In June 2010, Anna Kournikova announced that she and Martina Hingis would return to Wimbledon to compete in the veterans' doubles event. This would be Kournikova's first competitive match since her retirement at the end of 2003. The pair faced and defeated Anne Hobbs and Sam Smith on June 29, 2010 (via The Telegraph).
After the match, Kournikova spoke to The Guardian about the challenges that female professional tennis players face. ”Tennis is a grind, and I think the women, in general, don't get enough credit," she said. "It's a full-time job, it's 24/7. You're week-in, week-out, on the road for 10, 11 months of the year. You have no personal life. You have no home life. It's not glamorous at all.”
Since then, Kournikova hasn't returned to the court competitively, but has stated her intention to continue playing in invitational exhibitions and charity matches. ”Tennis is still one of the biggest parts of my life and I'm very much involved in the game," she told The Daily Mail. "I play the World Team Tennis League in the States right after Wimbledon, and all year round I play tennis exhibitions and charity matches.”
