Thurs., Feb. 11 - The readers have spoken and determined today that among the top 10 athlete-models to have appeared in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, 6 are either active or retired tennis stars. The list includes the likes of world #1 Serena Williams as well as her sister Venus, former #1 Maria Sharapova, and several others.
- View photos of SI's top 10 non model athletes at bottom of article
- Watch video of the top 10 at bottom of article
- Click here for all of your tennis news
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
Since first hitting newsstands in 1964, the iconic swimsuit issue has been hugely instrumental in not only launching the careers of models into supermodel status but also in legitimizing the bikini as fashion apparel. This year's edition featured Brooklyn Decker - familiar to tennis fans as Mrs. Andy Roddick, on the cover and a debut appearance from former #1 women's tennis player Ana Ivanovic. The 1989 25th Anniversary issue featuring Kathy Ireland on the cover remains as the magazine's top selling issue of all time.
Danica Patrick and other tennis stars featured as Sports Illustrated swimsuit models
Other tennis stars making the athlete-model top 10 list according to SI readers include Slovakian tennis player Daniella Hantuchova, and Russian tennis stars Maria Kirilenko and Anna Kournikova. Indy/NASCAR driver Danica Patrick appears at both the #9 spot as well as the top position for her appearances in the 2008 and 2009 editions. For the complete list, watch the video below and click to open the slideshow at the bottom of the screen:
Comments
That's just not fair as The Kansas City Real Estate Examiner I don't get to use many sexy photos! Best of luck and a great article... or at least the few words I read. haha
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