Driven: Anna Kournikova traces the journey of a Russian tennis prodigy's earliest glimmer of stardom to the first blush of full-blown success. The episode examines the blueprint for Anna's accomplishments and that ineffable something that drove her forward despite obstacles and setbacks. In Driven: Anna Kournikova you'll hear the candid personal thoughts of those who played pivotal roles in her early life and in the development of her career, both on and off the court.
Driven: Anna Kournikova highlights include:
- When Anna was five, she received her first tennis racquet as a Christmas gift. Anna would later learn that her father sold the family television set to buy it.
- In the winter, Anna would scrape the snow off the courts, don a pair of gloves and play for hours.
- In the fall of 1990, when Anna was nine, an agent from International Management Group (IMG) went to see Anna play and offered her an opportunity of a lifetime: a full scholarship to the Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida.
- Anna slashed her way through the junior circuit, winning the European Championships, Italian Open, and Orange Bowl in 1995 to finish as the ITF Junior World Champion.
- In her first grand slam tournament, the US Open, she reached the quarterfinals, before succumbing to the eventual champion, Steffi Graf.
- In 1997, she reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in her first trip to the All England Club, becoming only the 2nd woman in history to accomplish such a feat.
- As a 15-year old, she is rumored to be dating the Detroit Red Wings star and family friend, Sergei Fedorov.
- On the court she has her greatest moments, beating 4 Top 10 players in 4 straight days at the Lipton Championships, defeating her peer Martina Hingis in Germany.
- Anna and Martina Hingis become doubles partners winning numerous tournaments.
- Kournikova began 2000 ranked No 8 in the world in singles and No. 1 in doubles.
- Injuries continue to sideline Kournikova and send her tennis game to the sidelines.
- In 2002, Anna is voted the Sexiest Woman in the World by FHM Magazine, an honor usually bestowed upon models or actresses. She is the only athlete in the list.
Some of the interview highlights include
Peter Bodo, Sr. Editor, Tennis Magazine: "Right from the start Anna seemed really to be focused on sports. She wasn't interested in the dolls, she wasn't interested in a lot of other quote girlish activities."
Darrell Fry, Sports Writer: "She had it. I don't know what it is, but if you could put it in a bottle, you could sell it for a million dollars. That's what Anna had."
Nick Bollettieri, Anna's former coach: "Once she turned on that charm that's it. And she created, an excitement that only a few people can do."
Gabe Jaramillo, Anna's coach at Bollettieri: "There were a lot of players there that were much better with bigger names. But, her matches were full. Everybody wanted to watch Anna."
Frank Deford, Sports broadcaster: "To get the semifinals at Wimbledon is a whole lot better than winning some rinky-dink tournament somewhere in the middle of nowhere."
Peter Bodo:, Sr. Editor, Tennis Magazine: "You have the tabloids just poised and ready to pounce on anything. They picked up on Anna, and just ran with it."
Phil de Picciotto, Anna's agent: "She had been the best junior player in the world. She had been the best doubles player in the world. And she now became one of the top ten singles players in the world."
Frank Deford, Sports broadcaster: "There was this combination of the innocence of this little child, who was just bursting into femininity, and it came along at a time when women's tennis was very big, and all of these things came together, and just created this perfect storm for Anna."
Harold Solomon, Anna's former coach: "She and Martina hardly lost a match. I mean, they played together for, you know, two or three years, and, and they were almost unbeatable when they were playing together."
Patrick McGee, Anna's marketing executive: "She was on the cover of Forbes, Sports Illustrated, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, uh, she was the most searched for athlete on the internet, uh, and all of that really came together, her popularity really seemed to soar."
Harold Solomon, Anna's former coach: "Being with Anna is really more like being with a rock star."
Scott Gramling, Editor-in-chief, FHM Magazine: "Anna was ecstatic to be voted sexiest woman in the world. And I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that it's voted on by FHM readers around the world. It's a popularity contest, and she loves the adulation."
Some of the footage highlights include:
- Home videos of Anna at the famous Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy
- Never before seen footage of Anna's earliest Jr. matches
- Rare photos of Anna when she came to America at 9 years of age
- Behind the scenes footage of Anna's calendar shoots
Anna Kournikova was born June 7, 1981 to humble upbringings in Communist era Russia. The seeds for her athleticism were planted early, with both her mother and father as former athletes. Although ice-skating and gymnastics were the glamour sports for girls in Russia at the time, Anna preferred running around with the boys in more physical pursuits. When her parents saw how much she enjoyed hitting tennis balls against their apartment building, they made an investment that would change their lives forever.
When Anna was five, her father sold the family television to buy Anna her first tennis rackets as a Christmas gift. From that moment, Anna would rarely put the rackets down. Before long, Anna was accepted as a junior member at prestigious Spartak Athletic Club in Moscow
When Spartak tennis pro Larisa Preobrazhenskay saw Anna's talent and determination, she agreed to give Anna extra coaching and playing time. Tennis had become Anna's obsession. She was determined to learn everything she could about the sport.
Arriving in America at the age of nine, Anna started her training at the celebrated Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. Anna managed to flourish at the academy. She slashed her way through the junior circuit, winning the prestigious Orange Bowl in 1995 to finish as the number one junior player in the world. By then, news of her talent and charisma had spread like wildfire. Anna was on the professional track, and everyone knew it.
Anna burst onto the professional tennis scene in 1996. In her first grand slam tournament, the US Open, she reached the quarterfinals, before succumbing to the eventual champion, Steffi Graf. The 1996 WTA Most Impressive newcomer, Kournikova parlayed her efforts to new heights. In 1997, she reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in her first trip to the All England Club, becoming only the 2nd woman in history to accomplish such a feat. She burst onto the scene with a sense of style and flair that separated her from the rest of the pack.
However, an injury would sideline her for two months, unable to defend her Wimbledon semifinal appearance. It would mark the start of what would become an injury-plagued and tumultuous few years of tennis for Kournikova. Now, with new time to devote to her endorsements and modeling, her fame began to surge.
In 2000, Anna became one of five female tennis players named to Forbes Magazine "Power 100 in Fame and Fortune" list. She also becomes the top downloaded athlete with over 20,000 web pages. In 2002, Anna was voted by the readers of FHM Magazine as the "Sexiest Woman in the World", an honor usually reserved for supermodels or movie stars.
Despite the critics, Kournikova has changed the game of tennis, focusing media and fan attention to the women's game and bringing newfound notoriety to the WTA and its players. Anna's cross-over appeal has helped her peers in their own marketing abilities. Attendance is up, purses are up, and media attention is up. While there are several reasons for this change, Anna Kournikova' presence is undoubtedly a major one. Intentionally or not, she has greatly improved the marketing and promotion of her game.
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