Kournikova a model tennis ambassador

The hard clay inside Villanova's Pavilion is a far cry from the lawns at Wimbledon, but at this stage of her career, Anna Kournikova wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Volleying foam balls back and forth with area youth last night before the Freedoms beat her World Team Tennis squad, the St. Louis Aces, 22-17, Kournikova said her prematch clinics are the best part of the WTT.

"Normally we do hourlong clinics with four or five courts," said Kournikova, who also does charity work with USO, visiting troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. "It's really a lot of fun. I love getting kids involved into tennis, or if it's not tennis, any other sport . . . that's one way to give back to tennis, first of all, because tennis gave me so much."

Sporting sparkling diamond earrings to go with her black tank top and white skirt, Kournikova still draws a crowd despite a winless singles career on the pro tour. Chalk it up to her long, blond hair and model looks, but a woman once ranked No. 8 in the world is a magnet for bringing attention to the sport.

Her tennis career has taken a back seat to her cover-girl persona since she held a Top 10 ranking 10 years ago, but she's not looking back or feeling cheated because a litany of back injuries cut short her pro career.

"I don't regret a thing, and I wouldn't change a thing," Kournikova said. "The only small thing I regret is I wasn't healthy as I wish I could be. I was starting to play a little too soon after injuries instead of waiting out a little longer, getting a little healthier."

Mixed doubles and women's doubles make up two of the five matches in team tennis, a facet of the league that appeals to Kournikova's game, said Aces coach Rick Leach. Kournikova teamed with Martina Hingis in 1999 and 2002 to win the Australian Open doubles and played in the legends doubles event at this year's Wimbledon.

Kournikova, paired with Nicole Melichar, dropped a women's doubles set, 5-3, to Philadelphia's Noppawan Lertcheewakarn and Courtney Nagle. She also teamed with Andrei Pavel for the mixed-doubles set, a 5-2 loss.

Last night, the righthanded Kournikova had her right hand taped, hindering her net play and control on some shots.

While nowhere near the severity of the back injuries that forced Kournikova out of the WTA tour, it's just the latest example of the health issues that have killed her tennis career.

The 29-year-old Kournikova can't help but wonder what could have been.

"I really do miss those adrenaline-rush moments where it's five-all in the third set and a night match and 10,000 people at a U.S. Open," she said. "Just the match atmosphere and feeling those crazy butterflies in your stomach. But I don't really miss all the stuff off the court and traveling all the time."

Team tennis gives her more access to fans, particularly youngsters eager to learn the basics of the game.

Leach said the organization felt a huge boost when Kournikova debuted with the Aces 3 years ago.

"It is a little crazy. You get to the airport and there's people waiting for her and people wanting to take her picture," he said.

Life as a tennis teen phenom prepared her for the high-maintenance lifestyle she lives today. Her mom constantly traveled with her, and having most of her friends on tour provided her with a strong support system while she coped with fame.

"It was like a big summer camp traveling around the world," Kournikova said. "It's not easy. It's not as glamorous as people would imagine. Being a professional athlete is a 24/7 job. It's all about preparation, practice, training, physical preparation of your body."