The former tennis pro shares three children with her longtime-partner Enrique Iglesias
When Anna Kournikova was pictured in a wheelchair in Miami last month, fans were understandably worried for her well-being.
The Russian ex-athlete was snapped being pushed through a shopping mall with two of her three children by her side.
She wore a medical boot in the images, and while she appeared upbeat with her friends and kids, fans immediately began speculating about what had happened to Enrique Iglesias’ famous longtime partner.
Her mother-in-law, socialite Isabel Preysler shed light on the situation after spending time with her family in Miami.
Before boarding a flight, HOLA! reported that Isabel said: “It’s nothing serious, just a minor foot injury. It’s a small sprain, but you know how painful those can be.”
She didn’t elaborate further but laid to rest concerns that Anna was dealing with something major.
The 43-year-old star — who was last photographed publicly in May 2022 — has been plagued with injuries over the years. Shortly before her retirement from tennis in 2003 at the age of 21, she told The Guardian: “Basically, I’ve had an injury nearly every single year,” of her professional career.
Her persistent back injuries were the main cause for her hanging up her racket and in 2011, she reflected on her early retirement in an interview with People.
“I never planned or thought that was going to be it,” she said. “My back really forced me to stop. It got so bad; I couldn’t tie my shoes, literally. I would be in excruciating pain. I had been doing six to eight hours [of training] every day since I was 5 years old.
Anna Kournikova in action during the Ladies’ Invitation match with partner Switzerland’s Martina Hingis against USA’s Tracy Austin and Kathy Rinaldi-Stunkel, Wimbledon, 2010© Getty
Anna retired from tennis at 21
“It was very interesting to me to stop playing and to figure out, ‘Who am I without tennis?’ It was very difficult and scary as hell.”
Anna lives a life away from the spotlight as she and Enrique raise their three children; twins Nicholas and Lucy who were born in December 2017, and daughter Mary, who they welcomed in January 2020.
They reside in a beautiful $26 million secluded, Miami home with its own tennis court and a 16-foot wall erected around the perimeter of the garden as an extensive child-proofing privacy measure.
She and Enrique have been together since 2001 when they met on the set of his music video for “Escape,” but they have never married.
When asked if she had plans to tie the knot in 2008, Anna told People: “I’m never getting married,” but confirmed: “Everything is good.”
Not that Enrique hasn’t tried. He later confirmed her reluctance to walk down the aisle when he told reporters: “I always try but she pays me no attention.”