Anna Kournikova’s tennis career ended at 22 due to injuries, but she still created an empire worth $50 million

“People saw her as this package, and she became that.”

Anna moved to Florida and started playing at the legendary Nick Bollettieri’s tennis academy and at the age of just 14, she became a pro.

“For a lot of sports, most people don’t start playing professionally at fourteen, but tennis is one of those sports where rigorous training starts at a very young age,” she explained.

“In fact, as I remember it, it wasn’t even a question of turning pro or not. I was groomed for so many years in preparation for this opportunity that I never even questioned it, I was both eager and hungry to prove myself on the WTA tour…. I had won everything I could win on the Junior Circuit so I was really excited to move on to the next level.”

All of a sudden, Anna Kournikova became a global phenomenon adored by millions. The list of sponsors willing to work with her was getting longer and money wouldn’t stop pouring in. She lived her dream.

At the age of 18, Anna was considered a “sex symbol” who was on the covers of many prestigious magazines.

Her career blossomed. She won the Wimbledon double title together with Martina Hingis in 1999 and 2002, and things couldn’t have been better from a commercial standpoint. At the peak of her fame, fans looking for images of Anna Kournikova made her name one of the most common search strings on Google Search.

But then, in 2003, at the age of just 22, Anna was forced to retire from tennis due to injuries.

“You know, the fame and everything, I guess most of it was created by you guys, by the media a lot of times, most of the time the yellow press,” she said on the evening she announced her retirement, as per AU Sports.