Kournikova to launch own beauty range

LONDON - Anna Kournikova, magazine cover girl, model and sometime tennis player, is to launch her own range of beauty products next year.

The Russian, who is sponsored by Adidas and has appeared in ads for Berlei bras, will launch a range, which will include perfume, shower gel, body lotion, deodorant and a unisex fragrance. It is backed by her management firm Octagon, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, and the German cosmetic group LR International Cosmetics.

The move once again raises questions over Kournikova's value to sponsors, as her tennis career fails to live up to the amount of publicity generated by her good looks.

Adidas has complained about the amount of time she spends on building her profile compared with the effort devoted to her game. According to reports, Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer has said: "Being a beauty queen is not enough. She will have to train harder and then hopefully win her first singles tournament."

Questions have also been raised over how much appeal Kournikova, who frequently appears in polls of the world's sexiest women, holds for female consumers.

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