Renowned, Kurnikova is not only a tennis player, but one of the most recognizable women in the world.
In fact, for most of the early 2000s, the Russian-American, along with Britney, Angelina Jolie, and Jennifer López, became the most searched person on Google.
This is mainly due to the media's "obsession" with her appearance. Newspapers and magazines kept releasing new photos of her, and The Sun even promised to publish her daily photos of the tennis beauty.
But having gained such a reputation off the pitch and attracting a lot of attention has not translated into success on the pitch.
Some see Kurnikova as putting fashion lifestyles like model catwalks and tv shows above tennis, while others sympathize with her, citing injuries as the main reason for her career.d..
What is clear to the outside world is that Couva was a very talented tennis player at her peak and looked destined to become a Grand Slam champion.
In 1995, at the age of 14, she made her WTA Tour debut in Moscow. Two years later, she reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon, becoming a rising star and the second female player after Evert to make her debut in the Final Four of the Open era.
By 2000, she was in the top ten in the world, and it seemed like only a matter of time before she won the title. During this period, tennis legends such as Singis, Cyres, Davenport and Serena Williams gradually established their place, and challenging these top players was no easy task.
Although Couva once reached the 8th place in the world and remained in the top 15 for a while, the success of the competition did not become a reality.
After a series of back-related injuries, she had to announce her retirement in 2003, failing to earn a WTA title in her career and never reaching a Grand Slam singles final.
Still, she continued to dominate the headlines, and even became the most searched athlete on Google in 2008, with endorsements pouring in.
The tennis star became the face of sports lingerie, appeared in Hollywood movies, and appeared on the covers of various publications.
She also became a couple with Spanish singer Iglesias, who now have three children.
More than a decade later, family has become the full focus of the former Wimbledon Final Four.
On Instagram, Coova has more than 1.7 million followers, and she regularly posts photos of her family and herself on it.
While it seems to have escaped the endless media attention, she will always be remembered as one of the most iconic female athletes.
From a tennis perspective, she is arguably the most well-known player who has never won a Grand Slam singles title.