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French Open champion Stan Wawrinka reveals (almost) ALL in ESPN Magazine's body issue

Stan Wawrinka
The two-time Grand Slam champ from Switzerland is an out-of-the-box choice to let it all out there for ESPN Magazine's Body Issue. (Stephanie Myles/opencourt.ca)

WIMBLEDON – At the French Open, all the buzz about Swiss No. 2 Stan Wawrinka was about ... his excruciatingly painful, yet oddly compelling shorts.

That the shorts went all the way to the title with the 30-year-olf from Lausanne was just a bonus.

A few weeks later at Wimbledon, it's not about the shorts, but about the lack of shorts.

Wawrinka, who will strike most as a fairly introverted individual in terms of his public persona, is in this year's ESPN The Magazine's body issue, the only tennis player represented.

And, well, here it is.

Did you notice that the post, sort of, evokes Wawrinka's famous one-handed backhand? We didn't think so. 
Did you notice that the post, sort of, evokes Wawrinka's famous one-handed backhand? We didn't think so. 

(Note the tennis tan - the sock line above his ankles. Any tennis player knows how hard that is to get rid of. And the tan line that ends at the shorts. It gives you hope that there wasn't too much heavy Photoshopping going on).

Wawrinka's not that guy who will practice at tournaments without his shirt on, or even change it much on the court during matches. So it was definitely a stretch for him.

"I was nervous for the photo shoot.  For that, it wasn't easy for me. But we'll see. You know, we'll see what's going to come out from that," he told the media at Wimbledon.  "It was a great experience. It was a great challenge for me. Took me a while to (say yes).  It was interesting shooting.  It was different.

"I did it because they do it in a good way. They want to put athlete first, sport first, sport body.  I think in general they find a good way to do some nice picture. That's the only reason why I accepted," he added.

Another pic and some not-particularly-interesting quotes from Wawrinka here.

Wawrinka isn't the first tennis player to bring tennis to the Body issue. Venus Williams and sister Serena have also done it. So have Tomas Berdych, John Isner and Agnieszka Radwanska.