Top Tennis Influencer Drawing Comparisons to Paige Spiranac
Paige Spiranac is golf's top social media influencer as the former golf pro has 3.1 million follower's on Instagram and was recently named the Sexiest Woman Alive by Maxim. But it looks like one social media influencer is looking to be as popular as Spiranac as former tennis pro Rachel Stuhlmann is drawing comparisons to the 29-year-old, as mentioned by The Sun. Stuhlmann, 26, has over 183,000 followers on Instagram and 55,000 on TikTok. And like Spiranac, Stuhlmann grabs followers' attention with her steamy photos.
When speaking to Fitness Gurls last week, Stuhlmann talked about being compared to Spiranac since she's official the "No. 1 tennis influencer." She said, "To be honest, it's an honor. Golf and tennis are so similar in the sense that they are very traditional and buttoned-up sports. Paige Spiranac has done so much for the sport of golf and has pushed the sport forward. I have been working hard to make the same impact in tennis. If I had to be compared to anyone, I am really happy it's her!"
Earlier this year OutKick named Stuhlmann tennis' No. 1 influencer. And when Stuhlmann learned about the honor, she wrote on Instagram, "World No. 1 in tennis (influencer). WOW, what an honor! Since my playing career, all I've wanted to do was make the sport more mainstream and relatable, and cool like the other sports! So this definitely means a lot."
Stuhlmann competed at the University of Missouri and one of the most notable wins came when she defeated the No. 22-ranked player in the country during her sophomore year, according to FanWord. She played professionally before making the transition to modeling and journalism.
"There was a time earlier in my career when I got a little nervous about how I would be perceived in the industry based on my appearance and style," Stuhlmann told Fitness Gurls. "For the past few years, I have put so much work into professional tennis, from media, broadcasting, marketing, writing, tournament sponsorships and partnerships, sales, events, player relations, and much more. I finally realized I could do all these things without changing who I am! Nothing about my appearance changes my knowledge of the game."