Tennis: Meet the tennis player with the skull tattoos

The unique look of Polona Hercog. Photo / Getty

Polona Hercog stands out at the ASB Classic - and it's not just because of her strong play so far.

Hercog has navigated her way into the quarter-finals of the Auckland tennis event, with an impressive 6-4, 6-2 win over Kirsten Flipkens.

However, what has caught the eye most of all is her unique look, with the lanky Hercog one of the rare tennis players to be heavily tattooed.

Hercog says tattoos, which form a sleeve on her right arm, have become her passion, but not all of the tattoos have a special meaning.

"Some of them they have some meaning, some don't have a special meaning behind it - I just like the images."

One such image is a skull displayed on the right arm, surely a rarity in the tennis world.

"I really like the image of the skull and the whole anatomy of it as well," Hercog explained.

A close-up of the skull tattoo. Photo / Getty

Hercog joked that she hopes it's intimidating for the other players, and she'll take whatever advantage she can get as she prepares for her quarter-final matchup.