Anna Kournikova was a reasonably talented tennis player who at her highest point was the eighth ranked female singles player in the world. She never won a grand slam singles title. 

But during her peak she was far and away the most famous and popular tennis player in the world. She was the person everyone wanted to see. 

It helped that she looked like this.

Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova (Russian: А́нна Серге́евна Ку́рникова; IPA: [ˈannə sʲɪrˈɡʲejɪvnə ˈkurnʲɪkəvə] ( listen); born 7 June 1981) is a Russian former professional tennis player. Her appearance and celebrity status made her one of the best known tennis stars worldwide. At the peak of her fame, fans looking for images of Kournikova made her name one of the most common search strings on Google Search