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K-Swiss, Inc. (NASDAQ: KSWS) is an American footwear company based in Westlake Village, California.^[1] The company designs, develops, and markets a range of athletic shoes under the K-Swiss brand.

History[link]

K-Swiss was founded in 1966 in Los Angeles, California, by the two Swiss brothers Art and Ernie Brunner who became interested in tennis after immigrating to the United States, where they introduced the first leather tennis shoes.

In 1986, Steven Nichols, while working at Stride Rite, was so impressed with the K-Swiss tennis shoe that he tried to convince his bosses to purchase the K-Swiss company. When his superiors passed on the opportunity he headed a group of investors that bought the company for $20 million. Mr. Nichols called the K-Swiss white stripes on white leather tennis shoe a "classic 50-year shoe", and in 2005, global sales passed $500 million. The company has grown internationally and passed $100 million in revenue in Europe in 2006. It acquired the Royal Elastics shoe firm in 2001,^[2] but sold it off to a management-led investment group in 2009.^[3]

In the 1990s, Steven Nichols boosted K-Swiss's marketing budget and hired a number of key individuals from large companies, such as Procter and Gamble, and began a marketing blitz around the K-Swiss brand. Advertising campaigns encouraged users to personalize the trademark stripes under the slogan "Put Your Spin on It." The brand includes their color changing K-Swiss Tongue Twister in 2003, the Stripe Shifter, and most recently their Band Em footwear styles.

Steven Nichols owns a little over 22% of the K-Swiss company (2006). His son David Nichols is the company's Executive Vice President since 1995 and President of Europe Operations.

In July 2011, an advertising video was released wherein the fictional character Kenny Powers was reported to have "purchased" 51% of K-Swiss stock.^[4]

References[link]

External links[link]

	Los Angeles portal
	Companies portal

• K-Swiss official website

Matt Cassel

At a game in Denver in January, 2010.
No. 7     Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback
Personal information
Date of birth: (1982-05-17) May 17, 1982 (age 30)
Place of birth: Northridge, California
Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Weight: 210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
College: Southern California
NFL Draft: 2005 / Round: 7 / Pick: 230
Debuted in 2005 for the New England Patriots
Career history
New England Patriots (2005–2008) Kansas City Chiefs (2009–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
1× Pro Bowl selection (2010) 2× AFC Offensive Player of the Week (2008) Back to back 400-yard games (2008) USA Today All-Joe team (2008) AFC Offensive Player of the Month (November 2010)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2011
TD–INT 76–45 Passing Yards 11,699 QB Rating 82.5 Stats at NFL.com

Matthew Gus Brennan "Matt" Cassel (born May 17, 1982) is a quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League.^[1] He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played his college football at the University of Southern California.

He became the Patriots' starting quarterback after Week 1 of the 2008 season after then reigning NFL MVP Tom Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury. According to ESPN research, he is the only known quarterback in NFL history to start an NFL game at quarterback without ever starting at quarterback in college. In February 2009, the Patriots used their franchise tag on Cassel, extending him a one-year contract worth over $14 million, the largest one-year contract for an offensive player in NFL history.^[2][3] Later that offseason, the Patriots made a trade which sent Cassel to the Chiefs,^[4] who signed him to a 6 year, $62.7 million contract in July 2009. In 2010, Cassel led the Chiefs to their first division title in seven years, and earned a Pro Bowl berth in the process.

Early years[link]

Cassel was born in Northridge, Los Angeles, California. When Cassel was 11 years old, his family home was at the epicenter of the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which at one point trapped his father Greg under a marble column and led water from their swimming pool to flood their house. Their home was eventually condemned as a result, forcing the Cassel family to move.^[5]

Cassel was the starting first baseman on the Northridge baseball team that reached the finals of the 1994 Little League World Series.^[6]

Cassel attended Chatsworth High School and was a letterman, an all-city selection, and a standout in both football and baseball. As a senior, he was ranked as the number eight quarterback and number 53 overall of the top high school players in the nation according to ESPN's Tom Lemming's Top 100. Lemming called Cassel a "pro-style pocket passer with a very strong, accurate delivery."^[7] In addition to playing quarterback, Cassel was also Chatsworth's punter.^[8]

Cassel committed to play at USC before starting his senior year in high school.^[9]

Cassel also had an appearance in the HBO Family program Freshman Year, a reality show in which his younger brother was one of the featured students.

College career[link]

Cassel spent his entire Trojan career as a backup behind Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer ^[10] and Matt Leinart. Cassel was the backup for Palmer during his Heisman-winning 2002 season. In the fall, Cassel lost the battle for the starting position to the previous third-string quarterback in Leinart. As a result of Leinart's success, Cassel spent time at tight end and wide receiver in 2003, and some special teams that year. He started at halfback against California once as well, making his lone collegiate start at that position. During his four seasons there, Cassel completed 19 of 33 passes for 192 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception.^[11]

Cassel, a communication major at USC, was also roommates with current Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu^[12] and Carson Palmer.^[13]

Cassel played one season of baseball for USC in 2004, he had an 0–1 record with 10 strikeouts and 4 walks, he played in 8 games and started 1. Cassel struck out in his only at bat in college. He also had 2 saves with a 9.35 ERA, and was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 36th round of the 2004 MLB Draft.^[14]

Statistics[link]

^[15]

Professional career[link]

New England Patriots[link]

Despite having had little chance to demonstrate his skills in actual game situations at USC, Cassel earned himself a place on several NFL teams' draft boards after working out at USC's 2005 Pro Day. One of Cassel's coaches, Norm Chow, who had left USC to become the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, had discussed signing Cassel as an undrafted free agent after the 2005 NFL Draft; Chow was surprised to learn the Patriots had drafted Cassel in the seventh round, with the 230th overall pick,^[16] ahead of more accomplished college quarterbacks such as Timmy Chang and 2003 Heisman trophy winner Jason White.

2005 season[link]

Cassel began the 2005 season third on the Patriots' depth chart behind Tom Brady and Doug Flutie, after beating out two more veteran quarterbacks, Chris Redman and Rohan Davey.^[17] He saw his first regular season action in the closing minutes of the Patriots' 41–17 loss to the San Diego Chargers on October 2, 2005, going 2-for-4 for 15 yards and throwing an interception.

In the Patriots' final game of the 2005 regular season, a 28–26 loss to the Miami Dolphins on January 1, 2006, Cassel played the final three quarters. Though he was sacked for a safety, he threw two touchdown passes, one to Tim Dwight, and the second to Benjamin Watson. The pass to Dwight set up a drop-kick by Doug Flutie, the first such kick since 1941.

2006 season[link]

Following Flutie's retirement in the 2006 offseason, Cassel moved up to second on the Patriots' depth chart. Although the Patriots considered signing a veteran quarterback to compete with him, Cassel played well in preseason and became the primary backup to Brady. Cassel was on the 45-man active roster for all 16 games in 2006; when the Patriots brought in yet another Heisman winner, Vinny Testaverde, Testaverde acted as the emergency quarterback.

In Week 16 of the 2006 season, after injuries to Josh Miller and Ken Walter, Cassel assumed duties as holder for kicker Stephen Gostkowski. He also led a late touchdown drive in Week 17 against the Tennessee Titans.

2007 season[link]

In Week 7 of the 2007 season, Cassel's second pass was intercepted by Jason Taylor of the Miami Dolphins and returned for a touchdown. The next week, with the Patriots leading the Washington Redskins 45–0, he capped off the 52–7 blowout with a 15-yard touchdown run in which he dove over two Redskins defenders to reach the end zone, the longest touchdown run by a Patriots quarterback in more than two decades.^[18]

2008 season[link]

Cassel in action against the Broncos in October 2008

In the 2008 season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, Cassel came under center when Brady suffered a torn ACL and MCL in the first quarter from a hit by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard. Cassel led the Patriots to a 17–10 victory, completing 13 of 18 passes for 152 yards and one touchdown; Cassel's drives accounted for all of New England's points.

The day after the game, the Patriots confirmed that Brady's serious injuries would sideline him for the rest of the season. Although the Patriots did bring veteran quarterbacks Chris Simms and Tim Rattay to Foxborough,^[19] they signed neither, and kept Cassel as the starter.

Cassel made his first-ever start on Sunday, September 14, 2008, with a winning effort over the New York Jets, completing 16 of 23 passes for 165 yards; though he threw no touchdowns, he also threw no interceptions. The Patriots' 19–10 victory was the first time in six tries that a quarterback making his first NFL start defeated a team led by Brett Favre.^[20]

Cassel was voted AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his Week 7 performance against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. He had 183 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 41–7 rout, which made it his first three touchdown pass game.^[21]

Cassel scored the second rushing touchdown of his career on a 13-yard touchdown in Week 10 against the Buffalo Bills. Cassel had zero touchdowns, but also zero interceptions, as he led the Patriots to a 20–10 win; the Patriots held the ball in the game for over 37 minutes; the final 19-play drive, which lasted over 9 minutes, tied a franchise record for most plays in a single drive.

In the Patriots' 34–31 overtime loss to the New York Jets, on November 13, 2008, Cassel led the Patriots on three consecutive scoring drives to bring them back from a 24–6 deficit with two minutes left in the first half, and threw a 16-yard touchdown to Randy Moss on 4th-and-1 with one second remaining to send the game into overtime. He finished 30-for-51 passing, with 400 yards, 3 touchdowns (and a pass for a two-point conversion), and no interceptions for a passer rating of 103.4, and 62 yards rushing on eight attempts. Cassel became the first Patriot to throw for 300 yards and rush for 50 yards in the same game, and the first player since at least the AFL-NFL merger to have 400 passing yards and 60 rushing yards in the same game.^[22]

In Week 12, Cassel led the Patriots to a 48–28 win over the Miami Dolphins, who in Week 3 had ended the Patriots' NFL record 21-game regular season win streak. While Cassel threw for just 131 yards in the Week 3 loss, his Week 12 performance topped his performance against the Jets: Cassel completed 30 of 43 passes for 415 yards, three touchdowns to Randy Moss, and one interception, for a passer rating of 114.0; Cassel also had 14 yards on two rushes, including an 8-yard touchdown run. The performance made Cassel the first quarterback in franchise history, and only the fifth quarterback in NFL history, to have consecutive games with 400+ yards passing. His efforts earned him the title of AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time.^[23]

In Week 15, against the Oakland Raiders, Cassel, playing just six days after the death of his father, set a new personal best, throwing for four touchdowns in the Patriots' 49–26 rout.^[24]

Matt Cassel during the 2008 NFL season.

In Week 16, against the playoff-bound Arizona Cardinals, Cassel led the Patriots to a 47–7 blowout win through snow, sleet, and rain in the Patriots' last regular-season home game of 2008. Cassel, playing in snow for the first time ever,^[25] nevertheless completed 20 of 36 passes for 345 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions, while helping the Patriots remain in the hunt for the AFC East title. In a role reversal, Matt Leinart entered the game as the Cardinals' backup quarterback when Kurt Warner was pulled from the game with the Cardinals trailing 44–0; Leinart completed 6 of 14 passes, for 138 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.^[26]

In Week 17, Cassel led the Patriots to their fourth consecutive win, 13–0 over the Buffalo Bills in a game marked by winds so severe that they bent the goalposts both before and during the game.^[27] Cassel completed 6 passes out of just 8 attempts, the second-lowest attempt total in franchise history (the lowest being the 5 attempts of the 1982 Snowplow Game).^[8] Cassel finished with 78 yards, zero touchdowns, and zero interceptions; his most notable play, however, was a quick kick punt on third down in the fourth quarter; with the wind at his back, Cassel's kick landed inside the 20, and then rolled towards the Bills' end zone before it was downed, stranding the Bills at their own 2-yard line, struggling against the wind, down two scores with five minutes remaining.

Franchise tag[link]

Cassel, in the last year of his four-year rookie contract, was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2009. Given the quality of his performance, and the uncertainty over Brady's recovery, NFL analysts and reporters raised the question of whether the Patriots should, or would, franchise Cassel,^[28][29] less than three months after some of those same reporters predicted Cassel would be cut from the team.^[30]

On January 4, 2009, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that the Patriots would franchise Cassel.^[31] The Patriots made it official on February 5, 2009, the first day of the 2009 franchise period,^[32] and Cassel agreed to the tender two days later.^[33]

Kansas City Chiefs[link]

2009 season[link]

On February 28, 2009, the Patriots traded both Cassel and OLB Mike Vrabel to the Kansas City Chiefs for the No. 34 overall selection in the 2009 NFL Draft.^[4][34] In what NFL Network's Adam Schefter (now with ESPN) described as "one of the wilder and more complex behind-the-scene dramas the NFL has seen in any recent offseason," both the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers proposed three-way trades to the Denver Broncos, in which they would have received Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler, the Broncos would have received Cassel, and New England would have received a first-round draft pick.^[35]

Cassel then briefly became teammates with Bernard Pollard, the player whose hit caused Brady's injury and subsequently made Cassel a starter. In an interview, Cassel said he would "thank" Pollard for the opportunity, but also stated that he believed the hit on Brady was "unintentional" and he never wishes to see anyone get hurt while playing.^[36] Pollard later signed with the Houston Texans.

Cassel was expected to compete with Tyler Thigpen, who started 11 games for the Chiefs in 2008, for the starting quarterback position.^[37] Since Cassel's number 16 from New England is retired in Kansas City in honor of Len Dawson, Cassel decided to wear number 7; he chose 7 because it equals one plus six.^[38] Eventually, Thigpen was traded to the Miami Dolphins.

On July 14, 2009, the Chiefs signed Cassel to a six-year, $62.7 million contract that includes $28 million in guaranteed money, and $40.5 million in total compensation in the first three seasons.^[39]

On August 29, 2009, Cassel suffered an MCL injury during the 1st quarter of a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. Cassel was dragged to the ground and grabbed for his knee immediately upon impact. He attempted to continue playing but called a timeout and limped off the field.^[40] Brodie Croyle started the final game of the preseason against the St. Louis Rams as well as the regular season opening game against the Baltimore Ravens when Cassel was still unable to play.^[41][42] Cassel, though, has started every game since then going 4–11. Matt Cassel threw for 2,924 yards with 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions and had a quarterback rating of 69.9 in first season with the Kansas City Chiefs.

2010 Season[link]

In 2010 Cassel had a resurgent season starting with a 21–14 victory over the San Diego Chargers in the opening week's Monday Night Football late game at home in Arrowhead. Cassel would build off of this start helping guide the Chiefs to a 7–4 record over the first 12 weeks of football. Due to his form during November, he was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for November. Cassel completed 90 of 144 passes (62.5%) for 1,111 yards and an NFL-leading 12 touchdowns, with just one interception. He had a 111.2 quarterback rating for the month.^[43] As a result of his performance against the Seattle Seahawks, Cassel won the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week award, as voted by the fans.^[44]

On December 8, 2010, Cassel underwent an emergency appendectomy. It was unclear at the time whether he would be able to play in that week's game against the San Diego Chargers.^[45] The Chiefs ended up starting backup Brodie Croyle and lost the game 31–0. Cassel would return the next two games however and would lead the Chiefs to landslide wins over both the St. Louis Rams in the Governors Cup and then at home against the Tennessee Titans. The 34–14 win over the Titans, along with a loss by the Chargers to the Bengals, helped the Chiefs clinch the division title.^[46] This would be the first Chiefs playoff game in four years and the first home playoff game since 2003, the last time the Chiefs won the AFC West division.^[46]

In January 2011 Cassel was named as an alternate to the Pro Bowl in place of an injured Tom Brady. Cassel threw for two touchdowns and two interceptions in the Pro Bowl.

2011 season[link]

In 2011, Cassel had led the Chiefs to a 4–4 record. During the first two games, Cassel only threw 1 touchdown. Those first two games were blowout loses. In the second game Cassel threw 3 interceptions. Cassel finally had his first good game throwing two touchdowns in a 17–20 loss against the Chargers. He lead the Chiefs to their first win against the Vikings were he threw for 260 yards and one touchdown. The next week, he led the Chiefs to a comeback victory against the Colts. The Colts jumped to a 17–0 lead, but Cassel threw 4 touchdowns and 257 yards with no interceptons to lead the Chiefs to a 28–24 win. After the game, Cassel had a 138.9 quarterback rating. On week 8 Cassel threw one touchdown though throwing two interceptions. Cassel injured his hand in a week 10 game vs. the Denver Broncos. He was replaced by Tyler Palko, and had surgery on the injured hand on November 14. On November 21, he was placed on injured reserve, ending his season.^[47]

Career stats[link]

Fire[link]

On the night of January 26, 2012, a fire broke out in a woman's house, in the village of Lock Loyd, Missouri. Cassel, seeing smoke from the fire, ran to her house to alert her. When he arrived at the house, he knocked on the door and rang the door bell rapidly to try and get her attention. He then ran to her back door, where he saw the woman exit the house. She said that she would not have noticed the fire unless Cassel had alerted her. Although the woman says that Cassel is a hero, he has stated: "I just ran up to the house and alerted her. The real heroes are the firefighters". According to the fire marshals, the woman's home suffered severe damage. However, they noted that if it were not for Cassel, it could have been much worse.

Personal[link]

Cassel married his longtime girlfriend Lauren Killian, (born July 31, 1981) a former USC volleyball player, in February 2007; Carson Palmer was his best man.^[48] In May 2010 Cassel and his wife welcomed their first child, a daughter, Quinn. Cassel and his wife are expecting their second child due at the beginning of December.

Cassel has three siblings, older brother Jack (who is married to Killian's USC roommate and teammate, Julie Mariani),^[48] younger brother Justin, and younger sister Amanda. Jack pitched for the Houston Astros in 2008, and signed in January 2009 with the Cleveland Indians. Justin is a pitcher for the Charlotte Knights, a AAA baseball affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

Cassel lived in Sharon, Massachusetts during his time with the Patriots.

Cassel is the son of Emmy-winning set designer Barbara Cassel and her husband Greg Cassel; they divorced when Cassel was 14. Cassel's father died on December 8, 2008.^[49][50]

See also[link]

• List of NFL quarterbacks who have passed for 400 or more yards in a game

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Matt Cassel

• Matt Cassel at NFL.com
• Stats at Pro-Football-Reference.com
• New England Patriots Bio
• Kansas City Chiefs Bio

This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (September 2008)

The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guideline for music. Please help to establish notability by adding reliable, secondary sources about the topic. If notability cannot be established, the article is likely to be merged, redirected, or deleted. (October 2009)

Charlie Sloth is a hip hop artist who was born and raised in Camden Town, North London, England.^{[citation needed]}

Sloth become known for his "Cant forget about UK" track which named pioneers such as MC Duke, Stereo MC's and TY.^{[citation needed]} He also made a remix which featured TY, Stereo MC's, Mc Duke, PRM, Funky DL and many other Pioneers.^{[citation needed]}

Sloth's music career started on London's Pirate radio Stations such as Raw FM, Freek FM and Flex FM where he was best known for his pranks.^{[citation needed]}

In 2007 he won "Most original Video" at the CraveFest awards Canada for his music video "Guided Tour of Camden",^[1] which is just what it says, and in which he calls Camden High Street "the mile of murder", and describes the crimes of "the Camden Ripper", murderer Anthony Hardy.

Sloth has also collaborated with US artists such as Craig G.^{[citation needed]}

He is a DJ on BBC Radio 1Xtra, presenting the Hip Hop mix show from 1am - 4am on Saturday mornings, and the Saturday mid-morning show. This show has been important in launching the careers of UK MCs (such as Lowkey) through his "Fire In The Booth" feature.

In 2008 Sloth won "Best Rap/Hip-Hop/R&B Unsigned Artist" at The CravesFest awards in Canada.^[2]

Sloth (as of 2010) has an online show called "Being Charlie Sloth" which shows his life and how he does everything for himself.

In April 2012, he will make the big move to Radio 1, to present the Tuesday 2-4am slot.

[[File:File:Charlie-sloth fire-in-booth bbc dj.jpg]]==Discography==

• The Big Boot (Grimey Limeys) 2004
• Secret Society (Grimey Limeys) 2006
• Hard Being Good 2008
• The Black Book 2010

References[link]

External links[link]

• Charlie Sloth at BBC Programmes (BBC Radio 1)
• Charlie Sloth at BBC Programmes (BBC Radio 1Xtra)

Anna Kournikova
Анна Ку́рникова

Kournikova at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, during a United Service Organization tour 15 Dec. 2009.
Country	Russia
Residence	Miami, Florida, United States
Born	(1981-06-07) 7 June 1981 (age 31) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	56 kg (120 lb)
Turned pro	October 1995
Retired	May 2007
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money	US$3,584,662
Singles
Career record	209–129
Career titles	0 WTA, 2 ITF[1]
Highest ranking	No. 8 (20 November 2000)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	QF (2001)
French Open	4R (1998, 1999)
Wimbledon	SF (1997)
US Open	4R (1996, 1998)
Other tournaments
Championships	SF (2000)
Olympic Games	1R (1996)
Doubles
Career record	200–71
Career titles	16 WTA[1]
Highest ranking	No. 1 (22 November 1999)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	W (1999, 2002)
French Open	F (1999)
Wimbledon	SF (2000, 2002)
US Open	QF (1996, 2002)
Other Doubles tournaments
WTA Championships	W (1999, 2000)
Last updated on: 29 October 2008.

Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova (Russian:  Анна Сергеевна Ку́рникова; born 7 June 1981) is a Russian retired professional tennis player. Her beauty and celebrity status made her one of the best known tennis stars worldwide, despite her never winning a WTA singles title. At the peak of her fame, fans looking for images of Kournikova made her name one of the most common search strings on Google.^[2][3][4]

Although reaching No. 8 in the world in 2000, she never won a WTA Title in singles. Kournikova's forte has been doubles, where she has at times been the World No. 1 player. With Martina Hingis as her partner, she won Grand Slam titles in Australia in 1999 and 2002. Based on their looks, Hingis and Kournikova referred to themselves as the "Spice Girls of Tennis".^[5]

Kournikova's professional tennis career has been curtailed, and possibly ended, by serious back and spinal problems in the past several years. She resides in Miami Beach, Florida,^[1] and plays in occasional exhibitions and in doubles for the St. Louis Aces of World Team Tennis. She was a new trainer for season 12 of the television show The Biggest Loser, replacing Jillian Michaels, but will not return for season 13. In addition to her tennis and television work, Kournikova serves as a Global Ambassador for Population Services International's Five & Alive program, which addresses health crises facing children under the age of five and their families.^[6]

Early life[link]

Anna Kournikova was born in Moscow, Soviet Union, on 7 June 1981. Her father, Sergei Kournikov (born 1961), was 19 at the time.^[7] Sergei, a former Greco-Roman wrestling champion, had earned a PhD and was a professor at the University of Physical Culture and Sport in Moscow. As of 2001, he was still a part-time martial arts instructor there.^[8] Her mother Alla (born 1962), who was 18 when Kournikova was born, had been a 400-meter runner.^[8]

Sergei Kournikov has said, "We were young and we liked the clean, physical life, so Anna was in a good environment for sport from the beginning."^[8] The family name is spelled in Russian without an "o", so a direct transliteration would be "Kurnikov", and it is sometimes written that way. But it is pronounced "Kournikov", so the family chose that as their English spelling.^[8]

Kournikova received her first tennis racquet as a New Year gift in 1986 at age 5.^[8] Describing her early regimen, she said, "I played two times a week from age six. It was a children's program. And it was just for fun; my parents didn't know I was going to play professionally, they just wanted me to do something because I had lots of energy. It was only when I started playing well at seven that I went to a professional academy. I would go to school, and then my parents would take me to the club, and I'd spend the rest of the day there just having fun with the kids."^[8] In 1986, Kournikova became a member of the Spartak Tennis Club, coached by Larissa Preobrazhenskaya.^[9] In 1989, at the age of eight, Kournikova began appearing in junior tournaments, and by the following year, was attracting attention from tennis scouts across the world. Kournikova signed a management deal at age ten and went to Bradenton, Florida, to train at Nick Bollettieri's celebrated tennis academy.^[9]

Tennis career[link]

1989–1997: Early years and breakthrough[link]

Following her arrival in the United States, Kournikova became prominent on the tennis scene.^[9] At 14, she won the European Championships and the Italian Open Junior tournament. She became the youngest player to win the 18-and-under division of the Junior Orange Bowl tennis tournament. By the end of the year, Kournikova was crowned the ITF Junior World Champion U-18 and Junior European Champion U-18.^[9]

In 1994, Kournikova received a wild card into ITF tournament in Moscow qualifications, but lost to third seeded Sabine Appelmans.^[10] She debuted in professional tennis at 14 in the Fed Cup for Russia, the youngest player ever to participate and win.^[9] In 1995, she turned pro, and won two ITF titles, in Midland, Michigan and Rockford, Illinois. The same year Kournikova reached her first WTA Tour doubles final at the Kremlin Cup. Partnering with 1995 Wimbledon girls' champion in both singles and doubles Aleksandra Olsza, they lost to Meredith McGrath and Larisa Neiland.

At 15, she made her grand slam debut, when she reached the fourth round of the 1996 US Open, only to be stopped by then-top ranked player Steffi Graf, the eventual champion. After this tournament, Kournikova's ranking jumped from No. 144 to debut in the Top 100 at No. 69.^[10] Kournikova was a member of the Russian delegation to the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1996, she was named WTA Newcomer of the Year,^[9] and she was ranked No. 57 in the end of the season.^[1]

Kournikova entered the 1997 Australian Open as World No. 67,^[11] where she lost in the first round to World No. 12 Amanda Coetzer. At the Italian Open, Kournikova lost to Amanda Coetzer in the second round. However, she reached the semifinals in the doubles partnering with Elena Likhovtseva, before losing to the sixth seeds Mary Joe Fernández and Patricia Tarabini.^[11]

At the 1997 French Open, Kournikova made it to the third round before losing to World No. 1 Martina Hingis. She also reached the third round in doubles with Likhovtseva. At the 1997 Wimbledon Championships, Kournikova became only the second woman in the open era to reach the semifinals in her Wimbledon debut, the first being Chris Evert in 1972.^[10] There she lost to eventual champion Martina Hingis.

At the 1997 US Open, she lost in the second round to the eleventh seed Irina Spîrlea. Partnering with Likhovtseva, she reached the third round of the women's doubles event.^[11] Kournikova played her last WTA Tour event of 1997 at Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Filderstadt, losing to Amanda Coetzer in the second round of singles, and in the first round of doubles to Lindsay Davenport and Jana Novotná partnering with Likhovtseva. She broke into the top 50 on 19 May, and was ranked No. 32 in singles and No. 41 in doubles at the end of the season.^[12]

1998–2000: Success and stardom[link]

In 1998, Kournikova broke into the WTA's top 20 rankings for the first time, when she was ranked No. 16. At the 1998 Australian Open, Kournikova lost in the third round to World No. 1 player Martina Hingis. She also partnered with Larisa Neiland in women's doubles, and they lost to eventual champions Hingis and Mirjana Lučić in the second round.^[11] Although she lost in the second round of the Paris Open to Anke Huber in singles, Kournikova reached her second doubles WTA Tour final, partnering with Larisa Neiland. They lost to Sabine Appelmans and Miriam Oremans. Kournikova and Neiland reached their second consecutive final at the Linz Open, losing to Alexandra Fusai and Nathalie Tauziat. At the Miami Open, Kournikova reached her first WTA Tour singles final, before losing to Venus Williams in the final.^[10]

Anna Kournikova practices her backhand for a match at the Family Circle Cup Tennis Tournament on Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina.

Kournikova then reached two consecutive quarterfinals, at Amelia Island and the Italian Open, losing respectively to Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis. At the German Open, she reached the semifinals in both singles and doubles, partnering with Larisa Neiland. At the 1998 French Open Kournikova had her best result at this tournament, making it to the fourth round before losing to Jana Novotná. She also reached her first Grand Slam doubles semifinals, losing with Neiland to Lindsay Davenport and Natasha Zvereva. During her quarterfinals match at the grass-court Eastbourne Open versus Steffi Graf, Kournikova injured her thumb, which would eventually force her to withdraw from the 1998 Wimbledon Championships.^[10] However, she won that match, but then withdraw from her semifinals match against Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.^[10] Kournikova returned for the Du Maurier Open and made it to the third round, before losing to Conchita Martínez. At the 1998 US Open Kournikova reached the fourth round before losing to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario. Her strong year qualified her for the year-end 1998 WTA Tour Championships, but she lost to Monica Seles in the first round. However, with Seles, she won her first WTA doubles title, in Tokyo, beating Mary Joe Fernández and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the final. At the end of the season, she was ranked No. 10 in doubles.^[12]

At the start of the 1999 season, Kournikova advanced to the fourth round in singles before losing to Mary Pierce. However, Kournikova won her first doubles Grand Slam title, partnering Martina Hingis. The two defeated Lindsay Davenport and Natasha Zvereva in the final. At the Tier I Family Circle Cup, Kournikova reached her second WTA Tour final, but lost to Martina Hingis.^[12] She then defeated Jennifer Capriati, Lindsay Davenport and Patty Schnyder on her route to the Bausch & Lomb Championships semifinals, losing to Ruxandra Dragomir. At The French Open, Kournikova reached the fourth round before losing to eventual champion Steffi Graf.^[12] Once the grass-court season commenced in England, Kournikova lost to Nathalie Tauziat in the semifinals in Eastbourne. At Wimbledon, Kournikova lost to Venus Williams in the fourth round. She also reached the final in mixed doubles, partnering with Jonas Björkman, but they lost to Leander Paes and Lisa Raymond. Kournikova again qualified for year-end WTA Tour Championships, but lost to Mary Pierce in the first round, and ended the season as World No. 12.^[12]

Kournikova (left) with doubles partner Martina Hingis.

While Kournikova had a successful singles season, she was even more successful in doubles. After their victory at the Australian Open, she and Martina Hingis won tournaments in Indian Wells, Rome, Eastbourne and the WTA Tour Championshiops, and reached the final of The French Open where they lost to Serena and Venus Williams. Partnering with Elena Likhovtseva, Kournikova also reached the final in Stanford. On 22 November 1999 she reached the World No. 1 ranking in doubles, and ended the season at this ranking. Anna Kournikova and Martina Hingis were presented with the WTA Award for Doubles Team of the Year.

Kournikova opened her 2000 season winning the Gold Coast Open doubles tournament partnering with Julie Halard. She then reached the singles semifinals at the Medibank International Sydney, losing to Lindsay Davenport. At the 2000 Australian Open, she reached the fourth round in singles and the semifinals in doubles. That season, Kournikova reached eight semifinals (Sydney, Scottsdale, Stanford, San Diego, Luxembourg, Leipzig and 2000 WTA Tour Championships), seven quarterfinals (Gold Coast, Tokyo, Amelia Island, Hamburg, Eastbourne, Zürich and Philadelphia) and one final. On 20 November 2000 she broke into top 10 for the first time, reaching No. 8.^[12] She was also ranked No. 4 in doubles at the end of the season.^[12] Kournikova was once again, more successful in doubles. She reached the final of the 2000 US Open in mixed doubles, partnering with Max Mirnyi, but they lost to Jared Palmer and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario. She also won six doubles titles – Gold Coast (with Julie Halard), Hamburg (with Natasha Zvereva), Filderstadt, Zürich, Philadelphia and the 2000 WTA Tour Championships (with Martina Hingis).

2001–2003: Injuries and final years[link]

Her 2001 season was dominated by injury, including a left foot stress fracture which forced her withdrawal from twelve tournaments, including the French Open and Wimbledon.^[10] She underwent surgery in April.^[10] She reached her second career grand slam quarterfinals, at the Australian Open. Kournikova then withdrew from several events due to continuing problems with her left foot and did not return until Leipzig. With Barbara Schett, she won the doubles title in Sydney. She then lost in the finals in Tokyo, partnering with Iroda Tulyaganova, and at San Diego, partnering with Martina Hingis. Hingis and Kournikova also won the Kremlin Cup. At the end of the 2001 season, she was ranked No. 74 in singles and No. 26 in doubles.^[12]

Anna Kournikova playing at the Medibank International Sydney in 2002.

Kournikova was quite successful in 2002. She reached the semifinals of Auckland, Tokyo, Acapulco and San Diego, and the finals of China Open, losing to Anna Smashnova. This was Kournikova's last singles finals. With Martina Hingis, Anna Kournikova lost in the finals of Sydney, but they won their second grand slam title together, the Australian Open in women's doubles. They also lost in the quarterfinals of the US Open. With Chanda Rubin, Anna Kournikova played the semifinals of Wimbledon, but they lost to Serena and Venus Williams. Partnering Janet Lee, she won the Shanghai title. At the end of 2002 season, she was ranked No. 35 in singles and No. 11 in doubles.^[12]

In 2003, Anna Kournikova collected her first grand slam match victory in two years at the Australian Open. She defeated Henrieta Nagyová in the 1st round, and then lost to Justine Henin-Hardenne in the 2nd round. She withdrew from Tokyo due to a sprained back suffered at the Australian Open and did not return to Tour until Miami. Kournikova retired in the 1st round of the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, due to a left adductor strain. She reached the semifinals at the ITF tournament in Sea Island, before withdrawing from a match versus Maria Sharapova due to the adductor injury. She lost in the 1st round of the ITF tournament in Charlottesville. She did not compete for the rest of the season due to a continuing back injury At the end of the 2003 season and her professional career, she was ranked No. 305 in singles and No. 176 in doubles.^[12]

Kournikova's two Grand Slam doubles titles came in 1999 and 2002, both at the Australian Open in the Women's Doubles event with partner Martina Hingis. Kournikova proved a successful doubles player on the professional circuit, winning 16 tournament doubles titles, including two Australian Opens and being a finalist in mixed doubles at the US Open and at Wimbledon, and reaching the No.1 ranking in doubles in the Women's Tennis Association tour rankings. Her pro career doubles record was 200–71. However, her singles career plateaued after 1999. For the most part, she managed to retain her ranking between 10 and 15 (her career high singles ranking was No.8), but her expected finals breakthrough failed to occur; she only reached four finals out of 130 singles tournaments, never in a Grand Slam event, and never won one.

Her singles record is 209–129. Her final playing years were marred by a string of injuries, especially back injuries, which caused her ranking to erode gradually. As a personality Kournikova was among the most common search strings for both articles and images in her prime.^[2][3][4]

2004–present: Exhibitions and World Team Tennis[link]

Kournikova at a USO-sponsored tour at Forward Operating Base Sharana on 15 December 2009

Kournikova has not played on the WTA Tour since 2003, but still plays exhibition matches for charitable causes. In late 2004, she participated in three events organized by Elton John and by fellow tennis players Serena Williams and Andy Roddick. In January 2005, she played in a doubles charity event for the Indian Ocean tsunami with John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, and Chris Evert. In November 2005, she teamed up with Martina Hingis, playing against Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur in the WTT finals for charity. Kournikova is also a member of the St. Louis Aces in the World Team Tennis (WTT), playing doubles only.

In September 2008, Kournikova showed up for the 2008 Nautica Malibu Triathlon held at Zuma Beach in Malibu, California.^[13] The Race raised funds for children's Hospital Los Angeles. She won that race for women's K-Swiss team.^[13] On 27 September 2008, Kournikova played exhibition mixed doubles matches in Charlotte, North Carolina, partnering with Tim Wilkison and Karel Nováček.^[14] Kournikova and Wilkison defeated Jimmy Arias and Chanda Rubin, and then Kournikova and Novacek defeated Rubin and Wilkison.^[14]

On 12 October 2008, Anna Kournikova played one exhibition match for the annual charity event, hosted by Billie Jean King and Elton John, and raised more than $400,000 for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Atlanta AIDS Partnership Fund.^[15] She played doubles with Andy Roddick (they were coached by Elton John) versus Martina Navratilova and Jesse Levine (coached by Billie Jean King); Kournikova and Roddick won.^[15]

Kournikova competed alongside John McEnroe, Tracy Austin and Jim Courier at the "Legendary Night", which was held on 2 May 2009, at the Turning Stone Event Center, Verona, New York.^[16] The exhibition included a mixed doubles match of McEnroe and Austin against Courier and Kournikova.

In 2008, she was named a spokesperson for K-Swiss.^[17] In 2005, Kournikova stated that if she were 100% fit, she would like to come back and compete again.^[18]

In June 2010, Kournikova reunited with her doubles partner Martina Hingis to participate in competitive tennis for the first time in seven years in the Invitational Ladies Doubles event at Wimbledon.^[19][20] On 29 June 2010 they defeated the British pair Samantha Smith and Anne Hobbs.^[21]

Playing style[link]

As a player, Kournikova was noted for her footspeed and aggressive baseline play, and excellent angles and dropshots; however, her relatively flat, high-risk groundstrokes tended to produce frequent errors, and her serve was sometimes unreliable in singles.

Kournikova plays right-handed with a two-handed backhand.^[1] She is a great player at the net.^[22] She can hit forceful groundstrokes and also drop shots.^[23]

Her playing style fits the profile for a doubles player, and is complemented by her height.^[24] She has been compared to such doubles specialists as Pam Shriver and Peter Fleming.^[24]

Personal life[link]

Kournikova was in a relationship with fellow Russian, Pavel Bure, an NHL ice hockey player. The two met in 1999 when Kournikova was still linked to Bure's former Russian teammate Sergei Fedorov.^[25] Bure and Kournikova were reported to have been engaged in 2000 after a reporter took a photo of them together in a Florida restaurant where Bure supposedly asked Kournikova to marry him. As the story made headlines in Russia, where they were both heavily followed in the media as celebrities, Bure and Kournikova both denied any engagement. Kournikova, 10 years younger than Bure, was 18 years old at the time.^[26] The following year, Kournikova and Fedorov were married in Moscow.^[25] They were soon divorced, however. Fedorov claimed he and tennis star Anna Kournikova were married in 2001, but later divorced in 2003.^[27] Kournikova's representatives deny any marriage to Fedorov; however, Sergei's agent Pat Brisson claims that although he does not know when they got married, he knew "he was married".^[28]

Kournikova started dating pop star Enrique Iglesias in late 2001 (she appeared in his video, "Escape"), and rumors that the couple had secretly married circulated in 2003 and again in 2005. Kournikova herself has consistently refused to directly confirm or deny the status of her personal relationships. But in May 2007, Enrique Iglesias was (mistakenly, as he would clarify later) quoted in the New York Sun that he had no intention of marrying Kournikova and settling down because they had split up. The singer would later deny these rumors of "divorce" or simply separation. In June 2008, Iglesias told the Daily Star that he had married Kournikova the previous year and that they are currently separated.^[29] In an interview with Graham Norton in 2010, Kournikova confirmed that she and Iglesias have been together for over eight years but have no plans to marry in the near future. Kournikova and Iglesias have been in a long term relationship for 10 years now.

Kournikova has a younger brother, Allan.^[30] He became an American citizen in late 2009.

Kournikova resides in Miami Beach, Florida. She put her seven-bedroom, waterfront property in Bayshore on the market in May 2011.^[31][32]

Media publicity[link]

Kournikova preparing to serve

Most of Kournikova's fame has come from the publicity surrounding her looks and her personal life. During Kournikova's debut at the 1996 US Open at the age of 15, the world noticed her beauty, and soon pictures of her appeared in numerous magazines worldwide.

In 2000, Kournikova became the new face for Berlei's shock absorber sports bras, and appeared in the "only the ball should bounce" billboard campaign.^[33] Following that, she was cast by the Farrelly brothers for a minor role in the 2000 film Me, Myself & Irene starring Jim Carrey and Renée Zellweger.^[34] Photographs of her scantily-clad form have appeared in various men's magazines, including one in the much-publicized 2004 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue,^[35] where she posed in bikinis and swimsuits, and in other men's publications such as FHM^[36] and Maxim.^[37] Kournikova was named one of People's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1998^[38] and was voted "hottest female athlete" on ESPN.com.^[39] In 2002 she also placed first in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World in US and UK editions.^[36] By contrast, ESPN—citing the degree of hype as compared to actual accomplishments as a singles player—ranked Kournikova 18th in its "25 Biggest Sports Flops of the Past 25 Years".^[40] Kournikova was also ranked No. 1 in the ESPN Classic series "Who's number 1?" when the series featured sport's most overrated athletes.

She continued to be the most searched athlete on the Internet through 2008 even though she had retired from the professional tennis circuit years earlier.^{[41][42][43][44]} After slipping from first to sixth among athletes in 2009,^[45] she moved back up to third place among athletes in terms of search popularity in 2010.^[46]

In October 2010, Kournikova headed to NBC's The Biggest Loser where she led the contestants in a tennis-workout challenge.^[47][48] In May 2011, it was announced that Kournikova would join The Biggest Loser as a regular celebrity trainer in season 12.^[49] She will not be returning for season 13.^[50]

In November 2010, she became an American citizen.^[51] In 2011, Men's Health named her one of the "100 Hottest Women of All-Time", ranking her at No. 29.^[52]

Influences on popular culture[link]

A variation of a White Russian made with skim milk is known as an Anna Kournikova.^[53][54] In the lingo of the poker variation Texas Hold 'em, the hole cards Ace–King (unsuited) are sometimes referred to as an "Anna Kournikova", a term introduced by the poker commentator Vince van Patton during a WPT tournament because it "looks great but never wins".^[55][56][57] A computer virus named the Anna Kournikova virus arose on 12 February 2001.^[53][58]