Ashley Harkleroad (Born May 2, 1985 in Rossville, Georgia, United States) is an American tennis player. Harkleroad was the first professional ( WTA ) tennis player to pose for Playboy. On June 9, 2003 Harkleroad achieved her career-high ranking of no. 39. Her career prize money to date is 1,022,094 USD.
Harkleroad started playing tennis at age four. Ashley first appearance was 1999's ITF tournament at the Largo, Florida. She played her first WTA qualifying event in Miami, Florida and her first Grand Slam at the U.S. Open in same year. Harkleroad turned pro on June 12, 2000 and quickly billed as the next American star tennis player.
In 2001, she improved her status on the ITF Circuit. In 2002, she won her first tour matches, reaching the second round at San Diego, Hawaii, and Bratislava, where she made her first doubles semifinal with partner María Emilia Salerni. She ended 2002 in the top 200 for the first time in her career.
2003 was breakthrough year for Ashley Harkleroad, when she defeated three top-20 players (no. 16 Elena Bovina, no. 19 Meghann Shaughnessy and no. 9 Daniela Hantuchová) at Charleston, losing just 11 games along the way to reach her first tour semifinal, before losing to Justine Henin-Hardenne. She became the lowest-ranked semifinalist (no. 101) in the event's history since unranked Jennifer Capriati reached the finals in 1990.
In 2004, she made her career first Tour final. In 2005, Harkleroad sat out due to various injuries and an illness in the family, but the time she was on court was spent on the ITF Women's circuit, winning two titles.
Harkleroad ended 2006 at no. 86 in singles and np. 55 in doubles. In 2007, She ended the year ranked no. 76, her second-highest year-end to date. Harkleroad also won the doubles title in la Quinta with Christina Fusano. Harkleroad finished the year with a 29–20 record in singles and a 13–11 record in doubles.
In 2008, after losing early in the U.S. Open Series, Harkleroad withdrew from the U.S. Open due to a pregnancy. She took an indefinite break from tennis as a result. She gave birth on March 30, 2009 to a boy.
In 2010, Ashley Harkleroad cameback with Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida. In summer She competed in World Team Tennis.
Ashley appeared as the cover girl of the men's magazine Playboy as well as in a four page full frontal nude pictorial and becoming the first professional tennis player to pose for Playboy.
