Chance is 90% of Success. But Be Ready to Catch It

In sports — and in tennis especially — everything comes down to the moment. You can be perfectly positioned, have your camera settings dialed in, and know the player inside out — but the most powerful frame appears out of nowhere, in a fraction of a second. It could be a drop of sweat falling off Nadal’s nose, Świątek collapsing in joy on the court, or Djokovic’s roar after a match point. You can’t stage these shots. You can only catch them.

Novak Djokovic on ATP Finals

Serena Williams on US Open

Rafael Nadal on Roland Garros

© Sergey Vishnevskiy

I remember the 2019 US Open: Serena Williams leapt over a ball at the end of a rally. I had my camera ready, pressed the shutter at the right instant — and that was it, the shot. If I had blinked, I would have missed it.

Gear matters, but it’s not everything. My Nikon D5 with lenses ranging from fisheye to 200–500mm is my toolbox. Without the right moment, though, even the sharpest frames would just be pictures of strokes.

Studying the court is just as important. At the majors, like Roland Garros or the US Open, some of the best angles come from the so-called “photographer pits” right behind the baseline. At ground level you can capture raw dynamics and emotion. In Paris, I once caught Alexander Zverev collapsing on the clay after an injury — a tough moment, but an image that became part of tennis history. From the stands, with a telephoto lens, you can also discover surprising perspectives.

Smaller tournaments offer their own opportunities. The atmosphere is calmer, the crowds are thinner, and you can take your time to frame shots. At one Challenger I photographed a young player crying after his very first win. For him it was the summit — and the picture turned out more authentic and powerful than any glamorous shot from a Grand Slam court.

Knowing the game helps. If a match is heading to a fifth set or a tiebreak, emotions are coming — be ready. I track ATP and WTA stats to anticipate the boiling point. If possible, sit close to the player. At the 2020 Australian Open, I caught Nadal’s glance toward his coach before a decisive point — a look that said more than a thousand rallies. Still, don’t forget to step back for wider perspectives too.

Sasha Zverev on Roland Garros

Novak Djokovic on Indian Wells

US Open Photography Team

© Sergey Vishnevskiy, Kareem Elgazzar, Michael Helman

Sometimes you have to take risks for a unique angle. At Roland Garros I slipped into a restricted zone above the VIP section to capture a serve from an unusual vantage point. But don’t cross the real red lines: a photographer’s disqualification isn’t worth a single frame.

And always remember boundaries. Players are at work, just like us. Locker-room shots or private moments without consent are off-limits. Respect comes first.

In the end, it all comes back to one simple rule: chance decides, but chance favors the prepared. I always carry a camera. Even a smartphone can save the day — in the tunnels under the stands, for example, where unexpected images often appear. Out of a thousand shots, maybe one will stand out. That’s not about genius — it’s about persistence, awareness, and readiness to catch the moment.

And it’s these moments that turn a photo from a picture into a story.