Anna Kournikova once lost her temper during an interview when asked about her 2002 Wimbledon defeat. Frustrated with the line of questioning, she threatened to walk off the set, which left John Lloyd, Chris Evert’s ex-husband, annoyed.
Kournikova entered the tournament with hopes of capturing her maiden Grand Slam title, but her campaign ended abruptly with a first-round exit. She was defeated by fellow Russian Tatiana Panova in a hard-fought battle, falling 1-6, 6-4, 4-6. Following the loss, Anna Kournikova sat down for an interview with BBC’s Gary Richardson.
When asked about her confidence after the defeat, she appeared visibly irritated, stood up, and requested to restart the interview before eventually sitting back down. Once things had settled, Richardson pressed further, asking if she might consider dropping down to challenger tournaments, as Andre Agassi once did to rebuild his career. That question angered Kournikova even more.
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John Lloyd, who was once married to tennis legend Chris Evert, weighed in on the incident, saying that Kournikova needed to “grow up” and should have handled the situation more maturely. He said:
"Come on, she’s got to grow up. I think she was thinking maybe it would be like a movie and say, 'Cut,' And she knew it was live. She’s had more TV cameras in her face than I’ve had hot dinners. And she should be able to handle that,"
Evert and Lloyd married in 1979, becoming tennis’s golden couple at the time. Their relationship struggled under the pressures of fame, travel, and Evert’s greater success, and they divorced in 1987. Both later admitted they were too young and unprepared for the challenges of such a high-profile marriage.
Looking back at Anna Kournikova's career
Anna Kournikova’s tennis career was short but unforgettable. Born in Moscow in 1981, she quickly made a name for herself in the junior circuit and later moved to Florida to train at Nick Bollettieri’s academy. By 16, she had already reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 1997. Although she never claimed a WTA singles title, her presence on the court made her one of tennis’s most recognizable faces.
Kournikova found her greatest success in doubles, teaming up with Martina Hingis to create a dominant partnership. Together, they won two Australian Open titles, several other WTA tournaments, and reached the top of the doubles rankings. In singles, she achieved a career-high ranking of No. 8.
Injuries to her back and feet, however, cut her career short, leading her to retire in 2003 at just 21. Despite this, Kournikova’s influence endured, inspiring players such as Maria Sharapova, who would go on to become a five-time Grand Slam champion and one of the sport’s standout stars.
