Wimbledon Qualifying

Every year, the week before play at Wimbledon begins on the lawns of the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, 128 hopefuls gather to compete for 16 places in the main draw of tennis’ most vaunted competition. Over 3 days, the next generation of tennis stars, stars fallen on hard times and sporting journeymen - and women - compete for the opportunity to play on the sport’s highest stage. John McEnroe, Pat Cash, Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff, have all competed in the qualifying competition.

Wimbledon is unique amongst the grand slams in that its qualifying competion does not take place at the main venue. This is in order to protect the delicate grass courts for the main competition. The qualifying competition therefore takes place on makeshift courts laid at the Community Sports Centre, Roehampton. Facilities are basic, and players, coaches and media rub shoulders with ‘true tennis fans’ in an atmosphere very different to any other competition. For many players, this proximity to the public is something of a shock.

Above all, sport is about people - both players and audience - and the emotions that make us human. This is not an attempt at sports photography, which prizes above all the decisive moment, the action captured in a single frame. Rather, I approached the event more as a street photographer or photojournalist, attempting to capture the human drama, energy and quirkiness that makes Wimbledon qualifying such a unique sporting occasion. Tradition lies at the heart of Wimbledon, and I wanted to respond to that within the traditions of Western photography. Shooting in black and white, I make reference to the tradtion of European humanistic photography and the street photography of the likes of Garry Winogrand and Lee Freedlander, producing a body of work that lies outside of time.