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CNNSI.com: Monday January 03, 2000: Week at a glance Russian tennis star Anna Kournikova, ranked No. 1 in the world in doubles, reportedly has switched hockey players. According to a Moscow newspaper, Kournikova has dropped Sergei Fedorov for his former teammate Pavel Bure. Kournikova's agent, however, warns against reading too much into the fact that the 18-year-old Kournikova has been seen with Bure a lot recently. Daily Soviet Sport says Kournikova has recently begun dating Bure and that the Florida Panthers winger has bought a condominium in the same apartment building as Kournikova in a Miami suburb. |
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CNNSI.com: Tuesday January 04, 2000: Agassi, Hingis grab top singles honors
LONDON (AP) -- The International Tennis Federation on Tuesday named Andre Agassi and Martina Hingis as its world champions... Hingis shared the award of ITF's world doubles champions with Anna Kournikova with whom she won five out of six events contested.
Sportserver.com: January 20, 2000: Kournikova, Philippoussis dismiss romantic link
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Anna Kournikova and Mark Philippoussis swatted away suggestions they are romantically linked as the media rumor mill went into overdrive at the Australian Open on Friday. Russia's Kournikova was in the center court stands cheering on Australian home favorite Philippoussis at his matches on Wednesday and Friday, but then said: "Well we're just friends. I know him from Florida." Both players have homes in Miami. "We've known each other for a long time. We played juniors together," she added. Philippoussis echoed Kournikova's sentiments. "She's a friend. I've known her for years and that's pretty much it," the 23-year-old said. Russian sports papers last month paired Kournikova off with Russian hockey player Pavel Bure, a former teammate of her ex-boyfriend Sergei Fedorov, and earlier in the week Kournikova said her romantic interest was "over the ocean... Shouldn't you ask about my game?" she said.
Sportserver.com: January 23, 2000: Kournikova still needs to learn to handle pressure
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Anna Kournikova's fourth-round Grand Slam bogey continued Sunday, when she melted under pressure from No. 2 seed Lindsay Davenport. The Russian teen-ager has been tossed out in the fourth round of the major touraments seven times, passing the magical point only once - when she reached the Wimbledon semis in 1997. Seeded 11, the starlet appears unable to raise her game when she meets the top seeds as touraments move into their final stages. "I'm just going to have to go back and work and start to play a bit more consistent and, you know, play good important points and play smart against them," she said. New coach Eric Van Harpen has ironed out her serving yips, and the forehand winners came thick and fast. But when the pressure was on Sunday, Kournikova melted, making 33 unforced errors to Davenport's 20.
CNNSI.com: Tuesday February 29, 2000: Capriati, Frazier take victories at State Farm Classic
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Jennifer Capriati took another step toward becoming one of tennis' elite again when she dominated Alexandra Stevenson 6-3, 6-0 in the first round of the State Farm Women's Tennis Classic on Monday night... In the first doubles match of the event, second-seeded Lindsay Davenport and Anna Kournikova teamed up for the first time and overpowered Kimberly Po and Barbara Schett 6-1, 6-2. Davenport normally doubles with Corina Morariu, but Morariu played in Oklahoma City last week and skipped Scottsdale. She and Davenport reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in January. Kournikova and Schett were teamed at the same tournament and reached the quarterfinals. Davenport said she and Kournikova agreed Saturday to enter the doubles draw. [small photo of Lindsay and Anna on page]
ABC News: Feb. 29, 2000: Tennis Star Kournikova to Marry NHL Star Bure
SUNRISE, Fla., Feb. 29 — NHL star Pavel Bure said he popped the question to tennis player Anna Kournikova — and she accepted. The Russian Rocket said he proposed to Kournikova, also Russian, on Friday night at a Miami Beach restaurant. He did not announce a wedding date. “We’ll tell details when she gets back in town in the middle of March,” Bure said before the Florida Panthers’ game against Buffalo on Monday night. Kournikova, 18, and Bure, 28, are neighbors in an apartment building in trendy south Miami Beach.
ABC News: March 27, 2000: Kournikova in Pet Spat With Air Crew
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla., March 27 — An airline crew said tennis starlet Anna Kournikova and her mother caused a commotion during a recent flight, forcing the pilot and police to intervene. The dispute occurred March 19 while Kournikova and her mother were on an American Airlines flight from Dallas to South Florida. The crew told police that Kournikova, 18, refused to put her miniature Doberman pinscher in its carrying case, as FAA rules require, Miami-Dade police Maj. Mike Hammersmith said Sunday. The incident was referred to the FBI. According to the police report, when Kournikova and her mother, Alla, argued with flight attendants about the dog, the pilot became involved. At the crew’s request, police met the plane when it landed in Miami and by then the dog was back in the case. Both denied refusing to put the dog in the case, Hammersmith said. “They said the flight crew was being obnoxious with them and treated them rudely,” he said. The FBI will decide whether to file charges of interfering with a flight crew, Hammersmith said. Kournikova flew to Florida to participate in the Ericsson Open, where she won her third-round match Sunday against Natasha Zvereva, 6-1, 6-4.
CNNSI.com: Thursday May 11, 2000: Kournikova may play in Paris despite ankle injury
(photo) BERLIN (AP) -- Anna Kournikova suffered a torn ligament in her left ankle while taking a spill at the German Open but may recover in time for the French Open, the Russian teen-ager's coach said Thursday... Van Harpen said Kournikova only tore one of three ligaments in her ankle. The 18-year-old fell to the ground writhing in pain during the final game of a 4-6, 6-4, 4-6 loss to Spain's Gala Leon Garcia Wednesday. Van Harpen also said Kournikova needs to cut back on all the distractions if she wants to reach the top of the tennis rankings.
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CNNSI.com: Friday May 26, 2000: Fans flock to see Kournikova practice By Pedro Pinto, CNNSI.com -- Who commands the most media attention on the women's tour at Roland Garros? It's neither Martina Hingis nor Lindsay Davenport, the top two ranked players in the world, but rather Anna Kournikova. The Russian teenager has yet to win a title in her career, but that fact did not seem to bother the dozens of fans who flocked to watch her practice on Friday. With camera flashes snapping and tapes rolling, the 18 year-old Kournikova waltzed across the court, appearing to love every minute of the attention. One just has to wonder what would happen if she would win a tournament... |
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CNNSI.com: June 5, 2000: Advantage, Kournikova 9 photos of Anna Kournikova from the June 5th issue of Sports Illustrated, with excerpts from Frank Deford's story |
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CNNSI.com: Monday June 19, 2000: Kournikova feels first singles win will come soon
(photo) EASTBOURNE, England (AP) -- Anna Kournikova, one of tennis' biggest stars despite never having won a tournament, predicted Friday she was on the verge of her first victory. Preparing for next week's grasscourt tournament at Eastbourne, the last before Wimbledon, Kournikova predicted: "I can do well at Wimbledon. I know my first singles title will come soon." The 19-year-old Russian drew a crowd of photographers as she gave her endorsement to a new line of sports bras. Wearing a denim jacket, Kournikova posed for photographs and brushed off questions about her private life in which she has been linked romantically with hockey players Sergei Fedorov and Pavel Bure, among others. "Let's talk about bras," she joked. She predicted American Andre Agassi would win Wimbledon and upgraded her own chances. "I always play as hard as I can whether I'm playing the No. 1 or No. 500 in the world."
BBC Sport: Monday, 26 June, 2000 feature: Anna: Tennis's one love
If tennis stardom were to be judged on the column inches generated and endorsement earnings, a Russian-born girl ranked 15th in the world would beat all-comers. Anna Kournikova nets £7.5m a year, but has yet to win a singles tournament. Just a fraction of that - £467,000 last year - she earned on the tennis court. The remainder came from a lucrative string of endorsement deals. Only the mens' number one Andre Agassi, who raked in £12.5m, banks more than her in the world of tennis. [6 small photos]
CNNSI.com: Saturday, July 08, 2000: Williams sisters reach doubles final
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Venus and Serena Williams won their doubles semifinal Friday, beating Natasha Zvereva and Anna Kournikova 6-3, 7-6 (4). The Williams sisters will return to Centre Court Sunday for the final, one day after Venus defeated Lindsay Davenport for the singles championship. The sisters will be seeking their third Grand Slam doubles title with previous victories last year in the U.S. Open and French.
BBC Sport: Saturday, July 08, 2000: Zvereva fined for gesture
Natasha Zvereva has been fined $1,000 for making an obscene gesture to the crowd following her women's doubles semi-final match at Wimbledon. Zvereva and her partner Anna Kournikova were defeated by Venus and Serena Williams. Belarussian Zvereva and Kournikova, seeded fifth, were beaten 6-3 7-6 by the eighth-seeded sisters on Court One on Friday. As the four walked off the court however, 29-year-old Zvereva was pictured holding both her arms in the air and with the middle finger of both hands raised. The fine will be deducted from her £21,335 share of the prize money.
CNNSI.com: Monday, 31 July, 2000: Kournikova opts not to play in Olympics
(photo) MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Anna Kournikova has turned down the chance to play for Russia at the Sydney Olympics, the country's tennis chief said on Monday. "She said it didn't fit into her schedule," the president of the Russian tennis federation, Shamil Tarpishchev, told Reuters. "We had a spot open for her but she turned it down." Kournikova, who resides permanently in the United States, has refused to play for her native country on several occasions in the past three years but changed her mind to compete in a Fed Cup tournament in April. However, she had a dismal showing in Moscow and was whistled off the court by a home crowd after losing all but one of her six singles and doubles matches. The 19-year-old Kournikova, currently ranked 18 in the world, is the top Russian player on the WTA Tour. Tarpishchev, who also serves as Russia's Davis Cup and Fed Cup captain, said Kournikova's reasons were similar to Martina Hingis's recent decision against playing in Sydney. "Well, it was more of the same story, she [Kournikova] said the Olympics were too close to the U.S. Open and she didn't want to risk any injuries," he said. "Besides, playing in Sydney, she said, wouldn't give her any points in the WTA ranking."
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CNNSI.com: Friday, August 04, 2000: Kournikova inches closer to first WTA victory CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) -- Anna Kournikova is the most recognizable woman on the WTA Tour. Even so, she still hasn't won a title. Kournikova got closer to that elusive first career championship with a 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory against Nathalie Tauziat on Friday to gain the semifinals of the $535,000 Acura Classic. Kournikova, playing her best tennis of the season, is appearing in her 70th career WTA event. She has appeared in only two finals, none this year. "[Journalists] are the only ones who are making pressure," said Kournikova, responding to whether she feels pressure because she has yet to win a tournament. "It's always been more important to have a ranking, good results than to win a tournament." |
ESPN: Wednesday, August 2, 2000: Kournikova holds on at end for upset
CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Anna Kournikova overcame an early deficit and then held off No. 2-ranked Lindsay Davenport 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 Wednesday night in the $535,000 Acura Classic. Kournikova, who had lost all three meetings with Davenport this season, looked like she might score a shutout in the final set, but Davenport rallied from a 4-0 deficit to tie the second-round match 4-4. But Davenport could never gain the lead as each player held serve until Kournikova scored her third service break of the set at 6-5. When Davenport hit a backhand wide to end the match, Kournikova let out a yell as she pumped her fist. "I didn't pay attention to the score," Kournikova said. "After I was up 4-0, she started playing very well. But that's what the better players do, they play better." Kournikova, ranked 18th, has yet to win a tournament in her five seasons on the WTA Tour. "It showed me that I can do it and that I can win with my game," Kournikova said. "It brings a lot of confidence to me." Davenport rolled through the first set with ease, but Kournikova began hitting the ball better in the second set and started moving Davenport around the court. Kournikova, 19, took a 4-1 lead in the set and closed it out on an error by Davenport. "I had some chances early in the second set that I didn't take," Davenport said. "Once you let a player like that back into the match, she starts to feel more comfortable and hits better and better." Kournikova dominated the first four games of the third set, but Davenport rebounded as she became more aggressive and began to gain momentum. "When she got up, she started to choke a bit," Davenport said. "But I couldn't do enough to quite get on top of her." [small photo on page]
ABC News: Sunday, August 06, 2000: Anna Fizzles in Semifinal Match Against Seles
CARLSBAD, Calif. — Anna Kournikova is still searching for her first tournament victory. Monica Seles cooled down Kournikova with a 6-3, 7-6 (2) victory in the semifinals of the $535,000 Acura Classic. In today’s finals, Seles will face Venus Williams, who trounced Amy Frazier 6-2, 6-3 in the other semifinal. Williams has won 14 straight matches and seeking her third tournament title in a row. Seles, winner of nine Grand Slam titles, played her best match of the week as she bounced Kournikova, who beat two top 10 players to reach the semis. Kournikova, who beat No. 2-ranked Lindsay Davenport in the second round, got off to a sluggish start as she had in her last two matches. However, after rebounding to force a second-set tiebreak, Kournikova committed six unforced errors.
CBS SportsLine: Saturday, Sept. 2, 2000: Match of the Day: Kournikova/Capriati (14) vs. Navratilova/Sanchez-Vicaro
...Keep in mind with Kournikova that she is an outstanding doubles player and seems to enjoy the game. As for Navratilova/Sanchez-Vicario, they were thrilled to win a third-set tiebreak over Sabine Appelmans-Linda Wild.
CNNSI.com: Friday, October 13, 2000: Palmer, Sanchez-Vicario win mixed doubles crown
(photo) NEW YORK (CNN/SI) -- Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and Jared Palmer became the first champions at the U.S. Open on Thursday, capturing the mixed doubles title with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Anna Kournikova and Max Mirnyi. Sanchez-Vicario and Palmer, the second-seeded team, played together for the first time at the Open. "I think the key to the whole week was Arantxa returned serves so well," Palmer said. "Arantxa is such a good returner I was able to do some stuff up at the net." "I try to help as much as I can," Sanchez-Vicario said. "Jared gave me a lot of confidence. I feel comfortable playing with him." They won the first prize of $126,000, while the fourth seeded team of Kournikova and Mirnyi won $63,000. Kournikova and Mirnyi upset the top-seeded team of Rennae Stubbs and Todd Woodbridge in the semifinals.
CNNSI.com: Wednesday, October 11, 2000: French television station thrown out of Swisscom
(photo) ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) -- A French television station was banished from the Swisscom Challenge on Wednesday after repeatedly approaching fourth-seeded Anna Kournikova despite being turned down for interviews. The WTA Tour said that three reporters from M6 had been "extremely aggressive" and had "gone behind the organizer's back" to try and speak with Kournikova, pretending they had clearance for an interview that neither the WTA Tour nor the tournament had sanctioned. Aside from having their credentials revoked, the threesome was given an hour to check out of the official hotel. WTA Tour officials said that after Kournikova's agent had refused them an interview with her, the television crew approached the tennis star and her family at practice, where she declined to answer questions. Then, bluffing, the crew told her they had already cleared it with her agent. The three members of the TV crew, Delphine Lopez, Jean-Michel Gomez and Jean-Luc Rault Cheyenet, then followed the Kournikovas to the hotel and were again "forceful" in trying to get her to speak with them. At breakfast the next day, the crew returned for another attempt at interviewing her. "The reporters wound up at the hotel and there was an altercation between them and the Kournikova family about leaving them alone," WTA Tour vice-president of communications Chris DeMaria said. "They asked for an interview. They were respectfully declined but they refused to follow protocol and etiquette. And when you camp out in the hotel lobby, that's going overboard.
BBC Sport: Sunday, 5 November, 2000: Kournikova slammed by ex-coach
Anna Kournikova's former coach insists she needs more discipline if she wants to finally win her first singles tournament. The Russian pin-up is the cynosure of women's tennis despite her unenviable record of never having won a singles title. Her former coach, Dutchman Eric van Harpen, told Der Speigel magazine that Kournikova is a victim of her own marketing success. He said: "She has sufficient talent to be in the world's top five and stay there for a long time. But she doesn't do everything she can to get there. She's not disciplined enough in her work. "When she reached her career best of ninth I thought she would come and tell me: 'That's it, we've made it, nobody can knock us out of the top 10. But nothing happened." The 19-year-old Kournikova did in fact haul herself back into the top 10 last week after a final appearance in Moscow, where she went down to doubles partner Martina Hingis.
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