Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams bares her body and soul when she opens up about her ongoing battle with Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disorder. “At my worst point, I wasn’t able to play tennis at all,” she told ESPN The Magazine.
Venus Williams Nude for ESPN as she follows in the footsteps of her sister Serena, who appeared on the debut cover of the Body Issue in 2009.
American professional tennis player Venus Williams Nude for ESPN Body Issue
U.S. bobsled brake woman Aja Evans (pictured) ditches her Team USA unitard to pose nude behind her sled
Tennis anyone? Czechoslovakian tennis star Tomas Berdych (pictured) gamely ditches his shorts – to great effect – as he poses for the risque issue
Having a blast: X-Games motor sports legend Travis Pastrana and his skateboarder wife Lyn-Z Pastrana get a little muddy during their photoshoot
Peak form: Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (pictured), is captured in vivid motion, leaping with his basketball
Surf’s up: Hawaiian-born professional surfer Coco Ho (pictured) trades her wetsuit for her birthday suit in the name of this animated spread
Baller: U.S. Women’s Olympic Soccer star Megan Rapinoe (pictured) displays her balance skills
Nearly nude: Nigel Sylvester (pictured), a rising star in the BMX world, opted to wear shoes for his photo shoot – and nothing else
Peak form: Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (pictured), is captured in vivid motion, leaping with his basketball
Bracing the cold: Olympic gold-medal-winning snowboarder Jamie Anderson (pictured) may be flaunting her upper body here, but names another part of her slender physique as her ‘favorite’ asset. ‘My freakin’ booty!’ she says
He knows it: Super Bowl champion Marshawn Lynch (pictured), a running back for the Seattle Seahawks, says of his buff form, ‘I’m cool with my body, I love my body. I wouldn’t trade it for no other body’
Superstar swimmer Michael Phelps, who has been taking a break following the 2012 London Summer Olympics, reveals he got ‘fat and out of shape’ during his hiatus, but is very clearly back on flying form, judging by his sensational cover shot
Texas Rangers first baseman Prince Fielder (pictured) displays his colorful array of tattoos as he demonstrates his bat-swinging finesse
