All it took for a low ranked French tennis player to get her name into the record books was making a change off the courts.
Well, make that two changes.
Earlier this year, Oceane Dodin unofficially became the first professional tennis player to undergo breast enhancement surgery, while still active in her career.
And Dodin, perhaps quite understandably, found herself garnering a lot more attention after making her return from the procedure.
During a recent interview with the Daily Mail, Dodin was asked if she expected the type of newfound attention she has received.
“Yes and no,” the 29-year-old said. “Yes, because in this sport, it’s not like usual, nobody has done it before, so I knew people and journalists are gonna talk about it.
“But no, because, I mean, for me, it’s nothing crazy. It’s just boobs, it’s nothing.
“So, I was like, ‘maybe people are going talk about it because it’s new, and because it’s unusual’, but not that much.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/DJYq_R4gh_W/?hl=en&img_index=1
Dodin underwent the procedure while taking some time off the tour due to an inner-ear condition, an affliction that had been troubling her for a decade.
After nine months away, Dodin made her return to the court at a small event in Reims, France, in late September, beating American Carol Ansari in her first match back.
While a match between two players with ranks near the 400s would rarely make headlines, Dodin clearly caught the attention of many with her groundbreaking decision.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. It’s true that I took advantage of this break because I told myself that since you have to stop about two months after the operation, when you’re in the season, it’s not possible,” she told RMC Sport earlier this month.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DNKmErGtMwO/?hl=en
“So I said to myself, ‘If I’m going to stop for six months, I might as well do what I want.’ And then I prefer to do it now than at 40, when I’ll have finished my career.”
While Dodin’s decision to undergo breast enhancement surgery is far from uncommon in everyday life, it has been unprecedented for a pro tennis player.
The only previous situation close to similar to Dodin’s would be that of Simona Halep, who underwent breast reduction surgery in 2009. The Romanian star’s game improved greatly, thanks to reducing some discomfort while playing, and Halep went on to win both the French Open and Wimbledon later in her career.
Dodin told the outlet that it wasn’t like she opted for “watermelons” and that she and her surgeon were knowledgeable about her profession before undergoing the procedure.
“He asked me, ‘But can you still play?’ And I was like, ‘Of course, yes.’ I didn’t put like, everything crazy.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DIETv6FNhHB/?hl=en
“Of course, (they’re) big, but it’s not like I can’t play, you know? And there are some tennis players who have bigger boobs than me, and they’re still playing. Just mine are fake, that’s it.”
Dodin currently ranks No. 477 in the world, but held a career high of 46. She says her aim is crack the top 100 once again and she is motivated to perform better in 2026. But, most importantly, she’s feeling better about herself in general.
“I’m feeling better in my body now, and I think in sport in general, people always think that we are just like robots, just tennis players. But we have private lives, we have friends, we have different things,” she said.
“So I think for me, it’s important to talk about everything.”