“I thought about it, and it was something that I did,” Harkleroad said after the match. “I’m proud of my body. I was representing a female athlete’s body.”
The 23-year-old noted other athletes who have appeared in the magazine, including Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard and former volleyball player Gabrielle Reese.
“I’ll be the first tennis player ever. That’s kind of cool,” Harkleroad said.
“There’s a few reasons why I did it, but I can’t really go into it right now,” she added. “But like I said, I really didn’t think it was that big of a deal. I’m proud of my body. I stay in shape and try to stay fit.”
Williams, an eight-time Grand Slam champion, said she respected Harkleroad’s decision to pose for the men’s magazine, but ruled out her own pictorial.
“I can’t say right now it’s in any thought of my mind to be in that mag,” Williams said. “But I’m happy for her if that’s what she wanted to do. It takes a lot of courage.”
TOUGH MONTH
Eduardo Schwank has been through quite a bit the last few weeks, including a hotel fire that destroyed his laptop, passport, equipment and his winner’s check of $6,780 from a Challenger event in Rome.
On Sunday, the 75th-ranked Argentine overcame cramps in his Grand Slam debut to beat a former French Open champion — and guarantee himself at least $37,463 in prize money.
Schwank, playing in only his sixth tour-level event, beat 1998 champion Carlos Moya 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-7 (1), 4-6, 6-3 in the first round. But before he could finish off his Spanish opponent, Schwank had to recover from cramps that left him lying in the red clay at Roland Garros.
“I did suffer cramps, and I was a bit nervous,” said Schwank, who was playing in a five-set match for the first time.
About two weeks ago, Schwank’s room at a hotel in Bordeaux, France, caught fire and the building had to be evacuated.
“We were having breakfast and we heard the sirens and the firemen. We were not paying much attention,” he said. “But all of a sudden, the hotel manager came to us, and said, ’Hey, it’s in your room.’
“So, of course, I turned blank. We tried to fix things, and everything’s not over yet. We have a lawyer managing all this.”
After arriving in Paris, Schwank had to win three qualifying matches to get his spot in the men’s field.
“We had to fight quite a lot, but I made it and I’m very happy,” Schwank said. “With this fire, maybe I could have left the tournament, but I went to the end and it turned out right.”
FIRST WIN
Andy Murray survived a five-set marathon in the first round of the French Open, winning his first match at the clay court major in his second attempt.
The 10th-seeded Briton beat wild card Jonathan Eysseric of France 6-2, 1-6, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2. Eysseric turns 18 on Tuesday and is the youngest player in the men’s field.
“Obviously playing a young guy you’ve not seen takes a little bit of time to get used to,” Murray said. “I didn’t know how comfortable he was up at the net. I didn’t know how well he moved. He obviously moved very well and was not bad up at the net.”
Murray, who lost in the first round in 2006 in his only other appearance at Roland Garros, said he was playing despite a throat infection.
“I’ve been on antibiotics since Tuesday and I’ve not been too well,” Murray said. “I haven’t had much practice in the last five days. I was told to do half of what I would normally do. I had to make sure I wasn’t tiring myself out too much.”
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Slide show
Hargreaves: We Went For The Draw
Ralston hasn’t missed a beat
Harkleroad to be in Playboy magazine
Serena cruises into French second round
