MIAMI — It’s hard to believe that 10 years has passed since Annamania took the world by storm.
MIAMI — It’s hard to believe that 10 years has passed since Annamania took the world by storm.
In 1998, Anna Kournikova became an overnight sensation in women’s tennis, thanks to her stellar play in the U.S. and French Opens, which helped propel her into the WTA’s top-20 player rankings. Unfortunately, injuries ultimately got the best of Kournikova, who has never officially retired, even though she hasn’t played a Tour match in five years.
“I’m not married, not pregnant, didn’t have a boob job, no Botox. What else?” the now 27-year-old blonde beauty tells Sports Illustrated.
Born in Moscow, Kournikova now calls Miami Beach home, a city that she enjoys with her longtime beau, singer Enrique Iglesias. While the phenomenon may have passed, she still remains both a fan and tabloid favorite.
“Girls look at him. Guys look at me,” she explains. “It goes with the job, but it gets annoying when you feel violated. Just take the picture and be done.”
Today, the former phenom is a far cry from that 17-year-old that first bursted onto the scene, and she’s damn proud of it.
Says Kournikova: “Of course, I’m a different person! People say, ‘I can’t believe how much you’ve changed!’ What did they expect? People grow, evolve. It would be sad if I didn’t change!”
Much of that change could be chalked up to her now late-20s age, something Kournikova says she readily embraces.
“Here’s one thing I don’t get,” she explains to SI. “Why are people afraid of getting older? You feel wiser. You feel more mature. You feel like you know yourself better. You would trade that for softer skin? Not me!”
This summer, Kournikova will be back on the court again, this time competing for the St. Louis Aces in the quiet confines of the World TeamTennis league. Still without a major victory in her career, Kournikova confesses, “I’m young enough to still play,” as she ponders if her body could handle a return to the Tour.
“I put pressure on myself, especially as I got older,” she says of her career. “At 16, 17 you have no fear. You don’t think or analyze. You just play on automatic. You can get smarter as you get older, but in sports you can be too smart, you know?”
When asked if she would do it all over again, Kournikova doesn’t hesitate to respond.
“Come on, regrets? I grew up a little girl in the Soviet Union playing at a small sports club,” she says. “Tennis gave me my life.”
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