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Injuries cut short Kournikova's playing career in 2003, and her latest setback was a reminder why she was never able to stage a serious comeback.
"It just reminds me of how hard it would be," Kournikova said. "The body is already beat up."
So it's off to Germany and Turkey to visit troops instead of prepping for a tournament. And yes, Kournikova still sprinkles the occasional photo shoot into her schedule.
It's a whirlwind lifestyle Kournikova has been used to since she burst onto the national tennis scene as a teenager. She was only 15 when she made her Grand Slam debut at the U.S. Open and reached the semifinals at Wimbledon two years later. Kournikova, who was born in Moscow, was ranked as high as No. 8 in the world.
"At 14 is when it really all exploded," she said. "A lot of times I didn't realize what was going on. Now looking back at it, you can analyze it. Back then, you just kind of wake up, go, live your life. It was normal."
So how does the woman who had more hits on the Internet than with a racket analyze it at age 28?
"I think it was cool," she said. "It was a lot of hard work. It was a lot of satisfaction for my family and me. It was also fun. I got to drink soda and chew gum and travel around the world. At 9 years old, I was living in America and eating fruit 12 months a year. I didn't have that back home. I'd been to most countries by 14."
Sure, she never won a major championship. But Kournikova feels she doesn't have to defend her career - even without an appearance in a singles final in any of the four Grand Slam events.
"It's true. It's statistics," she said. "But I look at my other statistics and they perfectly, happily satisfy me."
Under the lights on the temporary court, Kournikova hit balls into the crowd as a throng of photographers snapped away.
She was gracious and chatted with fans as she signed autographs after the World Team Tennis event. One autograph per fan ages 16 and younger.
Kournikova was about to step into a van at 10:42 p.m., seemingly well past last call for the little ones, when a small girl came running up to her, shouting "Anna! Anna!" They briefly chatted and discovered a shared love of turtles.
Time for bed, then off to Washington for the next WTT appearance.
Her wrist injury will keep her off the court.
But the fans don't care. She's still Anna Kournikova.
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