To be young, blonde, leggy, and the WASP standard of beautiful is a valuable combination of commodities to be possessed by a woman in this country, a near guarantee for no less than fifteen minutes of fame. Add being reasonably talented at something to the mix, just about anything will do, and the sky is the limit for such a blessed individual. For the past several years, one of the most prominent stars to fit this description was the promising tennis player, Anna Kournikova. By reaching the semifinals of Wimbeldon in her first time out at the prestigious tournament, greatness appeared to be her destiny. Over the next few years she became one of the most recognizable people in the world, photographs of her appearing every which way one could turn. It seemed that at least half of the internet was dedicated to her lovely likeness. The media fawned over her every move. Endorsements were tossed her way like beaded necklaces at a college girl on a New Orleans balcony during Mardi Gras. Minor movie roles followed logically, because if one has proven to have screen presence, the bigger the screen the better. I suppose if Anna was halfway able to carry a tune, a record deal would been inevitable as well. All she needed to do to maintain her stardom was be young (and she certainly had ample days of youth ahead of her), remain attractive (and it didn't appear that her Lolita style looks would be going out of style anytime soon), and win the occasional tennis match. A major championship or two would have cemented her legacy and kept her as the apple of the fickle media's constantly gazing eye for years to come.
As it would turn out, Anna Kournikova's time in the sun was far more fleeting than expected, her promise of the variety that is never quite realized. The championships she was supposed to win never materialized. This didn't matter much at first. Although critics who want sports celebrities to actually earn their popularity bitterly complained and maliciously teased, Anna's beauty was enough to sustain her immense popularity. Instead of receiving press for winning trophies, she instead garnered it for activities such as the famous men she dated. On the court, the Williams sisters took over dominance of tennis where Anna's friend and sometimes doubles partner Martina Hingis left off, grabbing ownership of just about every major tennis championship. Off the court, Anna Kournikova ruled. Her rivals were not so much Venus and Serena Williams, as they were pop stars such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Rather than winning multiple tournaments, or even just one, she instead claimed the most attention from sponsors and magazines and professional celebrity fawners in spite of this. Fans, and let's face it, by fans I pretty much just mean guys who lived up to the definition of the word fanatic, flocked to Anna's matches for an up close look at her game, though tennis had little to do with what her true game was. Tournaments were not so much opportunities to win prize money and knicknacks for the mantel as they were convenient locations for Anna to stage her entrances, and her increasingly early departures.
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