Sports

Though Anna Kournikova - famous and Googled female athletes of all time

2013-01-13T19:57:00.003-08:00

Though Anna Kournikova officially retired from professional tennis in 2007 and has not competed since 2003, she remains one of the most famous and Googled female athletes of all time

Known for her model-like features more than for her tennis game, the 31-year-old has modeled, starred on a popular television series, and participated in multiple charity events since leaving the game..

The Russian born beauty and now American citizen burst onto the tennis soon after she picked up her first racket. At the age of ten, she moved to Bradenton, Fl., to train at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy.

Kournikova was nothing short of a tennis prodigy. At 14, she was the youngest player to win the 18-and-under Orange Bowl, one of the most prestigious junior tennis tournaments in the world, and was crowned the ITF Junior World Champion at year's end.

After turning pro in 1995, Kournikova quickly made a name for herself on the WTA Tour, making her Grand Slam debut just one year later and reaching the fourth round of the US Open. She was soon ranked in the top 50, and reached her highest singles ranking of No. 8 in 2000.

She went on to win 12 doubles titles including two Australian Open doubles titles with Martina Hingis.

Eventually, her professional tennis career ended because of back and spinal cord problems. Though she was a top-10 player and held impressive wins over greats such as Lindsey Davenport, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, and Kim Clijsters, many criticize her professional career because she was unable to win a WTA singles title.

Despite this, she was able to bring attention to women's tennis that few other players have managed to do, though this was in large part due to her supermodel looks.

The media loved Kournikova and followed her personal and professional life closely. Marriage and engagement rumors about the tennis star circulated for years, but eventually, she began dating Spanish superstar, Enrique Iglesias.

The two have been in a relationship for well over ten years now and have managed to keep most details about their personal life, private. In 2011, the two invested to build a home together in Miami.

According to most recent reports, their relationship is strong, but both do not foresee wedding bells in their future.

In November of 2011, Kournikova spoke with Women's Health Magazine and said, I'm in a happy relationship -- that's all that matters...I believe in commitment. I believe in being open and trusting each other and respecting each other completely.

Iglesias seems to feel the same way and has expressed a similar sentiment. In March of 2012, the singer said, I've never really thought marriage would make a difference, in an interview with Parade Magazine. Maybe it's because I come from divorced parents, but I don't think you love someone more because of a piece of paper.

The 31-year-old former tennis star also plans on having children. I absolutely want to have children, whether I have my own or adopt,' she says, adding, 'I love taking care of people, she told Women's Health Magazine.

As for her professional career, Kournikova has dabbled outside the field of tennis.

In 2008, she became a spokesperson for K-Swiss along with Jillian Michaels and other current tennis professionals.

She gained further publicity in 2011 after she signed on to be a regular celebrity trainer in season 12 of NBC's popular weight-loss competition, 'The Biggest Loser.' After one season however, she unexpectedly left the show.

After she left, she told The Hollywood Reporter, I enjoyed my time on the Biggest Loser ranch...I will always be a part of The Biggest Loser family and my commitment to bettering lives through health and fitness will continue.

Though Kournikova has not played a competitive match since 2003, she plays in occasional exhibition matches for charity and in World Team Tennis. In addition to her tennis, modeling, and work on 'Biggest Loser,' Kournikova serves as an Ambassador for Population Services International's Five and Alive/ Youth AIDS programs.

She has travelled to Haiti with the organization, which seeks to help to improve the lives of kids ages five and under by educating families about AIDS and preventable diseases such as malaria, malnutrition and diarrhea, most of which are caused by unsafe drinking water.

While Kournikova had to put her tennis career to rest at an early age, she's a sports star that continues to captures the public's attention even when she is not in the spotlight.

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Cristiano Ronaldo's absence

2013-01-13T19:43:00.002-08:00

There is no other way but to admit that Real Madrid is no longer running for La Liga title this season. The Merengues traveled to Pamplona with expectations of cutting the gap to Barcelona into 13 points, but couldn't get beyond a goalless draw. Cristiano Ronaldo's absence was highly felt and Real Madrid couldn't hide the fact that in the current days, they are severely depending on the Portuguese forward.

Real Madrid visited Osasuna in La Liga's gameday 19, but got held to a 0-0 draw and now risk seeing Barcelona extending the gap into 18 points. With the Spanish League virtually over for the Merengues, José Mourinho has now clearly set his sight at the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League, even though we've just reached halfway in La Liga after this weekend's games are completed. Cristiano Ronaldo was forced to miss last night's match after accumulating 5 yellow cards in the league, but the Portuguese player absence can't be enough to explain such a lack of attitude and ambition from the remaining squad players. A club with Real Madrid's dimension simply can't afford to be that depending on a single player, as well as giving up on fighting for the league title so early in the season.

With Pepe and Marcelo still recovering from injuries and Sergio Ramos unavailable to give his contribute after picking a 5-game suspension, Real Madrid's defence continues being improvised on a game after game basis. Suprisingly, the Merengues kept a clean sheet for the second straight game, but faced a bigger problem when it came to create danger in the attacking areas. Without Cristiano Ronaldo's presence on the pitch, there was no one in the team proving to be capable to step up to the occasion. This apathy can be interpreted as an alarming signal for the club's future, especially if Ronaldo ends up picking an injury or even if he decides to switch from the Spanish champions side for Manchester United, at the end of the season.

Osasuna came into this game ranked last in the league, with only 3 wins out of their 18 games played so far. Regardless of how far Real Madrid actually is from the league leaders, the Spanish champions can't afford to put on such a poor display on the pitch. However, it's true that apart from the setbacks concerning Real Madrid's defence, as well as not being able to count with Ronaldo, having players such as Benzema or Mesut Ozil starting on the bench probably didn't help much the team into finding a good pace and rhythm in the game.

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Messi - Ballon d'Or trophy with World Cup winner's medal

2013-01-13T19:31:00.000-08:00

Barcelona striker Lionel Messi has admitted he wouldn't hesitate to swap one of his four Ballon d'Or trophies with a FIFA World Cup winner's medal with his country Argentina.

Messi, made history this week after claiming an unprecedented fourth Ballon D'Or on the trot, has admitted winning the World Cup with Argentina is the only thing missing in his glorious career, the Sun reports.

Lifting the World Cup will surely end the debate as to whether he is rightly hailed as the greatest player in football history.

Messi already has his rightful place in the pantheon of the game's greats but readily concedes he would swap any of his Ballon D'Or trophies for the ultimate prize in football i.e. a World Cup winner's medal.

Messi said winning the World Cup is what he is missing, adding it is true that he would swap a Ballon D'Or for the World Cup,

Messi said that he has always felt like that, and added that nothing compares with being world champion, which is his dream.

With 18 months left before the World Cup kicks off in Brazil, expectations back in his homeland are huge that Messi will finally deliver on the biggest stage.

Amazingly, for all the plaudits Messi receives in Europe, the great forward has had to withstand fierce criticism back home in Argentina.

Things reached an all-time low when Argentina flopped in the Copa America on home soil 18 months ago after losing to Uruguay on penalties in the quarterfinals.

Then Messi called for unity and since then there has been a remarkable transformation in Argentina's fortunes and they did not lose a game in 2012 and currently sit top of their group in the South American qualifiers.

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