Anna Kournikova, the Russian tennis player that exploded on the scene in grand fashion when she reached the fourth round of the 1996 U.S. Open at the age of 15 and later turned her good looks into a successful modeling career, celebrated her 28th birthday on June 7.
Kournikova has not played on the WTA Tour since 2003, but still plays exhibition matches for charitable causes. Often criticized for being a pretty face and not much more, Kournikova was listed No. 18 on the 2002 ESPN 25 Biggest Sports Flops of the Past 25 Years.
While she may not have enjoyed much success on the tennis court, Kournikova continues to be a hot commodity, serving as the current spokesperson for K-Swiss and Omega watches.
Kournikova also remains among one of the most photographed women on the planet, appearing in dozens of magazine layouts annually.
Among her most notable magazine appearances are the 2004 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, the 2002 FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World and Maxim magazine.
People magazine has named Kournikova among their 50 Most Beautiful People four times and was voted Hottest Female Athlete on ESPN.com.
Since I’ve highlighted Kournikova on the site before, the images below aren’t necessarily the best, but you can view the cream of the crop from a previous post here.
At any rate, the gallery isn’t bad and besides, this is all about wishing Anna Kournikova a happy birthday.
[...] Happy (Belated) Birthday Anna Kournikova (MoonDogSports) [...]