Kournikova causes quite a stir upon return to Wimbledon

FORGET the Queen. Compared to the circus that followed Anna Kournikova on her first Wimbledon appearance for eight years, Her Majesty's SW19 outing was a mere sideshow.

BLONDE BOMBSHELL: Anna Kournikova giggles her way through her first Wimbledon appearance for eight years (Getty Images)

The Russian [now naturalised American] teamed up with Martina Hingis, with whom she won two grand slam titles, for a spot of Invitation Doubles.

Both are 29 but both have crammed more than most into their lives ahead of their approaching 30th birthdays and their largely male following, as well as a phalanx of photographers turned out in force to witness this final hoorah.

The opposition, Britain's Ann Hobbs and Sam Smith provided enough competition to ensure Kournikova and Hingis' trip down memory lane was a worthwhile one, before the star attractions notched up a 6-2, 6-4 win.

Both Kournikova and Hingis have taken polar opposite routes both on and now off the court yet they rekindled their partnership as if neither had been away - and they certainly had a ball doing it.

Hingis was 16 win she won the 1997 ladies Wimbledon title and a year later won all four grand slam titles, only for plaguing injuries to force the Swiss to cut her career short in 2003, aged just 22.

She came out of retirement in 2006 with some promising results but a positive drugs test for cocaine at Wimbledon 2007, and the ensuing two-year ban, ensured another retirement.

Kournikova meanwhile, achieved a highest world ranking of eighth, while in doubles she was at one stage the world's number one but for all the hype, the blonde bombshell never achieved world class status.

That never stopped the media circus following her wherever she went and in her pomp she was the most googled sportstar on earth.

At one stage her earnings from endorsement and appearance money was nearly 20 times that which she collected in a season's prize money.