Anna Kournikova packed out Wimbledon’s Court 2 as she played her first competitive tennis match in seven years, but the Russian star insisted she could never return to the tour.

The 29-year-old – still one of the most searched-for players on the Internet despite retiring in 2003 – and Swiss former world number one Martina Hingis reformed their Grand Slam-winning doubles partnership to appear at the All England Club.

“For me it’s an amazing opportunity to be back at Wimbledon, my favorite grass courts. I haven’t been here since 2002,” Kournikova said after their opening round-robin match on Tuesday.

They defeated the British pair Samantha Smith and Anne Hobbs 6-4 6-2 in front of 4,000 tennis fans.

“I did it. I had my comeback. I was very happy with it. I lived through all the emotions. I missed it when I was away for three years. That’s why I did the comeback,” the Swiss said.