Kournikova came to Wimbledon widely expected to retain her sexiness crown, but failed to beat back a strong challenge from Williams, who was “way sexier” than predicted, one observer said.
Williams may have also benefited from Wimbledon’s new format, instituted this year, which dispenses with tennis entirely in favor of lingerie and swimsuit competitions.
In the finals, Kournikova and Williams faced off in a series of crop tops and thongs with billions of dollars of licensing money at stake.
The final scores, based on total hits to the two tennis stars’ Web sites, showed Williams the upset winner, but postings in the official Kournikova chatroom revealed that some fans took issue with the final rankings.
“NO WAY IS SERENA HOTTER THAN ANNA–ANNA ROCKS,” said ANNAROCKS456, echoing the sentiments of many.
While some tennis purists argued that dispensing with tennis in favor of seminaked posing competitions reeked of sexism, sports industry insiders expected the trend to catch on elsewhere, perhaps in the LPGA.
“Next time a female golfer celebrates a major win, don’t be surprised if she strips down to reveal a sexy suit from the Hawaiian Tropic collection,” one insider said.
For her part, Kournikova took her upset loss in stride, acknowledging that Williams was, in fact, sexier than she, but vowing to retake her title.
“I will train harder next year and will return to Wimbledon so sexy you won’t believe it,” Kournikova told reporters.
