The real Anna?

Kournikova irritated during television interview

Early exit Click the image to launch the clip Anna Kournikova falls in the first round. Start Video Plus Visit Video Plus for all the latest video and audio.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Anna Kournikova had as much trouble with a television interviewer Monday as she's been having on court.

The 21-year-old Russian was visibly irritated during a British Broadcasting Corp. interview after her first-round loss Monday to Tatiana Panova.

The BBC interview started badly and Kournikova asked for it to be restarted. But the BBC kept rolling throughout and aired the entire tape during prime time Monday night.

Interviewer Garry Richardson first asked Kournikova whether her confidence was low after her 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 loss.

"I don't think if you know if my confidence is low or not," she said.

Richardson replied that he thought it may have been.

"I just don't think you should phrase the question that way," Kournikova said.

Richardson then asked if Kournikova would comment on former Wimbledon champion Chris Evert's suggestion that the Russian should compete in lower-ranked satellite tournaments to improve her game, like Andre Agassi did in 1997 when his game was in trouble.

Kournikova replied: "Can we just try this again?"

A unidentified woman off-screen asked for the questions to be limited to Monday's match. Richardson said he was only asking questions that were asked in the press conference beforehand.

Kournikova asked stood up, then sat down again, but the cameras kept rolling.

Richardson asked: "You've lost here today. Sum up your day at Wimbledon."

Kournikova replied: " I think you've summed it up. I lost."

Richardson: "What would you think was a good starting question?"

Kournikova said: "You're asking a question and you're already giving an answer. You're saying my confidence is low and then you said `You lost today, how was your day". Obviously my day . . . I lost."

Richardson asked if Kournikova felt her commercial work was distracting from her tennis.

"I don't think it distracts from my tennis," she replied.

The interview then continued, albeit strained.

The BBC commentators afterward were critical of Kournikova, who reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 1997. Her ranking has dropped to 55 after spending most of last year out with a foot injury.

Pam Shriver, who won 21 singles titles and 112 doubles titles during an 18-year professional career, criticized Kournikova's actions during the interview.

"A player can be stretched and you can say things in an interview you regret, I know, I've been there, but nothing like that," Shriver said. "It was horrible.

"She is used to having it all her own way. In her mind she would have thought because I'm Anna Kournikova and I said stop and start again, she would have assumed that would have happened."

"It's inexcusable ... to be unprofessional in that way. To be honest, she's like that a lot off camera. If you ask in the locker rooms, that was the real Anna Kournikova."

Earlier, photographers and television cameras packed Court 2 for her match with Panova.

She entered Wimbledon after winning just three of her previous 14 matches -- and has now lost in the first round of her last four tournaments.

"I know that I'm giving my all at practice, and sooner or later it will start to come together in matches," she said.

 

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