Georgia tennis star Ashley Harkleroad does Playboy

At one point, Ashley Harkleroad — who hails from Rossville in North Georgia — was hyped as the next Anna Kournikova in women’s tennis, except she was supposed to have game. She was the singles runner-up in the juniors division at the 2002 Roland Garros (the French Open) and won the junior doubles at Roland Garros that year.

But she has faltered as a pro, reaching a high of 39 in the world in 2003. Currently, she’s ranked 61.

Now, Harkleroad is going to go Kournikova one better: After taking a 6-2 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Serena Williams at the French Open on Sunday, Harkleroad announced she has posed nude for Playboy and will be featured in the August issue.

It seems unbecoming and desperate for a professional tennis player to make her statement by posing for Playboy instead of on the courts. It also seems symptomatic of a tennis career that never reached its potential.

Harkleroad told reporters in Paris that she’s proud of her body. “I’ll be the first tennis player ever,” she said. “That’s kind of cool.”

It’s kind of sad, actually.

To read Serena Williams’ bemused reaction, click here.