Evgeny Korolev  Evgeny Evgenyevich Korolev (; born 14 February 1988) is a retired Russian tennis player and the cousin of former Russian player Anna Kournikova. He began playing tennis at age four with his father, and picked up his first ATP points at age 15 in three German challenger events. He can speak Russian, German, English and Spanish. Korolev was raised in Moscow, then in the Russian SFSR of the Soviet Union, and began playing tennis at age four with his father, also named Evgeny, who still coaches him. Korolev did not play on the junior circuit and picked up his first ATP points at age 15 in three German competitions. His mother, Irina, is a housewife and sometimes travels to tournaments as well. He has one older brother, Alexey, who is also his physiotherapist and helps with his business matters. Korolev also had a private tutor who helped him speak Spanish, German and English. Korolev's favorite surfaces are hard and clay courts and he considers the backhand his favorite shot, although he admits to generating more power off his forehand wing. Korolev married his long-time girlfriend, Anna, on 15 July 2011. Korolev retired from Tennis in 2016 due to persistent injuries. Korolev began playing on the main tours in 2004 at the age of 16 in order to become physically stronger, and scored a run of wins. By the age of 16, he had compiled a respectable win/loss record. In 2005, he won three futures and a challenger event. He started off the year with a defeat in a German futures event, although only after beating fellow hopeful Andrey Golubev on the way. He later claimed a second futures win in France, in which he beat home favorite Mathieu Montcourt in the final. He later won another futures event in Austria and an F1 event in France. His success in these contests convinced him to start playing more challenger events, including a victory in the Aachen challenger event, in which he beat Igor Kunitsyn and Dominik Meffert on his way to the title. In 2006 Korolev claimed a win in Marseille over fellow countryman and world number 5 Nikolay Davydenko, but went on to lose in the quarter finals to French veteran Sébastien Grosjean. Shortly after, Korolev beat former World Number 1 and Grand Slam winner Carlos Moyá, before eliminating Andreas Seppi on his Grand Slam debut at Roland Garros, before going out to Gastón Gaudio.