After former tennis star Anna Kournikova made a rare public appearance while using a wheelchair late last month, fans were left speculating about her health.
Now, Isabel Preysler, her mother-in-law, is clearing things up with a health update for the athlete—who, while not married to her son, Enrique Iglesias, has been with him for over 20 years. Preysler, a well-known Spanish and Filipino socialite and television host, assuaged any fears after a few days of family time in Miami, where Hello!‘s sister publication Hola! caught up with her before boarding her flight back to Spain.
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“It’s nothing serious, just a minor foot injury,” she told them. “It’s a small sprain, but you know how painful those can be.”
Kournikova was photographed out with friends and family members, wearing an orthopedic boot on her foot as a friend pushed her in a wheelchair while her daughters, Lucy, 7, and Mary, 5, walked by her side. (Kournikova also shares 7-year-old Nicholas with Iglesias, neither were pictured.)
It was the first time she was seen publicly in almost three years, the last time reportedly being Iglesias’ May 2022 birthday celebration. This time, the group was seen at a Miami shopping mall, where Kournikova was clearly in good spirits.
The athlete, now 43, retired from tennis at just 21 years old, crediting a debilitating back injury in an interview with People. “I never planned or thought that was going to be it,” she told the publication. “My back really forced me to stop. It got so bad; I couldn’t tie my shoes, literally. I would be in excruciating pain.”
With “six to eight hours [of training] every day” starting at the age of five, it’s not surprising to hear that she suffered a variety of injuries throughout her career. As she once told The Guardian, “Basically, I’ve had an injury nearly every single year.”
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