34-year old Grand
Slam Champion, Venus Williams along with 2010 Wimbledon finalist, Tomas
Berdych 28 who becomes the second ATP player to pose for the Body Issue, is
featured in the sixth annual ESPN The
Magazine Body Issue, which hits news stands on July 11.
Both Williams and
Berdych are currently playing at Wimbledon
and each have had success at the All England Club. Williams has won five
Wimbledon singles titles and is only one of four women to accomplish such a
feat. Berdych hasn't won a Wimbledon title yet, but he's historically played
his best tennis on the grass courts in London. And the photos show Berdych
remains in tip top shape and not going anywhere.
In addition to readers getting a close-up view of Williams
posing nude, the magazine includes a story on not-yet-reported details of
Williams' battle with Sjogren's syndrome,
an autoimmune disorder that forced her to take a six-month hiatus from the
sport in 2011-2012.
"At my worst
point, I wasn't able to play tennis at all," Williams told ESPN. "Just the whole quality of my life
was compromised. You are so tired it hurts. You have to accept that you're
never going to be 100%."
"Because of
Sjogren's syndrome, I have to be careful. If I train too hard then I won't be
able to do anything the next day. There would be times when I'd park my car at
home, and I fell asleep behind the wheel because I was so tired! It's a balance
between pushing myself as much as I can and being reasonable about what I can
achieve and what my body will tolerate."
Venus’ turn on the pages comes five years after her sister,
Serena, graced the mag’s cover.
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