Anna Kournikova

Although she never won a single professional singles tournament, Russian hottie Anna Kournikova did win a couple of Grand Slam doubles titles. And really, with Anna, twosomes are what we’re more interested in, anyway.

Born in Moscow, Anna was a Soviet tennis prodigy—a raquet-swinging Gary Kasparov, if you will—winning European-wide amateur tourneys against much older opponents. At 14, she won the junior Italian Open, finished the year as the Under-18 European Champion and turned pro. At 15, she reached the fourth round of the 1996 U.S. Open, and at 16, she reached the semifinals at Wimbledon, where she lost to the eventual champ Martina Hingis. But she would never get much closer to a singles title than that, despite being ranked as high as No. 8 in the world (for tennis, not sexiness...her sexiness ratings are higher). She did, however, prove skillful on the doubles circuit, winning 16 doubles championships, including two Australian Opens (something about the sun down there agreed with her body).

Suffering from chronic back problems, Anna retired from tennis in 2003, although she has said that if she gets completely healthy again, she’d like to return. Outside tennis, she has kept busy posing for Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue, appearing in Enrique Iglesias’s “Escape” video, playing a fetching Motel Manager in Me, Myself & Irene (Renee Zellweger) and serving as the “face” of Berlei’s shock-absorbing sports bra (slogan: “Only the ball should bounce”).

Looking ahead, you can find Anna back on the court in the occasional charity game, and even as a doubles player for the Sacramento Capitals in the World Team Tennis league. And we’re pretty sure there are many more scantily clad calendars in the future. Clearly, when it comes to making guys crazy, it’s still advantage, Kournikova.

In the fall of 2011 itwas announced that Anna will be the new host of the hit reality television show The Biggest Loser, after a guest appearance in 2010.