In what is increasingly being noted as a trend, Australian tennis player Angelina Graovac recently became one of many sportspersons to opt for an alternate "adult content" career for monetary purposes. The 19-year-old reportedly turned to content platform OnlyFans, a place for users to bid X-rated photos of themselves, to support her sports career. Fans immediately likened her to her contemporary sportswoman Renee Gracie who previously made headlines for turning to the porn industry to support her racing career. Read our full report here.
Here are 10 things to know about Angelina Graovac:
1. Angelina Graovac, named a rising star on the Australian tennis scene, has grabbed attention for turning to adult content website OnlyFans in a bid to support her sports career, since she has apparently been struggling to earn. The 19-year-old, who made her tennis debut in 2018, is selling nude photos of herself to keep her tennis dreams alive.
2. According to The Sun, Graovac hails from New South Wales and has been waiting for a sports breakthrough since 2018. She is yet to be listed on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the primary organising body of women's tennis across the world.
3. Graovac is ranked 1171 in world tennis, having won only nine of her 37 career singles matches. Local media reports estimate her career tour earnings to be approximately just over $3500. She is, however, a regular face on ITF Tours.
4. The teen has been waiting to make a name for herself on the Grand Slam scene.
5. On Instagram, Graovac has a robust following of over 26,000 and counting. In the capacity of a social influencer, she often posts pictures of herself in stylish outfits, of her travels, and from the tennis court. On OnlyFans, which clocks in over 85 million users, customers will have to pay to view photos of Graovac.
6. Graovac is notably not the first tennis star to choose OnlyFans as a way to support finances. Bernard Tomic, former world No. 17 in tennis from Australia, has reportedly shared several explicit clips on OnlyFans with girlfriend Vanessa Sierra.
7. Surfer Ellie-Jean Coffey is also among those selling adult content on her website. In 2017, she featured 97th in the QS world rankings and is an occasional model as well.
8. Fans are however finding Graovac's journey to be most similar to Renee Gracie's. Grace, in 2019, announced she was turning to the porn industry to steady her racing career. The ex-Australian V8 Supercar driver claimed to have made approx Rs 18.8 lakh from her work on OnlyFans.
9. On shifting to adult content from sports, she had explained, “The pressure I was under in the last couple of years was immense and I don’t really want to put myself through that. I don’t need that pressure because I have a career outside racing now. I will be doing it for enjoyment and fun." Earlier this year, she claimed she wants to make a return to sports racing. “I now have the financial security to get back into it,” she told The Daily Telegraph.
10. After news of her turning to OnlyFans broke, Graovac posted a cryptic message on her Instagram account, which many are taking to be a response to naysayers objecting to her "adult" content. Posting pictures of herself dressed head-to-toe in black, she wrote, "be so busy improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others"