Ever since entering Wimbledon in 1997 at the age of 16, Anna Kournikova has become a famous female athlete around the world.
According to The Sun , her supermodel appearance and tenacity on the tennis court have made her a global star.
Kournikova and her teammate Martina Hingis are known as the “Spice Girls of tennis”.
Pressure of fame
At the peak of her career, she was the 8th ranked athlete in the world. Anna Kournikova is also one of the most searched names on Google.
In 2002, Anna Kournikova was voted the sexiest woman in the world, appearing on the covers of men’s magazines such as Maxim and FHM , according to news.com.au.
In addition to tennis activities, the female athlete also participated in the famous sitcom (comedy) of the 90s – Friends – with a guest role.
After a series of injuries mainly to her back, Anna announced her retirement in 2002. Now, she enjoys a peaceful life away from the spotlight.
The blonde beauty is currently enjoying being a mother to three children with famous Latin singer – Enrique Iglesias (48 years old).
One of the reasons Anna retired was being the center of attention, making her always worried and stressed.
Anna Kournikova became the youngest tennis player to win the Fed Cup for Russia at the age of 14.
However, Anna feels her appearance sometimes hinders her ability to compete.
“I felt so stressed that I couldn’t move when people said: “She’s too beautiful, she can’t compete well,” or something like that,” the female athlete shared.
Anna said that being famous at a young age is extremely difficult.
Retired with huge assets
When she retired at the age of 21, Anna had a 2-year relationship with male singer Enrique Iglesias.
The couple first met while filming his music video Escape in 2001. After that, their love quickly blossomed. Anna decided to move to live at the male singer’s mansion on the beach in Miami (USA).
After retiring, Anna is completely independent and does not need support from her boyfriend. The couple’s house in Miami has an estimated value of 20 million USD (468 billion VND).
At first, she refused to mention her love life and only became more open after a few years.
Despite being together for more than 20 years, many people believe that the couple has never been married.
In an interview last year, Enrique said: “We are not publicly married. That doesn’t mean we are not husband and wife”.
Previously, he shared with Parade magazine: “I never thought that getting married would make a difference”.
As for Anna, she also avoided answering questions about her marital status and affirmed: “I’m in a happy relationship with Enrique. That’s what’s important.”
However, since 2017, the former tennis player has the last name “Kournikova Iglesias” and always wears a large diamond ring on her ring finger.
The famous male singer also introduced Anna Kournikova as his wife during a show in Russia in 2011.
Peaceful life with husband and children
Anna Kournikova and Enrique Iglesias have three children together: twins Nicholas – Lucy (5 years old) and Mary (3 years old).
The couple kept Anna’s pregnancy a secret until a month after she gave birth in 2017.
Although always tight-lipped about her personal life, the former tennis beauty always shares photos of her children on her birthday.
In October 2018, Enrique publicly praised his other half for his parenting skills: “Like other couples, although not always perfect, we are always happy in our own way”.
Since having children, the former athlete has put family first.
“Being with my children is the happiest thing, I don’t want to waste any moment”, she shared.
After ending her tennis career, Anna became a model and philanthropist.
She participated in the Advanta World Team Tennis Smash Hits competition in 2008 to raise money for the AIDS foundation.
Anna Kournikova returned to the stage briefly as a host for the show The Biggest Loser (USA) in 2011, but she decided to focus more on her family.
When not on tour, Enrique Iglesias and Anna Kournikova spend a lot of time resting at their home in Miami.
Even though he no longer participates in professional sports, the former athlete still exercises at home to stay in shape, combining it with his diet and daily habits.
Anna Kournikova usually starts her day at 6:30 a.m., taking her children for a walk and doing yoga or pilates when the kids are asleep.
