Anastasia Myskina Biography
Born July 8, 1981, the Russian right-handed tennis player is considered one of the best in the game. She likes the faster court surfaces, but also has characteristics in her play that indicate strength on clay as well. She is an aggressive player, and many think of her as one of the smartest on the pro tour. She has a strong backhand, and uses angles to beat her slower opponents and wear out her faster opponents. Although she sometimes suffers from inconsistency, her other weaknesses are her forehand and second serve.
Her pro career began in 1998, and in 1999 she won her first WTA title in Palermo. She has had other successes since then, but the year 2001 saw Myskina sidelined due to an injury. Because she missed the first half of the 2001 tour, including the Australian Open, Myskina fell below the top 100 ranked players in the world. She would later become the first Russian to win against Anna Kournikova, and in 2002 she was able to bounce back from her injury. From 2002 on she won more titles and by 2004 became the first Russian woman to win a Grand Slam title for singles play; after this feat she made other firsts as well.
Although 2005 was a tough season for Myskina-her mother's ill health affected her play hugely-she came back to reach the quarter finals at Wimbledon and later the 10th title of her career at Kolkata. However, 2006 was another tough year for her, even though there were hints of the old Myskina play visible at times.
She has also been fraught with controversy. In 2002 she posed for some photographs for GQ. Only one of these shots was published-one of her fully clothed-but one of the topless photos were published in Medved, a Russian magazine. She sued GQ, but the judge ruled against her because she had signed a photo release.

Anastasia Myskina