Exclusive: Rachel Stuhlmann Recreates Famous Ana Ivanović SI Swim Photos in Halloween Pics

As a USPTA certified professional tennis coach and content creator, Rachel Stuhlmann’s love for the game is unmatched. And while the University of Missouri graduate has a style all her own, she enjoys tapping into her creative side and playing homage to her favorite athletes when Halloween rolls around.

Last year, the 32-year-old St. Louis native went viral for her Gabriela Sabatini costume, in which she recreated three of the former world No. 3 tennis player’s notable looks.

This year, she’s continuing to channel the tennis greats who have inspired her throughout her career: Stuhlmann expertly recreated Ana Ivanović’s famous 2010 SI Swimsuit Issue photoshoot, in which the model and athlete posed for Marlena Bielinska in a New York Studio. 

While Ivanović retired from professional tennis in 2016, the 35-year-old Serbian native won 15 WTA titles throughout her career and was ranked world No. 1 after winning the French Open in 2008. Stuhlmann has long admired Ivanović and says she wanted to pay tribute to her with this year’s incredible costume.

“I remember when I was younger, seeing the photos from this shoot,” Stuhlmann recalls. “It’s definitely one of the more edgier tennis photoshoots, and I felt like it was on-brand for me. I admire Ana and loved how hard a fighter she was on the court. It was really fun to recreate such an iconic photoshoot and pay a small tribute to her.”

Stuhlmann’s modern take on the SI Swimsuit photoshoot from more than a dozen years ago features her modeling a similar yellow strapless bikini and a hot pink two-piece—and, of course, she’s wrapped in a net in both pics. 

“She’s such a great player,” Stuhlmann adds of Ivanović, who is raising her three children with husband Bastian Schweinsteiger. Today, the retired athlete is also the founder of an organic skincare brand. “I really admire her career and now the person she’s become.”

Make sure to follow SI Swimsuit on YouTube!