WTA Tour player Agnieszka Radwanska has defended herself from criticism after the laid-back netter surprised everybody for posting nude on the latest edition of ESPN Body.
Radwanska, ranked third in the WTA Tour, posted a message on her Facebook account explaining her decision to bare it all on the popular sports magazine.
"For those that are not familiar with the magazine, ESPN The Body Issue is a celebration of the beauty of the bodies of the best athletes in the world. It includes both men and women of all ages and all shapes and sizes. Other athletes photographed include San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, 77-year-old golf legend Gary Player, and Olympic volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings - during and after her pregnancy," Radwanska wrote.
The Polish netter also asserted that it wasn't the first time a female tennis player was featured on the magazine as Serena Williams, Daniela Hantuchova and Vera Zvonareva did it in the past.
"My tennis colleagues Serena Williams, Daniela Hantuchova and Vera Zvonareva have all participated in the past," said Radwanska in her statement.
Radwanska added the photo was not meant to be immoral, but instead to show the product of hard work and determination she put into her body.
"The pictures are certainly not meant to cause offense and to brand them as immoral clearly does not take into account the context of the magazine. Moreover, they do not contain any explicit imagery whatsoever," Radwanska posted.
"I train extremely hard to keep my body in shape and that's what the article and the magazine is all about. If you read the interview, it only discusses my job as an athlete and what I have to do physically to be able to participate at the highest level of sport, " she added.
Finally, the Polish cleared out she wasn't paid a single cent to pose for the magazine, adding she did it to encourage people to engage in physical activities and stay in shape.
"It has been suggested by some members of the press (among others) that I was paid for the photo shoot. This is absolutely not the case. Neither I nor any of the other athletes were paid. I agreed to participate to help encourage young people, and especially girls, to exercise, stay in shape and be healthy," added Radwanska.
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