Date of Birth
7 June 1981, Moscow, USSR [now Russia]
Birth Name
Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova
Nickname
Murzik ("my little pet" in Russian)
Height
5' 8" (1.73 m)
Anna Kournikova OopsMini Biography
Anna Kournikova was born on 7 June 1981 in Moscow, Russia. At the age of 7, her father began teaching her how to play tennis. Anna practiced everyday. When she was a teenager, she was entered in her first tennis competition. For her looks, Anna became known as the "Britney Spears of Tennis". In 1998, during the Paris Indoors of 1998, her fastest serve was clocked at 111.2 mph. Anna's talent for playing tennis got her noticed not just for tennis competitions, but for TV as well. When she was 19 years old, she got a small, but noticeable part in Me, Myself & Irene (2000) playing a Motel Manager. She also appeared and played Enrique's girlfriend in Enrique Iglesias's music video "Escape". Anna was voted the Sexiest Woman in the World in FHM's 100 Sexiest Girls poll for 2002. In September of 2003, she sustained an injury to her lower back and worked as an on-site reporter for the U.S. networks coverage of the U.S. Open. But, as of March 2004, Anna retired from professional tennis due to chronic lower back trouble. She has never won a WTA singles title but did win 2 Australian Open doubles titles with Martina Hingis.
