Martin Parr missed the point. While his tennis photography is iconic, photographing only the Grand Slams misses the true heart of tennis culture. The Slams are for show; their prestige and prize money commands peak effort and passion from the players, and the fans are there to be entertained - to plug in, express arbitrary allegiances, and enjoy the escapism provided by pretending that something relatively meaningless actually matters.
Indian Wells is different. While the weekends attract the LA crowd and all of their LA-ness, the weekdays are a glimpse into the essence of American tennis. The weekday fans come not only to watch tennis, but to play; waking up early to beat the desert heat and get on court with old friends. This is the true heart of the sport, where your worth is measured by your effort and your humor, not the cost of your shoes or the amount of pre-strung racquets in your bag.
I went to Palm Spring’s famed Ruth Hardy park in search of this soul, and found true tennis paradise: an amalgamation of tournament-going out-of-towners, as well as a magical circle of local diehard players, each with their own story, but brought together by tennis. I came in with a racquet and a camera, and left with a full heart and sore calves.
Twan, the court jester of ruth hardy. He thinks these photos will make him famous, and I hope he’s right
Andre Roberts was the first person I met at Ruth Hardy. “If you’re new to tennis, you should not be allowed to touch a racquet until you learn respect and etiquette.”
Philip founded Magnum Films (the film arm of Magnum photos) and is a legendary film director who has worked with everyone from Walt Disney to Muhammed Ali to President Jimmy Carter. I sat with Phillip for a long time and he told me stories of the early Magnum days, recounting tales of some of my heroes like Henri Cartier Bresson, Rene Burri, etc.
Caroline played in college and on tour, traveling the world with no coach and living out of her backpack. She would camp in public parks while playing tournaments, spending her off-days backpacking and exploring. She now lives in Seattle, and travels with her husband out of a van. After a few hours of intense hitting (that felt more like training), she was off to Zion National Park to meet up with her son.
Twan
Joe, the don of ruth hardy
Caroline
Tony picked up tennis when his wife was pregnant with their son and told him that he needed a hobby to get him out more. He went to the Parks and Rec office and tennis was the only open class they had. That was 40 years ago, and he’s still at the courts every day, often with his son Christian and Granddaughter Izzy.
Tony’s Son, Christian
Andre
