Advantage Kournikova, an ace in baju kurung

2009/10/27

KUALA LUMPUR: Anna Kournikova learnt a few words of Bahasa Malaysia and wore a baju kurung at the launch of the "Showdown of Champions 09, Glam Slam-Asia versus Russia" at the Pavilion in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

"The baju kurung is really pretty. It is my first visit to Kuala Lumpur and I must say, I love the food and the weather. People here are friendly and helpful," said Kournikova, who quit competitive tennis six years ago. "I love to come back to Malaysia and visit the beautiful beaches and other places of interest. Unfortunately, I can't do that now, as I need to leave for Miami for other commitments."

Kournikova, who greeted journalists with "Apa khabar?" yesterday, said she felt great being the ambassador for the Showdown of Champions as it would help raise awareness on the importance of sports, especially tennis, among youth.

"In Russia, tennis is like a culture. And because of this, my country has been producing many big names in the sports.

"Tennis in Asia is different. It is very important to have tennis events here to create awareness and attract kids to pick up the sport as it will, in the long term, raise the standards," said the 28-year-old.

The Showdown of Champions will feature World No. 5 Elena Dementieva, Maria Kirilenko, Sania Mirza and Zheng Jie at Malawati Stadium in Shah Alam on Dec 19 and 20. Kournikova, ranked World No. 8 in 2000, may have hung up her racquet in 2003 but she is still one of the more popular female athletes in the world.

She was voted as the United States' No. 9 favourite female sports star in a recent poll.

"I miss playing competitive tennis. Who wouldn't especially when you have spent 23 years of your life playing tennis? I retired because of injuries. However, I love what I am doing now, especially with youth development and awareness programmes. It would not be possible if not for tennis."