Sexy Russian tennis star Anna Kournikova, 2-times Grand Slam doubles champion, will be in Pattaya from 6 to 9 Nov 2003 on invitation of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said Khun Santichai, the spokesman for TAT.
The Russian sexy pin-up tennis player, whose trademark are her blonde locks and skimpy sexy outfits has also signed up as the new tourism ambassador for the Thai beach resort of Pattaya City.
According to official Thai sources, Miss Anna Kournikova has accepted the function as tourist ambassador of Pattaya including the 10 million Baht (US$ 240,000) check from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) that came together with the invitation for her celebrity services in promoting the beach resort of Pattaya, Thailand.
As sports and especially tennis, are becoming more and more popular in demand for Thailand tourists, I took the opportunity to use the tennis sport as a way to promote the beach resort of Pattaya and the Kingdom of Thailand, by inviting Miss Kournikova to become the tourist ambassador for Pattaya, said Santichai.
The flaxen haired Miss Anna Kournikova, the glamour girl of tennis, will be the star in a new tourist video guide about the beach resort of Pattaya, called "Unseen in Thailand," a promotional TAT tourist video on the lesser known places of interest in and around the beach resort of Pattaya, added Khun Santichai.
Highlight of her 6 to 9 November promotion tour in Pattaya, will be a friendly exhibition match against Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn, at the Dusit resort in Pattaya on 9 November 2003, after the women's singles final of the WTA Volvo Women's Open.
Anna Kournikova reached No 8 on the world rank of lady tennis players two years ago. But persistent injuries have kept her on the sidelines for most of 2003, with her rank dropping to 135. Anna Kournikova's tennis career may be in jeopardy after her agent revealed last month that a back injury may force her completely out of the tennis game.
The sexy pin-up tennis girl, Kournikova has never won any singles title on the WTA Tennis Tour, with most of her riches mostly coming from sponsorship deals. She tried to resurrect her career in May by playing in the Challenger circuit, but had to pull out due to her long-standing back ailment.
Pattaya, whose beaches have long been one of Thailand's biggest tourist destinations, has in recent years gained a seedy reputation because of a thriving sex industry and the Tourism Authority of Thailand wants to change Pattaya's image.
However it is unlikely that the 22-year-old Russian blonde, who seduced tennis fans around the world with her sexy micro-shorts outfits, will be urging tourists to indulge in Pattaya's nightlife attractions.
