The attention led to numerous endorsements, as well as modeling and television gigs.
Then, just when it seemed like she was literally at the top of her game.
Kournikova all but vanished from the public eye.
So, where did she go?
Here’swhat you may not know about Anna Kournikova’spost-tennis life.
From that moment on, the blonde phenom was on a seemingly unstoppable path to greatness.
“My back really forced me to stop,” she toldPeople.
“It got so bad; I couldn’t tie my shoes, literally.”
With that, Kournikova’s next chapter began.
It was very difficult and scary as hell," she said.
“For me it’s all about working with the kids,” she toldSocial Miami.
“I guess that I’m a kid at heart.”
Participating in this star-studded tournament is not the only work Kournikova has done to help AIDS research.
She returned to her native Russia with Population Services International to meet with youth most at-risk for HIV/AIDS.
“And all those things you’re free to use in life.”
“You know, I’ve always considered myself half Russian and half American,” she said.
“It never seemed to really matter if I had a passport or not.
However, the athlete says she learned even more important lessons from the people she met during her trips.
“I can truly say I am proud to be an American.”
In a statement provided toUPI, the tennis pro turned trainer expressed her enthusiasm for her new role.
“I look forward to the upcoming season and seeing the results we can achieve together.”
She toldPeople, “I am able to help and influence people’s health and well-being.
That is an amazing feeling.”
Kournikova’s rep toldPeople, “Anna was 100 percentnotfired from the show.”
Then there were the contestants, some of whom didn’t feel she was supportive or nurturing enough.
Audience reviews were mixed from the start.
“I absolutely want to have children, whether I have my own or adopt,” she said.
A few years later, she became a mother for the first time.
Kournikova didn’t announce her pregnancy to the world until after she gave birth.
“It was so painful.
I was just a kid at the time.
I was being judged over here for being too pretty, or over there for not looking good enough.
And God forbid I gained a pound.
I heard about it.”
To his relief, the 2-year-old twins were thrilled to have a baby sister.
Kournikova posted a photo onInstagramof Mary at 7 months wearing what closely resembles a white tennis outfit.
“Wimbledon, here I come,” she wrote.
Whether they’ve inherited Iglesias' musical abilities or Kournikova’s athletic abilities remains to be seen.
In 2011, Kournikova elaborated on the topic to Women’s Health (viaPeople).
“[Marriage] isn’t important to me,” she said.
“I’m in a happy relationship that’s all that matters.”
For now, it seems she is happy to be astar who chose family over fame.
