Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova 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 .

Media publicity

Most of Anna's fame has come from the publicity surrounding her personal life as well as numerous modeling shoots. During her debut at the 1996 U.S. Open 1996 at the age of 15, Kournikova's physical beauty was noticed by the world and soon pictures of her appeared in numerous magazines all over the planet. Anna has fine facial features and an attractive body, topped off by long blonde hair, sometimes braided into a meter-long queue (pony tail).

Many media outlets have reported that Kournikova was very married to NHL hockey star Sergei Fedorov briefly, during the summer of 2001, though her agent and family deny this claim. A number of her relationships with other celebrities , including involvements with pop star Enrique Iglesias (in whose video, Escape , she appeared) and hockey player Pavel Bure , have also featured prominently in the tabloid press .

In 2000, Anna became the new face for Berlei 's shock absorber sports bras range, and appeared in the highly successful "only the ball should bounce" bill board campaign. Photographs of her scantily-clad form have appeared in various men's magazines , including more than one much-publicized Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues (2004 - 2005), where she posed in bikinis and swimsuits, and in other popular men's publications such as FHM and Maxim . So far, however, she has not posed topless or nude for any publications.

Kournikova was named one of People ' s 50 Most Beautiful People in 1998 , 2000 , 2002 , and 2003 . She has also been voted "hottest female athlete" and "hottest couple" (with Iglesias) on ESPN.com and 2003's "sexiest woman in the world" by worldwide FHM readers.

By contrast, ESPN -- citing the degree of hype as compared to actual accomplishments as a singles player -- ranked Anna 18 th in its "25 Biggest Sports Flops of the Past 25 Years".

Kournikova had a small role (as a motel manager) in the 2000 film Me, Myself and Irene , starring Jim Carrey .

She had a delusional stalker named William Lepeska who swam naked across Biscayne Bay in search of her Miami Beach home after attempting to contact Kournikova via a number of letters and e-mails. When apprehended by the police, Lepeska resisted arrest violently.