Coronavirus quarantine has already caused huge economic ramifications, but tennis world no. 39 Ashley Harkleroad has revealed how she’s counting the cents in self-isolation - by not wearing any clothes.
Since lockdown began to prevent the spread of the killer covid-19 virus, dozens of athletes have provided a window into their weird and wonderful worlds through Instagram in the absence of receiving their usual limelight.
From Lionel Messi’s toilet roll juggling to Paige Van Zant’s thoroughly odd ‘arty’ photo session with her boyfriend, social distancing has seen sports stars clog our feeds with restless content in a desperate attempt to stand out from the crowd.
Harkleroad is just the latest athlete to join the trend. While many athletes have been forced to forego wage payments during the crisis and the pinch is being felt the world over, the mother of one has invented an ingenious way to tighten her belt - by not wearing one, or anything for that matter.
But there’s a twist: the 34-year-old has a habit of shedding her clothes and posing nude, she hold's the distinction of being US Playboy’s first ever tennis professional, starring on the cover star for the August 2008 issue.
After the French Open in 2008, a then-23-year-old Harkleroad decided to show off her backside rather than her back hand and posed naked for Hugh Hefner’s renowned men’s lifestyle magazine in a tennis-themed photo session.
Over a decade later and Harkleroad still has the knack of posing nude and posted a scintillating fully-naked snap with the caption: “Been saving money on clothes” from quarantine in her Malibu home.
Although the black-and-white post was revealing enough from behind, Harkleroad’s pet dog standing just in front probably had the best eyeful, although the critter’s bemused look indicated the view might have gone over its head.
Despite winning a total eight International Tennis Federation (ITF) career titles, Harkleroad never lived up to the hype that surrounded her early ascent up the tennis ranks, which peaked when she cracked the world top 40 aged just 18.
At the Wimbledon 2003 championships, Harkleroad was pitted against a 16-year-old Maria Sharapova in what was dubbed ‘The Battle of the Babes’ as the Russian teen’s good looks had also garnered her considerable attention.
Sharapova, who retired earlier this year, herself posed for the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated in 2006, which cemented her place as a sporting sex symbol, although her career reached much headier heights than Harkleroad’s.