Anna Kournikova is a former Russian professional tennis player and a global media personality. Thanks to her outstanding performance on the court and her captivating style, she was among the most talked-about female athletes in the world from the late 1990s through the early 2000s. She was born on June 7, 1981, into a sports-loving family in Moscow. Her father, Sergei, was a professor and a former wrestling champion, while her mother, Alla, was an athlete herself. Growing up in this sports-oriented environment, Anna began playing tennis at the age of just five.