Reuters reports that Harkleroad, who is ranked a lowly No. 61 in the world, took Playboy up on the offer while she was recovering from surgery to remove a cyst from her ovaries. If she couldn't play tennis, she would strip instead. "I was just laying there for three weeks, and, you know, an offer came to me," the 23-year-old from Georgia told reporters at a news conference in May. "I thought, well, I'm not really doing anything right now so I thought about it and it was something that I did. I'm proud of my body. I was representing a female athlete's body. It was hard work, but, you know, it was just a completely different experience. It was fun. I stay in shape and try to stay fit, so like I said, I'm just trying to represent a female athlete and her body. That can be sexy too, you know."
Click to view a sexy photo gallery of Sara Jean Underwood, Playboy's Playmate of the Year for 2007.
What does Serena Williams think of it? It's great! "I'm just surprised that she beat me to it," Serena joked with reporters. "I'm happy for her if that's what she wanted to do. It takes a lot of courage. And whether I'm courageous enough, I don't know, but that's great for someone to be so courageous and tough." Does that mean Serena will be next? "I can't say right now it's in any thought of my mind to be in that mag. I do appreciate that mag. I think (Playboy owner) Hugh Hefner is a great businessman."
Two other U.S. athletes have bared it all for Playboy: Swimmer Amanda Beard and volleyball player Gabrielle Reece.
