04/18/24
December 11, 2005
Russian Star Anna Kournikova Says May Return to Tennis: The 24-year-old Russian, who hasn’t played professionally since 2003 because of back problems, said she doesn’t have any plans to return to the WTA Tour any time soon, but added that "the possibility is not completely out of the question."
must be tough to wash out of tennis and modeling before age 25.
posted by ninjavshippo at 02:14 PM on December 11, 2005
Kournikova isn't as much of a joke in pro tennis as people make her out to be. She once beat four top-10 players in a row, reached five semi-finals in 2002 and was ranked as high as No. 4 in doubles. I don't see how she could be better at 24 than she was at 21, but if Capriati could hulk up and come back at 25, it's certainly within the realm of possibility.
posted by rcade at 03:12 PM on December 11, 2005
Who cares certainly neirher I or Sergei Fedorov!
posted by Joe Veltri at 04:36 PM on December 11, 2005
If she enjoys playing competitive tennis enough to return, sure, I'm all for it. I really don't think she necessarily has to come back and be ranked to be a success; coming back from a major injury and being able to play competitively is incredible. I mean, there are thousands of people who don't make it. For her to make it twice, that's great. But, I guess we can hold her to a higher regard because she has other attributes which she is capable of using to get by in this world. Honestly, would it even be a story if it was Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario coming back from an injury?
posted by dfleming at 05:51 PM on December 11, 2005
That would be news, dfleming. There'd be fewer fapping 12-year-old idiots in that thread, but in tennis terms, it'd certainly be bigger news than this.
posted by chicobangs at 08:37 PM on December 11, 2005
I am confused. As far as I know Kournikova has never won a major tennis tournament. Who cares if she doesn't come back, she was not a major force anyways (other than a piece of ass to stare at.) I just wish I could retire at 24 (Oops, that would have been last year)
posted by mcstan13 at 09:32 PM on December 11, 2005
"back problems". Good one.
posted by worldcup2002 at 11:26 PM on December 11, 2005
Don't be an idjit, wick-tick-tooey.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 07:30 AM on December 12, 2005
waka waka waka!
posted by worldcup2002 at 08:25 AM on December 12, 2005
Like she was really a big threat in the first place hahaha. She has a hell of a lot of work to do if she thinks that's a good idea to come back. She's better at standing there and looking pretty than she is at playing tennis. But then again I might be jealous hahahaha. No.
posted by Irish Gal at 11:09 AM on December 12, 2005
Oh yeah!! She's already been replaced with a hot blonde anyway!! That's why! She wants to be the hottest blonde in tennis! I can't remember her name but I've seen her in commercials and ads. Ha!
posted by Irish Gal at 11:49 AM on December 12, 2005
Irish Gal, the "hot blonde" won a major championship last year, and since you can't remember her name, maybe you might have thought about not going there. I'm not telling you not to, but OTOH I don't go into NBA threads and comment on that team that won the NBA championship last year whose name I can't remember. (they sure were hot, though. and blond.)
posted by lil_brown_bat at 11:57 AM on December 12, 2005
Oh she was hardly a terrible tennis player. She was simply accorded more coverage than her results seemed to demand (but not her sexiness - day-yam)- let's not pretend she wasn't a top-ten, top-twenty talent for pretty much her entire career. There does appear to be a bit of a vaccuum right now in Women's Tennis - outside of Venus, Sharapova and Justine Henin-Hardenne, there really is a lot of room for competition. It's not beyond her - provided she's actually spent some time practicing her backhand, and not her 3/4 profile shot.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 12:07 PM on December 12, 2005
There does appear to be a bit of a vaccuum right now in Women's Tennis - outside of Venus, Sharapova and Justine Henin-Hardenne, there really is a lot of room for competition. And Clijsters, and Mauresmo, and Davenport, and Pierce, and...
posted by lil_brown_bat at 12:21 PM on December 12, 2005
You're right, Davenport deserves more regard, and Clijsters, too. Okay - there are a lot of good women tennis players right now, not a lot of dominance by one. Maybe that's what I mean.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 01:20 PM on December 12, 2005
Agreed on that, Weedy -- with the right number of good players in the mix, they can knock each other off, largely. It's not like you've got two really strong players on opposite sides of the brackets -- the way things are now, you don't know who you might face in the final, and the women on that list have very different games. Can't wait for 2006!!!
posted by lil_brown_bat at 01:45 PM on December 12, 2005
Nobody's hotter than Sharapova. However, she looked at Hingis, and will now return. Tennis needs Hingis, not Anna.
posted by Joe88 at 02:22 PM on December 12, 2005
Where are the damn pics?!
posted by StarFucker at 02:23 PM on December 13, 2005
Kournikova isn't as much of a joke in pro tennis as people make her out to be. I don't think being in the top ten in the world in anything is a joke. However, she's gotten more attention than an equal player of her level could ever hope for. Not her fault. But there's a common thought that if she had paid more attention to her tennis and less to 'other' things she could have been number one. Considering those opinions come from tennis insiders and former coaches I'd say they have at least a bit of validity.
posted by justgary at 12:33 PM on December 14, 2005
That's right if she spent more time winning matches and not flashing her bling to reporters and having billboards made of her posing in sports bras she could have been considered. But Anna never intended to be a real tennis star she just wanted to show everyone how pretty and sexy she was, make a lot of money on promoting. Tennis was not her number one priority. Maria is more talented and much more level headed. She is in commercials and she still can find the time and motivation to win a major. And at her age. Anna could never do it, she was way too immature running around with Sergi and Pavel. Remember when everyone started calling Daniela Hantuchova the next Anna? She hasn't done squat.
posted by 2sweet<> at 11:36 PM on December 22, 2005
(Okay, I'll get it out of the way.) "Return" implies that she was there before. I saw the exhibition match she played with Martina Hingis in Rio a couple of days ago, in which they played one set (which Hingis won, 6-1) and then Anna retired with a blister on her hand. She looked beatable. Hell, Abe Vigoda could have taken her in straight sets the way she played. Color me skeptical.