10 Years of Tennis

[jimlosaltos]

I just stumbled on to a better link to my hundred-plus Tour Portraits.
This link lets non-subscribers see the list and has thumbnails for all.
This might make finding a player you're interested easier than the main index.
You'd have to scroll past my too long bio

https://www.tennisplayer.net/author/jim-fawcette/

[jimlosaltos]

Here's 2 of 2 semi "collectible", Fed with a RED RF 97 !

(c)jfawcette from Laver Cup Chicago, Fed throws arms up in celebration.

filedata/fetch?id=108829&d=1768854860&type=thumb

#

[jimlosaltos]

All streaks come to an end. Roger Federer was world number one for a staggering 237 consecutive weeks, nearly twice Djokovic's best. In baseball, Joe DiMaggio's legendary hitting streak lasted 56 consecutive games in 1941, a Major League Baseball record that remains one of the most iconic feats in sports history. The streak ran from May 15 to July 16.

But those streaks came to an end, as all of them must. And now, so has my own much more modest streak. January's issue of TPN no longer includes a Tour Portrait, ending a 15 year streak comprising 122 Tour Portraits by yours truly. {This thread is titled "10 Years" but that was my guess. My first tour portrait was of Serena Williams in 2011 but there were a couple of gaps so I'm guessing a decade continuous Tour Portraits. }

Our Tour Portraits have as many 20+ images. Also, I've contributed photos to John Yandell's articles, my articles, as well as articles and video for several other authors. So, perhaps I've contributed over 3,000 images to TPN?

JY recognized the importance of photography and you may not know he was a photographer himself, beyond the tennis courts' lines. Back in 2022 John Yandell had his first gallery show of his "color abstract photos" at the Light Room in Berkeley.

It seems fitting to end with two of my favorites among my own photos, yet again of Roger Federer in this thread. What else could be more representative of Fed's elegant game than a leaping, straight-armed forehand with Fed's chin pushed against his shoulder and eyes fixed on impact. It's followed by Roger celebrating a win to send the Laver Cup Chicago into a decisive, extra match. Fed holding the Red RF97 makes this a "collectible" Enjoy!

1 of 2 (follows in next post)

filedata/fetch?id=108827&d=1768854735&type=thumb
(c)jfawcette from BNP Paribs Open Indian Wells

#

[jimlosaltos]

Wonderful shots! The extreme external and internal shoulder rotation you captured in those photos speaks volumes.

Thank you! Appreciate it.

[doctorhl]

Wonderful shots! The extreme external and internal shoulder rotation you captured in those photos speaks volumes.

[jimlosaltos]

Keeping my post tracking my Tour Portraits for the last decade+ alive. From Laver Cup San Francisco 2025 at this link.

Having a crowd shot is a change of pace, but look at the crowd Fed drew -- for a podcast, on a non-tennis day.

filedata/fetch?id=108549&d=1760640973&type=thumb

#

[stroke]

Tsitsipas goes out to Altmaier in 5 long sets. It was going to be a brutal loss for someone. At the post match handshake, Tsitsipas was not in a classy mood and told Altmaier "next time don't be surprised if I hit you if you serve underhand" or something like that. Tsitsipas was still unhappy about an underarm serve be Altmaier way earlier in the match. Altmaier to his credit just walked away from Tsitsipas and refused to listen or respond.

[jimlosaltos]

Absolutely love this post and all of the still images. Thank you for highlighting it.

Thank you, Giancarlo ! Appreciate it.

[giancarlo]

It was surprising to me. I'm reviewing the Tour Portraits archive and for the first time counted them - 109 Tour Portraits over 2,000 photos of top pros, and with a few early pauses in between, a decade of pro tennis photography. Made me pause.

I drifted into doing these for John Yandell and it become an avocation. Since you, his audience, are mainly focused on technique we tried to capture top pros' strokes. We had the Big 3, of course. And now the Big 2 of Jannik and Carlos. Over a dozen world number ones but also challengers. We also included some teenagers that became greats. There's 16 year old Naomi Osaka winning her first ever tour match, and doing that against a top 20 vet Samantha Stosur. And then 19 yo Quinwin Zheng, now the Olympic Gold Medalist in women's tennis. A teenage Carlos facing ebbing Rafa in a sandstorm was memorable.

There are some events that stand out in memory. Sabine Lisicki hitting a women's world record 131 MPH serve at Stanford made a sound so different, so loud I looked around. It sounded like a car backfired. And Andy Roddick at the late, lamented San Jose/ SAP Open hitting 150 MPH.

Many of these sets are more technical. I worked with John on doing several sets focusing on close ups of pros' grip variety. For one set, I measured the impact height of various pros serves. John said it "was like a whole feature article in pictures." From John, that was high praise.

As I'm digging through, I see some that might interest you, so I'll repost a few here, later.

I'll try to post a list with clickable links, in case you want to check any out. I hope this table pastes in the forum. Onward & thanks / jim



#

Absolutely love this post and all of the still images. Thank you for highlighting it.

[jimlosaltos]

I was not clear. What I meant was the still shot finish of the serve, for these 3, there is a startling difference in their body positions.

Ah, sorry. Over thought it. Thanks.

Yes, amazing how despite the sudden violence of Andy's serve, he seems to keep his body centered and in balance.

[stroke]

True. But come to think of it, what current player on the ATP has a motion like Andy's?

Off hand, I think Gael Monfils is similar but if he hasn't stopped already he's nearly retired. Sometimes people say Nick Kyrgios is similar, although I don't see it. And he's exiled to OnlyFans.

Without looking, maybe Joao Fonseca's service motion has some elements of Andy's?

Anyone else?

I was not clear. What I meant was the still shot finish of the serve, for these 3, there is a startling difference in their body positions.

[jimlosaltos]

I will say the technique difference here between Roddick and the orher 2 is startling.

True. But come to think of it, what current player on the ATP has a motion like Andy's?

Off hand, I think Gael Monfils is similar but if he hasn't stopped already he's nearly retired. Sometimes people say Nick Kyrgios is similar, although I don't see it. And he's exiled to OnlyFans.

Without looking, maybe Joao Fonseca's service motion has some elements of Andy's?

Anyone else?

[stroke]

All right this is my last post in this thread. Promise {I can hear someone's applause even over the internet }

Some photos of events that evoked memories, not ones I would have guessed. Thanks for your enduring my memory tour. I hope some were of interest.

1 of 3 16 year old Naomi Osaka winning her first ever main tour event over Sam Stosur. Had the serve to go with blazing foot speed already. And a quixotic personality. Asked about her last name in a presser she joked with a straight face, "Everybody in Osaka is named Osaka." Crowd didn't know if she was serious or not.

filedata/fetch?id=108214&d=1755884092&type=thumb

2 of 3 Boom! Sabine Lisicki hitting a women's record 131 MPH serve at Stanford Taube. It sounded different. Ivanovic got it back, though.

Sabine loves tennis so much that, after numerous surgeries and months on crutches multiple times, she beamed a smile last year winning a low level tournament.

filedata/fetch?id=108216&d=1755884243&type=thumb

3 of 3 Andy Roddick playing Fernando Verdasco. Both hit 150 mph serves that jussssst missed.

filedata/fetch?id=108215&d=1755884092&type=thumb

#

I will say the technique difference here between Roddick and the orher 2 is startling.

[jimlosaltos]

All right this is my last post in this thread. Promise {I can hear someone's applause even over the internet }

Some photos of events that evoked memories, not ones I would have guessed. Thanks for your enduring my memory tour. I hope some were of interest.

1 of 3 16 year old Naomi Osaka winning her first ever main tour event over Sam Stosur. Had the serve to go with blazing foot speed already. And a quixotic personality. Asked about her last name in a presser she joked with a straight face, "Everybody in Osaka is named Osaka." Crowd didn't know if she was serious or not.

filedata/fetch?id=108214&d=1755884092&type=thumb

2 of 3 Boom! Sabine Lisicki hitting a women's record 131 MPH serve at Stanford Taube. It sounded different. Ivanovic got it back, though.

Sabine loves tennis so much that, after numerous surgeries and months on crutches multiple times, she beamed a smile last year winning a low level tournament.

filedata/fetch?id=108216&d=1755884243&type=thumb

3 of 3 Andy Roddick playing Fernando Verdasco. Both hit 150 mph serves that jussssst missed.

filedata/fetch?id=108215&d=1755884092&type=thumb

#

[jimlosaltos]

As my self-indulgent memory tour of Tennisplayer.net winds on (and thank you for your patience and possibly even interest), one thing we did that is perhaps unique, is to use Photoshop composites to show stroke techniques. Here are 4 examples over the many years.

1 of 4

Domi Thiem unloads! I think Thiem's one-handed backhand may be one of the best ever and perhaps one of the most under-appreciated shots in tennis.
This photo shows a pivotal point in Thiem winning his first Masters 1K over Fed. Here, Fed decided to use a second serve, serve & volley to exploit Thiem returning from almost the lap of the ESPN cameraman.

Didn't work. Thiem unleashed such a huge, dipping one handed return that Fed, even though he was on top of the net, didn't move a step for as it went cross court and dipping short.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone hit a backhand that hard from that far back and put it short in the crosscourt service box. No wonder his wrists till hurts.


filedata/fetch?id=108197&d=1755797537&type=thumb

2 of 4 Composite shows Daniil's motion as he hits a wide, slice serve into the ad court. Before he hurt his shoulder, his serve was a key to contesting multiple slam finals.

filedata/fetch?id=108199&d=1755797537&type=thumb

3 of 4

Series on Serve Impact Point by pros from Fed to Serena, from Isner to Rafa.

filedata/fetch?id=108198&d=1755797537&type=thumb

4 of 4 One of many where we calculated the height impact and here distance into the court of pro serve impact.
Isner is so far into the court, he's less serving then spiking a short overhead.

filedata/fetch?id=108200&d=1755797538&type=thumb

#