Anna Kournikova was one of the most popular female tennis players of the 1990s despite finding limited success on the court.
The Russian never made the finals of a grand slam singles tournament, but that didn’t stop her from becoming the highest-earning female player in 2000 thanks to endorsements, magazine appearances and sponsorships.
However injuries derailed her on-court career and in 2003, at the age of just 21, Kournikova retired from the game. Since then she has kept a somewhat low profile while living with partner Enrique Iglesias and their three children in Miami.
Fans worried by Kournikova’s latest sighting
Given how rare her public appearances have become, fans were stunned to see Kournikova photographed at Bal Harbour in Miami while being pushed in a wheel chair.
The sighting was the first in nearly three years, but the fact she was sporting a walking boot on her right foot explains why she was being pushed along.
She was joined by her two daughters, Lucy, 7, and Mary, 5. She also has a son, Nicholas, who is the twin brother of Lucy.
It’s a much different life from the one Kournikova lived when she was at the height of her popularity.
She once joked that “every country I visit, I have a different boyfriend and I kiss them all.”
“It’s really strange, it feels like it happened to me but it didn’t happen to me because it was such a long time ago,” she told The Sun back in 2019 when discussing her fame.
“Being in the spotlight since I was a child was really hard.
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“I did feel pressure when people were saying things like, ‘You’re too pretty, you can’t play’, or whatever.
“I would get so nervous and get anxiety on the court, I wouldn’t be able to move.”
Now Anna lives a private life with Enrique, with the two going so far as to not confirm whether they are married. This is despite Anna wearing a ring on her wedding finger and calling herself Anna Kournikova Iglesias on her Instagram page.
“We haven’t gotten married in public, but that doesn’t mean we are not married,” Iglesias said in 2022.
“We have been together for such a long time, for half of our lives.”