Vanessa Menga… Brazil’s other Tennis Bunny.

Long before Ashley Harkleroad became the talk of the tennis world for her appearance on the cover of Playboy magazine, a lessor known Brazilian tennis player Vanessa Menga graced the pages of same magazine, and has gone on to become a model of some distinction in her own country. She was an outstanding junior player who reached the number 1 position as a junior. She turned pro and won a doubles title, represented Brazil in the Atlanta Olympics, the Fed Cup and the Pan Am Games. She lives in Sao Paulo where she works as a model for several magazines, and has been seen in a couple of tennis related commercials.
If I was a tennis promoter looking to attract a SRO crowd to my tournament, I might be inclined to create a doubles pairing of Vanessa Menga and Anna Kournikova. Whether they win or lose, it really wouldn’t matter!