Stripped and ripped sports stars show form

We sometimes take for granted how hard an athlete works to keep their body in peak shape to enable them to compete at the highest level.

For the sixth year in a row, ESPN Magazine will feature some world-class athletes in the latest Body Issue, reports the UK's Daily Mail.

Previous instalments have included Serena Williams and Gary Player, and NBA stars Blake Griffith and Dwight Howard posing nude.

This year's issue, out on Friday, features 22 athletes and includes Serena's older sister and multiple grand slam winner Venus, 18-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps, Seattle Seahawks star Marshawn Lynch, and Oklahoma City Thunder player Serge Ibaka.

Tennis player Tomas Berdych, US soccer player Omar Gonzalez, Olympic hockey player Hilary Knight and boxer Bernard Hopkins also grace the magazine, the newspaper said.

ESPN the Magazine's editor-in-chief Chad Millman said ahead of the release: "This year's collection of exceptional athletes and stunning photography showcases an array of sports and body types. It inhabits our mission to pay tribute to these athletes' bodies and all they are capable of."