No. 33 ranked Daniela Hantuchova from Slovakia may be upping her ranking in many fans’ opinions when the next issue of ESPN’s Body Issue hits the newsstands on Friday. Daniela is one of many athletes who leave the clothes at home and show us what bodies of professional athletes look like.
On Daniela’s Official Site, ESPN reports: Showing that you don’t have to choose between killer instinct on the tennis court and killer looks off of it, Dani has become one of the latest star athletes to pose for ESPN Magazine: The Body Issue, an annual magazine that has been running since 2009 that features all kinds of athletes sharing their stories, sans-clothes.
“I’m always open to new opportunities, so I figured why not?” Daniela said. “I wanted to do it with class and not show too much of anything, but as an athlete, I’m pretty confident about my body, so I guess I’m not afraid of anything.”
Among the topics Daniela discusses are getting started in tennis, what keeps her passion burning in the sport, the physical challenges she has to endure, and of course her training, her nutrition and – the subject of the magazine – her body.
Daniela is also asked whether she has ever felt self-conscious about her body. “Absolutely not,” she says. “I think I was so focused on tennis and trying to win, as well as school and piano, that there was never really time to think about that.”
This is the fourth time a professional tennis star has been featured in ESPN Magazine: The Body Issue, after James Blake and Serena Williams (in the inaugural issue in 2009) and Vera Zvonareva (in 2011)
Daniela is 5’11”, 137 pounds. As she says, “‘Talent is one step away from being lazy.’ I read that when I was 12 and told myself I would do everything I could to not let that happen to me.”
She has certainly lived up to that motto, turning pro in May, 1999, reaching a career-high singles ranking of No. 5 on January 27, 2003, and a career-high doubles ranking of No. 5 on August 26, 2002. Although she has not won a Grand Slam title, she reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon and the US Open in 2002 and the semifinals of the Australian open in 2008.
A little controversial when it began, the ESPN’s special Body Issue issue has become more of a staple of the sports year rather than causing waves. That is not to say the magic is gone. As you can see from this image, there is plenty to love about the annual installment of star athletes going nude.
To see more of the amazing images, male and female, leaked prior to the magazine hitting the newsstands, go to ESPN’s official page.
