Sergei Fedorov gave a blunt answer when asked about rumors that he had married Anna Kournikova. “They are true. We were married, albeit brief, and we are now divorced,” he told The Hockey News in its March 14, 2003 issue.
The Detroit Red Wings star was 33 and Kournikova was 21 when the interview appeared. He said their age difference helped explain the public fascination with them and that he was no longer in contact with her.
Her father, Sergei Kournikov, had already complained about persistent questions concerning his daughter’s personal life. The coverage had shifted between Fedorov and another Russian NHL star, Florida Panthers player Pavel Bure.
Kournikova had begun dating Enrique Iglesias by the time Fedorov spoke publicly. The former tennis player and Spanish singer have since built a family together while sharing relatively little about their relationship.
Her Father Denied Reports of a Secret Wedding in Moscow
In July 2001, Britain’s The Sun reported that Kournikova and Fedorov had married in Moscow during Wimbledon. It attributed a statement to Fedorov’s mother, Natalya, describing a lovely ceremony and her happiness at becoming Kournikova’s mother-in-law.
Kournikov rejected the story in a telephone interview with Reuters. According to ABC News, he said his daughter was training in Florida and had not been in Moscow since the Kremlin Cup the previous November.
He also questioned the statement attributed to Natalya, saying he understood that she lived in Detroit. His account directly challenged the tabloid’s description of the supposed ceremony.
Fedorov’s later interview did not provide wedding or divorce dates or identify where a ceremony had taken place.
Pavel Bure’s Reported Proposal Was Followed by an Engagement Denial
A separate story had circulated in 2000, when witnesses said Bure proposed to Kournikova at The Forge restaurant in Miami Beach. An Associated Press report described photographs of them together and the restaurant owner’s account of toasting an engagement.
The athletes initially gave reporters little clarity. Asked whether the news was true, Bure answered, “Maybe, yeah,” while Kournikova said she had no details to share.
Kournikova subsequently denied being engaged or planning to marry. Bure said a wedding was not in his immediate plans, CBS News reported.
Fedorov later addressed the Bure coverage in his 2003 interview. He said he had read about it in magazines and tried to end his relationship with Kournikova, but accepted her explanation and reconciled with her. He did not offer a clear account of what had happened between her and Bure.
Kournikova Met Enrique Iglesias on the Set of ‘Escape’
Kournikova appeared as Iglesias’ love interest in the video for “Escape,” filmed in 2001. Their onscreen pairing led to a relationship away from the cameras.
In an October 2023 interview with PEOPLE, Iglesias said their different careers came with a shared understanding of fame. She knew what his world involved, and he understood the attention surrounding hers.
He described their connection as something that strengthened gradually. He also spoke about learning along the way and getting through difficult periods together.
The Couple Now Shares Four Children
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Kournikova and Iglesias welcomed twins Lucy and Nicolas in December 2017, followed by daughter Mary in January 2020. Their youngest son, Romeo, was born on December 17, 2025.
In his 2023 interview, Iglesias described his older children as enthusiastic listeners to his music. When a difficult school pickup turned into tears or arguments, asking for a favorite song could get them singing “I Like It” together.
Kournikova revealed Romeo’s name on March 19, 2026, with a photograph of all four children together on a boat. Her caption listed their names: “Lucy+Nicolas+Mary+Romeo,” followed by four red hearts.