Anna’s no match for big stage

The 26-year-old found her biggest success on the doubles circuit.

TORONTO (AP) — After all the injuries and all the setbacks, Anna Kournikova longs for the big stage of world-class tennis.

“Nothing will ever compare to being on the court,” she said Monday. “I miss the actual matches and 7-6 in the third, and playing in front of 20,000 people and the adrenalin rush.”

Kournikova, speaking during a conference call, will be in Toronto in August to play in the Rogers Cup Tennis Legends, an exhibition event at the annual women’s tennis stop in Canada.

Kournikova never won a singles title, but glamour and photogenic looks carried her to places where her game could not. The 26-year-old Russian says the demands of the pro circuit are consuming.

“It’s a way of life, it’s 24/7, and you’ve either got to do it or you don’t,” she said. “You’ve got to do it while you can and once your body gives up ...

“Plus it is hard mentally,” she added. “I have other passions now. But will I find something exactly the same, with the same feeling? No, that’s something you really can’t duplicate.”

Kournikova’s biggest success was in doubles. She was once the world’s No. 1 doubles player and teamed with Martina Hingis to win Grand Slam titles in Australia in 1999 and 2002.

Injury issues

But injuries cut short her career, and she still feels the lingering effects.

“My foot where I have my screw will be itching when it’s raining,” she said.

“I get affected by the weather. I definitely feel it in my joints. I still keep in shape and try to work out, but I definitely feel like I was a professional athlete. I definitely feel like my body has been through a lot.”

Nowadays, she plays when she can. She had just stepped off the court before Monday’s conference call.

“I’m just trying to get ready for all the masters [events] that I’m going to be playing this summer,” Kournikova said. “When I’m home I try to play as much as I can, every other day, even if it’s just for half an hour or an hour.”

Kournikova, as much fodder as anyone for the celebrity gossip mill, shot down rumors that she split with Enrique Eglesias. She even put in a plug for the pop star.

“Status is that everything is fine and everything is good,” Kournikova said. “He’s out promoting his new album which is out tomorrow. ... Please everybody get one. But everything is good. I couldn’t be happier.”