Sometimes, all it takes is hearing a single name to cast our minds back to the past. For example, we recently overheard someone mention Anna Kournikova, and they discussed how easy the tennis legend must have had. When they said that, we very nearly spit our water out in shock and surprise.
That’s because Kournikova had a surprisingly sad life punctuated by one miserable moment after another. Don’t believe it? Keep reading to discover the saddest things about Anna Kournikova’s life!
Dealing with a controlling mother
Anna Kournikova was a tennis prodigy early on, and she certainly owes some of her success to the encouragement of her mother, Alla Kournikova. On paper, having a very supportive mother may sound like a good thing. In reality, though, Alla was very controlling and may have effectively held her daughter’s career back.
Her coach, tennis icon Nick Bollettieri said as much in the 2002 documentary below. “I believe what happened here—whether it was deliberate or not deliberate—is that Anna became too dependent on her mother,” he said. “She [Anna] always had to answer to someone on the sidelines. Her mother really did run the show and sort of have different ideas of how she felt the ball should be hit.” Because of this, “I really never had the chance to develop Anna Kournikova’s strokes.”
Considering how Kournikova’s career eventually plateaued, it seems his assessment was, sadly, correct.