Early in 2004 I came quite by accident in contact with a very special young woman who plays on the WTA Tour (The Professional Women’s Tennis Association). Through the course of the 2004 season she periodically via e-mail and live chats shared with me an unique inside look to the life of a female professional tennis player on the WTA tour. Although I myself have competed in sports my whole life and have played tennis recreationally and was even a casual fan of the pro game, my conservations with her inspired me to travel to the 2004 US OPEN to make these images.

The top female tennis players are no longer just athletes, but they are also marketing icons for a variety of sporting, apparel and other consumer goods as well as viewed as major business enterprises by their parents and agents. Many of their fans and the greater public view them as sex symbols and the sponsors of these players try capitalizing on the sex symbol status of the athletes with whom they sign contracts. In the course a single tournament, the net worth of an attractive female tennis pro can skyrocket in to the millions or even tens of millions. Yet for most of the players on the tour, they earn just enough to cover expenses and earn a little spending money. For the few successful ones, the media scrutiny is such that their handlers program them to act and speak like mature adults much older than their actual age. One must not forget, that deep down these young athletes are still teenagers with the same wishes, interests and concerns as all teenagers.

At the US Open, I shot a variety of shots that reflected the athleticism and even the eroticism of these young women. I also several images which I hoped would portray the scene of the Open with fans from all over the world running from side court to side court to view their particular favorites or filing in to Stadium Court to see some of the top names in the game. Having been a competitive athlete myself, I could not help but photographing some of the male players as well.

These image a vast departure from my normal fashion and artistic fetishistic black & white work, but I attempted to bring some of my own personal style to the often-photographed professional athletes. I hope you will enjoy them.