Copyright 1998 Craig Dunning
|
|
Sergei and Alla Kournikova
knew that their lives would change when they brought daughter Anna
into the world on June 7, 1981. They just didn't know the entire tennis
world would soon be turned upside down as well.
Both Sergei, a natural athlete who wrestled professionally and coached
tennis part-time, and Alla encouraged their daughter to take part
in physical activity at an early age. When she turned five, Anna received
a Christmas gift that would change her life. "I found my first racquets
under the Christmas tree," Anna says, "but I found out later that
my parents sold one of their TVs to get me those racquets."
From that moment, Anna has rarely put down her racquet. She started
hitting at Moscow's Soklniki Park and soon was a member of the prestigious
Spartak Tennis Club, coached by the husband of Russian pro Olga Morozova.
At eight, Anna began appearing in junior clinics and quickly caught
the eye of local tennis scouts. Still, she says, her childhood was
"regular, average" as she spent a lot of time shopping, going to amusement
parks and spending time with friends. Source: Kournikova.com
|
