Anna Kournikova Biography

Fast Facts

• Helped open a Boys and Girls Club in Mexico after retiring from professional tennis
• Became a Global Ambassador for Population International's "Five & Alive" program
• In Haiti, she promoted safe drinking water with Population Services International
• When she was 5 years old, she received her first tennis racquet as a gift on New Year's
• When she was 10 years old, she signed a management deal and started training at Nick Bollettieri's tennis academy in Bradenton, Fla
• Quote: "Anyone can change their body, but you have to work for it․"
• Quote: "[on retiring] "I started learning about who I am as a person--not Anna the tennis player․""
• Played professional tennis from 1995 to 2007, and won Grand Slam titles in doubles with partner Martina Hingis in Australia in 1999 and 2002
• Played tennis right-handed with a two-handed backhand, and was known for her prowess at the net, as well as her forceful groundstrokes and drop shots
• Gained her United States citizenship in 2009 so that she could go on USO trips