blonde beauty is relishing being a mum to the three children she shares with Latin heart-throb Enrique Iglesias, 48.
Part of Anna’s reason for deciding to retreat from the spotlight is because being the centre of attention left her feeling nervous and anxious.
Having received her first tennis racquet as a New Year gift aged five, by age 14 she’d turned professional – becoming the youngest ever player to participate and win the Fed Cup for Russia.
But at times she felt like her good looks stood in the way of her game. She previously said: “Being in the spotlight since I was a child was really hard.
“I did feel pressure when people were saying things like, ‘You’re too pretty, you can’t play,’ or whatever.
“I would get so nervous and get anxiety on the court, I wouldn’t be able to move.”
When she retired from the sport aged just 21, she was two years into her romance with singer Enrique Iglesias.
The couple met filming the music video for his track Escape in 2001 and their romance quickly blossomed, with Anna moving into his Miami home