nadal played his third round match against antonio veic on the day i was there. the seats i had brought me closer to the court than i'd ever been for a "real" nadal match. but after the first handful of games i realized that even from my very nice seats, my zoom and i were not going to get better photos than i could find online the next day, shots from the "pros." with their credentials they have a bit more freedom to roam--i was fighting gals with frizzy hair, guys with caps, taller people, who were all sneaking into the corners of the frame. i was missing shots--and the tennis.
still, i made some photos with intent--to try to catch nadal acknowledging the crowd, cleaning the baselines with his nikes, sliding, kicking up clay. but for most of the match, the camera was in my lap. i just watched the action, the playing out of every point.
i could appreciate his speed, his powerful and agile directional shifts. nadal's compact frame and his low-to-the-ground movement must give him the confidence to maintain balance on a surface that constantly pushes one off. tennis is a much more quiet, meditative game at roland garros (grunting aside)--no squeaky sneaks on the clay, just occasional long raspy slides. it was practically soothing. but the relative silence also has the effect of intensifying the tense moments, if you will. i liked the long points that showed both loft and the zip of his groundstrokes. it never seems effortless--how could it be? but it certainly is awesome.
it looks like it would be fun, too.
i like the ball boys in the photographer's pit
this one's my favorite, for the movement, the wrinkles in his shirt, and the clay kicking up.
***
steve wrote a really nice feature for his blog about manuela davies, a professional sports photographer, during week 2 of the open. if you're interested in tennis or sports photography, you'll appreciate the "day in the life" peek, but you might also be interested to know more about the challenges the pros have to navigate. it's a dreamy piece, but with a dose of reality.
