There were some heavy hitters attacking the courts on Thursday. Thunderous forehands, stinging backhands, and crisp volleys came from impossible angles and all corners of the clay. Here are just a few fav’s from the day. Visit www.chrisandcami.com/blog, www.familycirclecup.com, and www.wtatour.com for more…
What is today? Oh yeah, it’s Wednesday…er…Thursday…nope definitely Wednesday! J Being one of the official photographers of the Family Circle Cup means loooong hours of non-stop “go-go-go” shooting. Before you know it, one day just runs into the next. But it sure is gratifying and is an amazing way to see the INSIDE life of some of the world’s greatest tennis players! Here are a few shots from today…both on and off the court.
Day one at the Family Circle Cup has come and gone! With lots of off-court player appearances by the top 8 seeds, I didn’t see a ton of action. But here are a few shots from all over campus and throughout the first day…
By Sunday most of the players competing in the Family Circle Cup had swooped into Charleston. Saturday and Sunday had seen plenty of great tennis in the pre-tournament qualifying rounds. But the MAIN event kicks off on Monday. In celebrating all these elite women’s tennis players, the tournament puts on a great Player Party. Held at Sacs Fifth Avenue downtown, it’s a chance for players, coaches, sponsors, and other VIP guests to just hang out, have dinner, and enjoy a good time! Being an exclusive tournament event, it’s nice to be the ONLY media photographer there. I don’t have to jostle for a position or vie for a player’s attention. Plus everyone is relaxed, quick to smile, and primed for photo ops. J Here are a few from the party…
Most folks know I’m one of the Official Photographers of the Family Circle Cup. I’m also an avid tennis player with a USTA 4.5 ranking. So naturally I subscribe to Tennis Magazine. Last night I was about half-way through the new April issue…turn the page…and staring at me as a full-page add is one of my favorite shots of Caroline Wozniacki from last year’s cup!!! With this year’s tournament only a few weeks away, excitement is building. I think we’re going to have a FANTASTIC event this year!
As last year’s runner up puts it: “The 2010 Family Circle Cup is my time to shine. I came close to the title last year and now I’ve got my eye on the prize.”
Driving across Daniel Island on my way to my tennis match in Mt. Pleasant today, I saw that the new Family Circle Cup Banners were finally up! As the Official Photographer of this awesome tennis tournament, I always get a kick out of seeing my images draping the 4-story tall center stadium. J Besides last year’s Champion, Sabine Lisicki, there’s the 2008 Champion, Serena Williams, and the 2007 Champion, Jelena Jankovic. Plus dozens of street banners are hanging from the lamp posts, depicting champions from all along the history of this long-running WTA Tour event. This one is of Justine Henin, one of my favorite players…I’m thrilled to see her back out of retirement!
Only two more months until the Family Circle Cup! As most of you know, I’ve been one of the Official Photographers of this amazing Professional Women’s Tennis event for many years now. Each year, the best photo of the returning champion is selected for display on a 47-foot x 40-foot banner that hangs from the top of the stadium. It’s been an honor to have had one of my images selected for the last few years in a row. And this year…drum roll please…WE DID IT AGAIN!!!! 🙂 Mike Saia, the Communications Director at the FCC just emailed me a few minutes ago with the news and the final image they’ll be using. I’m SO EXCITED!!!
On top of all the great women’s tennis action, this is also the Ten Year Anniversary of the FCC being located here in Charleston. One of the longest running tournaments in WTA history, its former home was on Hilton Head Island. To celebrate the milestone year, there will be guest apprearances from the likes of John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, and Anna Kournikova, plus many other special events and attractions. So come on out…and make sure you say “Hi” to me while you’re there…
I’ve known the news for a couple weeks now, but the big announcement was just made official today:
“The Family Circle Cup announces Game, Set, Rock! Tennis. Amplified., an evening of music and tennis entertainment featuring John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Anna Kournikova and a fourth player, to be announced, participating in singles and mixed doubles action, as a new ticketed session beginning at 7:00pm on Saturday, April 17, 2010. This exhibition is designed as the keystone of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Premier Event’s week-long celebration of its 10th year in Charleston, and will supplement a strong player field highlighted by former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova and 18-year-old American standout Melanie Oudin. Marking the tournament’s 38th consecutive year, the Family Circle Cup is scheduled April 10-18, 2010 at the Family Circle Tennis Center in historic Charleston, South Carolina.”
Here’s a shot of Anna Kournikova I photographed in 2003…on FILM!!! I’ve been covering the Family Circle Cup waaaay too long. 🙂
As the year comes to a close, I begin to look forward to photographing the Family Circle Cup in the spring. Here’s a shot of Sabine Lisicki I photographed last year that has just been featured on the official Sony Ericsson WTA Tour website at: http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/page/OffCourtNews/Read/0,,12781~1892475,00.html
It’s been a GREAT week covering the Family Circle Cup again this year! It’s always the most exhausting week in my calendar as I’m constantly pushing full-speed ahead, 9-days strait, often 9am through midnight, no breaks, in multiple locations all over the city.
As the Official Photographer, I’m not only required to cover the action…but also the fans, activities around campus, images for sponsors, behind the scenes appearances by players, and VIP events all week…resulting in somewhere around 20,000 images! It’s a HUGE task. But I enjoy the opportunity to test myself, stretch my versatility, and come up with creative images under pressure.
I have to say this year has been one of my favorites as I like to think I found a rising star. When I photographed a portrait of Sabine after her second round match, I felt like this could be her year to break through. After her defeat of Venus, I knew she had the game. And by the time she beat Marion, I realized she had the maturity to go all the way. Here’s my portrait of the NEW Family Circle Cup Champion. Take a good look at that smile…I believe you’ll be seeing a LOT more of it as Sabine continues her rise to the top!
For more photos, visit the galleries at the Family Circle Cup and the Sony Ericson WTA Tour website. I’m thrilled to say my images made the front page of the WTA Tour every day this week…a first for me!
Nadia Petrova & Bethanie Matteck-Sands came from 3 match points down to win the doubles!
Their third time playing together, Patty Schnyder & Liga Dekmeijere had a good time during their doubles final even though they came up short of the trophy.
Caroline Wozniacki fought hard but couldn’t find an answer, letting her coach know her frustration.
A fitting end to Sabine’s tournament run, in the arms of her Dad and coach, whom she thanked during the trophy presentation for all his love and support over the years, through the good times and the bad. 