From Kournikova to Sharapova: what the iconic Russian tennis players of the 2000s look like today

At one time, Anna became the youngest participant in the Olympic Games in the history of Russia – at the time of her debut at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, she was 15 years and 47 days old. In many ways, the triumphal march of Russian tennis players began with Kournikova – after her they began to look at them more closely and, of course, admired the beauty of Russian stars. Kournikova was included in the list of the sexiest women on the planet, and her romances were followed by paparazzi.

Kournikova’s professional achievements may seem modest compared to those of other athletes: she won the Australian Open twice and the WTA finals in doubles. In 2003, after being injured, the athlete ended her career. Since 2001, Anna has been in a relationship with singer Enrique Iglesias, whom she met on the set of a video. The couple already have three children: twins Nicholas and Lucy and their daughter Mary.

Myskina was the first tennis player in the entire post-Soviet space to win a Grand Slam singles title. For some time, the athlete was in the shadow of Elena Dementieva, who was her childhood friend, but in the Roland Garros final of the 2004/2005 season all the emphasis was on: Myskina defeated his opponent.

After retiring, Myskina tried herself as a presenter and in 2016 she was elected vice-president of the Russian Tennis Federation. The tennis player does not like to talk about her personal life, so there are few known facts. Myskina was once engaged to hockey player Konstantin Korneev, but things never progressed to marriage. Since 2006, Myskina has been dating entrepreneur and civil servant Sergei Mamedov, with whom she gave birth to three sons, but in 2017 the couple broke up.

Elena can boast of the greatest achievement in the life of any athlete: she is the 2008 Olympic champion in singles.

The spectacular blonde had many fans not only among tennis fans – for many she became the “successor” to Kournikova’s image. Demetyeva was also invited to appear in videos, but after finishing her career she worked on television.

Since 2007, Elena has been married to hockey player Maxim Affinogenov, and the couple has two children.

Read also: You gasp! How Sergeant Sinichkina from the cult film “The meeting place cannot be changed” changed

Maria became a bronze medalist at the London Olympics in doubles, as well as a finalist in two Grand Slam tournaments in doubles. At the height of her career, the tennis player starred for Sports Illustrated and collaborated with Adidas.

In 2011, Maria began dating Alexander Ovechkin, young people were planning a wedding, but unexpectedly for everyone they broke up. In 2015, Kirilenko married civil servant Alexei Stepanov and, after giving birth to two children, decided not to return to big sports. Today, Maria coaches children at her own tennis school.

The sister of the famous Marat Safina did not disgrace her family name on the world courts. The girl became the world’s first racket and won silver at the Olympic Games in singles.

Today, Dinara lives in Monte-Carlo and publishes photos of her “beautiful life” on social networks. The athlete is not officially in a relationship.

Sharapova became a tennis phenomenon in the 2000s and by far the best Russian tennis player in history. The fact that a unique athlete appeared on the world stage immediately became clear: Maria first participated in an adult tournament at the age of 14! 2004 was a triumphant year, when Sharapova defeated world number one Serena Williams in the final and won Wimbledon.

Since 2018, Maria has been dating British millionaire Alex Gilkes. They got engaged in 2020, but the lovers have not yet married. But they have already managed to become parents: in 2022, their son Théodore was born. Today, Maria is developing her own business.

Even more interesting materials – in our telegram channel