Anna Kournikova (born June 7, 1981) is a former Russian professional tennis player. She was one of the best known tennis players, even among those who do not follow the game.
Presently, she resides in Miami, Florida. An only child, Anna was born in Moscow, Russia to Alla and Sergei Kournikov; her family later emigrated to the United States.
Anna's major-league tennis career has been curtailed for the past several years by serious back & spinal problems, and this might be the end of it. Anna has had some success at the singles game, but her specialty has been doubles, where she has become the world's #1 doubles player at times, and she has won Grand Slam titles in Australia in 1999 and 2002, with Martina Hingis as her partner.
Kournikova's playing style has been said to fit the profile for a doubles player, which is complemented by her being taller than the average tennis player. On occasion, she has been compared to such players as Pam Shriver and Peter Fleming, with numerous doubles championships to their credit, playing with shorter partners, such as Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe. With their skill and good looks, Anna and Martina called themselves jestingly The Spice Girls of Tennis.
