Tennis icon named 'world's sexiest woman' retired aged 21 and is Enrique Iglesias' partner

From Emma Raducnau to Martina Hingis, the WTA Tour has always produced its fair share of teenage sensations. One of the biggest young stars was Anna Kournikova, who transcended the sport and became a celebrity during her playing days in the early 2000s, even being crowned the world’s sexiest woman. But her career was cut short by injuries and she retired at the age of 21 and now lives a quiet life with partner Enrique Iglesias.

Kournikova became one of the most well-known tennis players during the height of her career in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The Russian made her Grand Slam debut as a 15-year-old, reaching the fourth round of the US Open in 1996. She was crowned the WTA Newcomer of the Year that season and within a couple of years, she broke the world’s top 20.

She achieved her career-high ranking of No. 8 in 2000 but remarkably never won a singles title despite being one of the most hyped players. Kournikova did enjoy massive success in the doubles, however, reaching No. 1 in the world and winning two Australian Open titles with Hingis, with the second and final trophy coming in 2002.

That same year, Kournikova was also crowned the world’s sexiest woman by FHM in both the UK and the USA, beating out the likes of Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez for the accolade. At the height of her fame, she also guest-starred in Friends and was one of the most Google-searched people.

But her playing days quickly came to an end soon after as back and spinal injuries derailed her career and she retired in 2003 aged just 21. By the time she retired, the Russian was already in a relationship with popstar Iglesias, who she met in 2001 while appearing in his music video for Escape.

The pair are still together more than two decades later and live a low-key life away from the public eye. They have three children - twins born in 2017 and a daughter born in 2020. It is not known whether the two ever got married.

Kournikova uses a double-barreled surname and has been spotted wearing a diamond ring for the last seven years but both have remained tight-lipped on the status of their relationship. “Marriage isn’t important to me. I believe in being open and trusting each other and respecting each other completely,” Kournikova previously said.