I got to shoot a few days of the USTA/Ursula Beck Pro Tennis Classic in Decatur last week. The courts at Fairview Park were great to shoot at… clean backgrounds (minus the ugly blue banners they hung up for the bigger matches later in the week), great access and friendly staff.
Shooting pro sports is always different than the high school and college athletes I am used to. There are bigger egos, bigger tempers and more emotion everywhere you look. Earlier in the week I watched as several of the players would throw their racquets, yell obscenities and question calls made by officials. There were also a bunch of really nice, respectful, friendly athletes as well.
One player, who was from Illinois, blew me away. He was friendly to photographers, friendly to fans in the clubhouse, friendly to ballboys… it made me want to root for him a little during his match.
He lost in the semifinals… but did it without being a sore loser like so many of the other players I saw.
Anyway — here are some of my favorites from the week.
i love the look of intensity on the second to last guys face.
almost like a look of horror.
guy in the blue shirt… did he go to EIU???? he looks vaguely familiar…
Eric:
He was intense… his eyes would get really big just before he hit. I tried to get something a little tighter in the frame but it wasn’t ever lining up.
Colin:
Good eye… EIU’s alum C.J. Weber is playing the futures circuit now.