Violetta Degtiareva Dies of Heart Failure at Age 23

Russian tennis player Violetta Degtiareva, who drew comparisons to compatriot Anna Kournikova for her beauty, reportedly died of heart failure during a training session last week. She was 23.

Chris Perez of the New York Post reports few details have been released, and the news hadn't become public until a fellow player, Anastasia Vdovenco, made a social media post regarding the tragedy.

He also notes that Degtiareva was "known for her staggering beauty and plush payroll" and "was one of the highest-earning stars on the International Tennis Federation pro circuit" before her sudden death on Jan. 12.

Degtiareva was ranked just inside the top 1,100 for singles and around 900 in doubles. Her highest singles ranking was 947. She was active on the ITF Pro Circuit (developmental path for the WTA Tour). The most recent matches on her player page are from a tournament in Turkey last November.

The New York Post notes there was no further information released about what caused the heart failure or her training location when she passed away.

A separate report from Sarah Ridley of the Daily Mail added Degtiareva's best result was reaching the quarterfinals at the ITF-Turnier in Turkey.


R.I.P

Oh Gosh she was very beautiful, the world lost a GEM

RIP Violetta.