Several athletes have adorned themselves with tattoos, with the significance ranging from messages by family members to hobbies. Tennis star Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is not renown for her artwork but the Russian has acquired a good number of them during her career.
The 32-year old recently revealed the meaning behind some of her tattoos. The 2021 Roland Garros finalist stated she was inspired by various interests and accomplishments, while others had a more personal meaning. However, not all of her tattoos have a deep meaning. Some reflect her self-described whimsical personality, which is a trait not many know she possesses.
"Everybody's been asking me what's the meaning behind my tattoos," Pavlyuchenkova begins in a video posted to Instagram. She spoke about the significance of some of her body artwork. On her right index finger, she memorialized the "first thing she saw" off the plane in Tokyo ahead of the 2021 Olympics, where she and Andrey Rublev won a gold medal in mixed doubles. Therefore, a cherry blossom branch, known as "sakura" in Japan, coils around the thumb of her other hand.
The word "voilà!," inked on her arm near her wrist, pays homage to her former residence in France and her fluency in the language, while pinched fingers, the famous "Italian" hand gesture, have a home near her elbow. However, her favorite is a smiley face on the inside of her right wrist that "reminds [her] to smile," while some of the funniest imagery can be found on her feet. Her left foot features both a dancing skeleton near her Achilles, and cartoonish avocado holding a wine glass on the top of her right foot because she "likes avocados ... and wine!"