Australian Open star strips off in topless photo as she thanks tennis fans for their help

The tennis star took to social media to show off the topless photo

Tennis star Renata Zarazua has warned against the dangers of sunbathing after sharing a painful-looking image of her burnt back on social media. The 28-year-old whipped off her top to reveal her severe sunburn, with the top half of her back red-raw.

The Mexican player had been playing at the Hobart International in Tasmania this week as she gears up for the upcoming Australian Open. It appears the intense heat has become a little too much for Zarazua, however.

She captioned the brutal image: “The Australian sun is no joke.” She later posted another photo of her burns, a few hours on, with her blistered skin still raised and swollen. That caption translated as: “Thanks for your advice, everything has improved,” after her followers provided her with advice on how to treat her burns.

Zarazua ultimately crashed out in the round of 16 of the Hobart event to American player Iva Jovic. She had beaten Hiroko Kuwata in straight sets and was run close by US star Hailey Baptiste in previous rounds, only for 18-year-old Jovic to dump the Mexican out of the tournament.

Temperatures across parts of Victoria, where the Australian Open will be held from January 18, have tipped into the mid-40s over the last week. While temperatures in Tasmania haven’t been as quite as strong, they have still maxed out at around 26°C, enough to leave lasting damage if you’re out in the sun for too long.

Tasmania’s UV ratings have shot up between eight and 11 on the UV index scale in recent days. The Cancer Council claims that Australia has some of the highest levels of UV radiation in the world.

Even 15 minutes of unprotected exposure when there are strong UV levels, is enough to cause damage to your skin. However it’s unclear if Zarazua was wearing sun cream at the time.

This isn’t the first time that the intense heat Down Under has gripped some of the world’s top players. Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils took part in a sun-baked match at the Australian Open in January 2018.

Monfils suffered during the second set, repeatedly doubling over and not even attempting to return serve during one game. The Frenchman later claimed the conditions were the toughest he has ever played in, saying: “I’m telling you, I was dying on the court for 40 minutes.”

Zarazua now enters the first Grand Slam of the year ranked No. 70 in the world and she will be competing at the major for the third time.

She reached the second round in the women’s singles last year but was knocked out by No. 4 seed Jasmine Paolini. Yet Zarazua still made an impact in 2025 as she won the Austin 125 in November and fought off Olivia Gadecki and Emerson Jones to win the WTT W100 in Georgia in October.

Her biggest win of the year came when she beat defending Australian Open champion Madison Keys at the US Open. She was also the first Mexican player to beat a top-10 seeded opponent since 1995.