Anna Kournikova was born June 7, 1981 (Year of the Rooster), in
Moscow, Russia. She left her
homeland at the age of nine to join a Tennis Academy in Florida, known
also for producing Monica Seles and Andre Agassi.
Anna turned
professional in 1996 and competed in her first grand slam at the U.S.
open that same year. She made a semi-final appearance at Wimbledon in
1997, and in 1998 defeated four top 10 players on her way to the final
at the Lipton Championships.
In the olden days of the forties to sixties, tennis stars were just
tennis stars, who always wore white, and if they were female, looked
rather masculine. When somebody realized that there was money to be
made, there were bouts between men and women, colored uniforms entered
the courts, and the sport headed toward the direction of wrestling. It
wasn't bad to be a little bit colorful, emotional, or gorgeous. More
and more girls from many countries entered the field, and occasionally a
glamours tennis star was also a good player.
Although solidly entrenched in tennis, Anna Kournikova's naturally
glamourous looks have brought more attention to the sport. She has even
indicated an interest in acting, that could soon be realized. More and
more the celebrity star crosses the boundaries from her native sport to
feature films, something that hiphop musicians have been doing for
years.
Every so often, the athlete who turns model shows up as a corollary to
the model who almost made it to the international stage as an athlete.
A good example of the latter is
Victoria Silvstedt, a model and a member of the Swedith National
Ski Team. It is always a pleasure to encounter such an intelligent and
disciplined athlete, who looks as good on the court or slopes as she does
on stage.
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