When you think of beautiful athletes, the mind’s instantly drawn to tennis players. The WTA is filled with gorgeous athletes. Every other player seems to be a real hottie, and a lot of them are at the top end of the rankings too, which suits us just perfectly because it means we get to see a whole lot of them at all the top events. Players like Garbine Muguruza, Angelique Kerber, Maria Sharapova, and of course the one and only Eugenie Bouchard, make people sit up and take notice. They look glorious on the court and off it. But at times, even most glamorous players find themselves in unfortunate predicaments.

It’s safe to say that every tennis player on the planet has been pictured in an embarrassing position, or pulling an embarrassing face. That’s the thing with tennis. When you’re about to hit the ball, you can’t really control your facial expression. It’s natural, and a lot of the times, it’s quite comical. Female tennis players have to contend with more than the men. Firstly, they’re objectified, so if they’re not looking glamorous or attractive for whatever reason, people will pull them up on it, the cameras will catch it. Secondly, their outfits can cause them a lot of embarrassing moments. If there’s a sudden gust of wind, they’re not wearing appropriate undergarments, or they’ve just chosen an outfit that’s pretty out there, they’ll be subjected to ridicule. Some just laugh it off, but for others, it sticks with them. It certainly sticks with us, the fans, as such moments give us some light entertainment. Without much further ado, here they are; 20 of the most embarrassing pics of female tennis players ever taken.

20 MARIA SHARAPOVA Not Having Her Best Day

Maria Sharapova has long been regarded to be the most stunning woman in tennis. People were raving about her as a teenager when she won her first Grand Slam, and since then she’s blossomed into a gorgeous athlete. Due to her looks and her business-savviness, she’s also one of the wealthiest – or was before the whole PED scandal – and most marketable athletes in the world. We’ve therefore seen her in plenty of ads, posing in many great shoots. Once upon a time the general perception was that she walked around like that and looked like she did in the modeling shoots from the moment she got up to the time she hit the sack.

That’s why people were surprised when pics like this began to circulate. It’s a pic of Maria without being all glammed up, without having her face plastered with makeup.

19 SERENA WILLIAMS TAKES A TUMBLE

With Serena Williams being the greatest female tennis player to have ever played the game, one of the greatest athletes in the world for that matter, there are understandably going to be plenty of pics of her out there for all to see. She’s achieved legendary status, and so when she’s out and about, on court or off it, every camera’s going to be fixed in her direction. Serena isn’t your stereotypical female tennis beauty. There are pics of her looking absolutely fabulous, but she’s not exactly lean, svelte or graceful and so isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. But she doesn’t care, she does things in her own way, isn’t preoccupied with the opinions of others.

But even Serena will probably cringe a bit when she sets eyes on this image. It’s a still taken from a video at Wimbledon 2014, which shows Serena flying into the arms of an unsuspecting bemused fan. She was playing a doubles match with her sis, when Serena stretching to reach the ball, fell into the arms and was caught rather well by a man in the crowed who saved her from a nasty fall. It was embarrassing, but rather comical at the same time. Everyone had a good chuckle, and Serena being the woman she is, joined in too.

18 MARIA FERNANDA ALVAREZ TERAN: OUCH!

It’s fair to assume that a whole lot of you, even you tennis aficionados out there, haven’t heard of María Fernanda Álvarez Terán. She hails from Bolivia and has been a pro since 2006, but has enjoyed a pretty unspectacular career to date. There’s nothing really to write home about. Maria isn’t exactly the most glamorous woman on the WTA tour either. She really doesn’t have much working in her favor.

She’d probably like to pummel the photographer who took this shot.

If she wasn’t holding a racket, you wouldn’t have a clue she was a pro athlete. From the looks of things, it looks like she’s about to receive a groin shot, that she’s grimacing in anticipation of being hit. This certainly isn’t a picture that’d make the Teran family album.

17 BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS: THE OUTLANDISH STYLE QUEEN OF TENNIS

Even those who aren’t into tennis have probably heard of the name Bethanie Mattek-Sands. She’s had a pretty decent career, winning numerous titles, mainly in doubles tournaments. She’s actually world number one in doubles, which is some achievement considering the competition. She’s therefore known for her prowess on the court, but has certainly gained most of her popularity – good and bad popularity – due to her dress sense.

Bethanie fancies herself as a bit of a fashionista, but although I’m no fashion guru, I can safely say that some of her attire is atrocious.

This is one of those curious choice of outfits, and it’s become quite an iconic picture. The leopard print isn’t doing her any favors. She’s actually been fined on some occasions because of what she’s worn, but Bethanie doesn’t care, she just wants to get herself out there, and she has gotten herself really out there. Now that she’s climbed to the top of the rankings, she’s simmered down a bit now on those outfits, and probably looks back at that photo with a red face. It’s one of those “what was I thinking?” moments.

16 Venus Loses A Strap

Tennis seems to be one of those sports that's prone to the most wardrobe malfunctions. After all, the outfits are usually tight fitting and there's a lot of intense, sudden movements in the game that could lead to mishaps. Venus Williams wasn't immune to it, as she lost a strap on her top while competing in Milan. During an exhibition match against a local pro player in Italy, fans got a little more than they expected when Venus's strap came undone. Thankfully for her, she was able to grab her top before cameras got a complete shot of what she was packing underneath. She was able to laugh it off and continue with the match once she got her wardrobe sorted out. Venus is a real pro.

15 SIMONA HALEP’S ABOUT TO GET KNOCKED OUT

In case you’re wondering, no this isn’t a photoshopped image. It’s a pic of Simona Halep, the current world number 2, and formerly the best player in the world. She’s enjoyed a steady rise up the rankings over the years. A lot of people, including Simona, attribute that to surgery she had in 2009. This pic is of Simona about to get knocked out by her knockers in 2008. You can just imagine that as an athlete, they would be a hindrance. For Simona, it was win or bust; she wanted to reach the top, climb higher in tennis, and so to improve her reaction times, she had reduction surgery in 2009. She was still a teenager when she went under the knife. Simona initially achieved fame because of her assets, because of pics like this one. Now she’s famed for her prowess on the court.

14 Sharapova Sneaking A Peek

There are countless photos of men taking a bit of a long look at female athletes as they're passing by, but sometimes even female athletes can't help but admire their fellow competitors.

Here, Sharapova, is taking a look at retired doubles tennis player Daniela Hantuchova, who was walking by her and obviously caught the Russian beauty's eye.

During Hantuchova's career, she went 1-9 against Sharapova in competitive matches, so it's clear Sharapova had her number on the court.

After looking at this picture, we're wondering if it's because Sharapova scouted her competition a lot better. Either way, it's a pretty embarrassing shot of Sharapova and this photographer struck absolute gold when he/she snapped this shot. Sharapova knows the feeling of Hantuchova, as there are countless pictures of Sharapova being checked out.

13 ANA IVANOVIC NOT SO GLAMOROUS

Ana Ivanovic has basically made a living out of being a steamy athlete. Sure, she’s won a Grand Slam, is the former world number one, but even so, most of her popularity has been gained because she’s hot, although judging by this pic, you wouldn’t think it. Ana retired recently due to her inconsistent form. But during her playing days – even now in fact – she was one of the world’s most marketable athletes. She took part in a number of steamy shoots, and was regarded to be one of the best looking players in the world. But even Ana would probably look back at this photo and cringe. Sure, she was younger in this pic, and the blossoming process probably hadn’t started, but even so, it’s not a great look.

12 SABINE LISICKI UNFLATTERING MID-SHOT SNAP

Sabine Lisicki is one of the most popular players on the WTA tour. She wears her heart on her sleeve, engages with fans and with the crowd, and that’s something that’s endeared her to a lot of people. Sabine has also had some good runs at Grand Slam tournaments, but by and large, her form’s been very inconsistent over the years. Oh, and Sabine is also pretty attractive, yet another beautiful woman on in the WTA. This pic just goes to show how unflattering a player can look when they’re about to hit a shot. Some players have some funny mannerisms, pull some funny facial expressions, and it can be rather embarrassing if caught on camera, which it inevitably does. Sabine must be thinking, of all pictures of her, why do papers choose to use images like this?

11 BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS – CREATIVITY OR LUDICRACY?

Just about stopped shaking your head at the first picture of Bethanie Mattek-Sands on this list? Well, here’s another one, possibly even more ludicrous, or at least on par, with the first. Now you’ve probably realized what I meant when I mentioned that Bethanie’s outfits are really out there, that she loves putting herself out there. Wimbledon is a Grand Slam that has very strict rules regarding its player’s dress code. In 2011, Bethanie decided to stretch the rules as much as possible, testing the authority of those in charge, by letting her creativity flow when it came to her outfit. The strict officials could do nothing but raise their eyebrows. Quite a lot of people around the world raised their eyebrows too. It was a daring outfit, and I think most would agree that it didn’t work.

10 VENUS WILLIAMS’ CHOICE OF OUTFIT

There have been some pretty outlandish outfits seen on court over the years. Bethanie Mattek-Sands is responsible for a fair few of these outfits. But here’s one from Venus Williams. That dress for starters, has probably never ever been seen on a tennis court apart from that moment.

It looks like an intimate night dress, like a something a woman would wear to entice her man. Then, what’s with her choice of undergarments?

Venus has dark skin, and so wearing those dark tight shorts under that dress wasn’t a good idea. At first glance, and I’m sure to a lot of people who were in attendance that day, it looks as if she’s wearing nothing at all under that dress, is giving everyone a real eyeful!

9 Sharapova On The Ground

We come back to Sharapova again. Given that she's had a long career and she's possibly the most photographed tennis player in the world, of course there are bound to be some gems of Sharapova. Here was one of her not so graceful moments. During a match against Caroline Wozniacki, Sharapova lost her balance and ended up losing her racket. This definitely isn't her finest moment, as it almost provides the visual of someone playing tennis for the first time in their life.

Thankfully for Sharapova she's provided a lot more positive images than negative ones, as she's become one of the wealthiest tennis players who has ever lived and she's able to save face from embarrassing pictures like this online.

8 Serena Out Of A Limo

Serena Williams is right up there with Sharapova in terms of popularity when it comes to female tennis players and athletes in general. However, a difference with Serena is that she's been dominant in her craft and her look is really secondary in terms of what makes her famous. However, because of her mainstream appeal, it also means there'll be some nosey photographers around at some inopportune times. On this occasion, Serena was exiting a limo, and some camera shots caught what Serena was wearing underneath. Cameras caught a pair of panties as Serena was standing up to exit the limo. This was obviously a violation of privacy and definitely a moment Serena would like to forget. Can't those photographers wait until she stands up?

7 THINGS HAVEN’T BEEN GOING RIGHT FOR JELENA JANKOVIC

Remember Jelena Jankovic? I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. She once topped the rankings and was always up there competing for Grand Slams. Poor, Jelena, how things have changed. She’s struggled with injuries and inconsistent form. Her loss of form has been remarkable, as she’s currently ranked 234 in the world. This picture won’t lift her mood.

From the looks of things, Jelena had a lower back injury. For such injuries, players tend to lay on the floor and let the trainers examine them.

But Jelena decided to stay standing, bend over, and it made for this rather awkward looking photo.

The trainer probably anticipated that things could look quite awkward, and decided to try and cover her up from the behind angle as much as possible. But photographers are always going to get their shot.

6 CAROLINE WOZNIACKI’S A REAL CHARACTER

There are some real characters in the women’s game, and Caroline Wozniacki has got to top that list. She’s experienced heartache, disappointment, has had plenty of ups and downs, but still comes out on court smiling and jovial, wanting to create a show. She created a show on this occasion alright, a real spectacle, but of a different sort. Serena Williams is known for having huge assets. Caroline thought she’s try and impersonate and take the micky out of her friend – and they are friends, even after that, Serena can take a joke. But a lot of fans and large sections of the media didn’t see the funny side of Caroline’s antics. It created quite a stir, and Caroline came under some heavy criticism. In hindsight, Caroline probably would’ve ditched that gag and gone for something, well, more mundane, but less likely to get her into hot water.

5 A BALLING ANNA-LENA FRIEDSAM

It’s fair to assume that a lot of you don’t have the foggiest idea who Anna-Lena Friedsam is. She’s only 24, and hasn’t yet achieved anything of note in her career. So, she knew when she faced Agnieszka Radwanska at the Australian Open in 2016, she had an opportunity to get herself out there, stamp her mark on the tennis world. It didn’t quite work out as planned.

She’ll remember that match, as will a fair few others, but not because of her prowess on the court.

It’ll be remembered for the sight of Anna-Lena balling her eyes out. She was cramping up severely, and amazingly, willed on from the crowd, she completed the match. Players have cried on court before, but never to this extent. There were tears and lots of them. They continued to flow, and in the end, it was agony just to watch her plough on when she was in visible distress.

4 AMELIE MAURESMO GIVING SOME ADVICE

Amelie Mauresmo is a former world number 1. At her peak as a tennis player, she was unstoppable, decimated her opponents with her power and speed. She therefore had plenty of expertise and knowledge of the game which she wanted to pass on when she called it quits. She boasts a pretty decent coaching record too, having coached some big names, and a number of her French compatriots. Amelie’s got a lot of great advice to dish out, but I wonder what she was looking to get across on this occasion. She’s helping one of her players during a France-Germany Fed Cup match, but looks rather ridiculous doing it. But as long as her player got the point, that’s all that matters. We can still have a chuckle though.

3 CAROLINE WOZNIACKI’S BAD HAIR DAY

Caroline Wozniacki loves to have a bit of fun out on court, loves to make people smile, even if it’s at her own expense. However, on this occasion, I don’t think she went looking for laughs. It must have been a seriously embarrassing moment for Caroline, but she was a good sport about it, just dealt with it, carried on smiling, continued with the game.

It was during a point in the middle of the U.S. open, that Caroline got her blonde locks stuck in her racket.

It must have been mightily embarrassing at the time. That gif has become legendary. But Caroline, being the sport she is, although she probably wanted the ground to open up and swallow her up at the time, joined in with the banter. It’s why people love Caroline.

2 SERENA WILLIAMS EMBARASSING LOSS, EMBARRASSING MOMENT

Serena Williams, on her day, is untouchable out on court. She goes about decimating opponents with ease, and even the best of the rest can’t put up a fight. But this wasn’t her day. In 2014 at the WTA finals in Singapore, Serena Williams seemingly imploded. We saw the star lose it and get absolutely thrashed by Simona Halep.

Serena later deemed it the worst, most embarrassing match of her career.

This pic of her reaction, her admonishing herself, is pretty embarrassing too. That screwed-up facial expression is something we haven’t seen a whole lot of over the years, and Serena wouldn’t want to see it again either, or be in a position where she pulls it when she eventually gets back on court after stepping away from the game for her pregnancy.

1 VENUS WILLIAMS’ LATTICE DRESS

Serena Williams, especially during the earlier stages of her career, in the early 2000s, loved experimenting with her outfits out on court. Most were pretty awesome, seriously hot. At the 2004 U.S. Open, she had the audacity to stride out in a bondage-style outfit, and then there was that memorable biker-chick look. Venus didn’t want her younger sis to get all the attention. She was getting plenty already due to the way she was playing on court – leave some of the limelight for Venus. Venus thought, “anything you can do I can do better sis.” She certainly grabbed some of the attention with this outfit, although not the right kind of attention. This revealing lattice dress was deemed a fashion disaster. Many said it resembled an apple pie. Not the effect Venus was hoping for.