The Online Photographer

Most people like sports. At least a few sports.

A few of our readers don't care for any of them. I also understand that sports you don't care about can leave you cold; I have an American friend who's way into world football, and I have so little interest in it that it actually kind of mystifies me how it could be so popular. (Worldwide, cricket is second in popularity to world football. I know only slightly less about the Navajo language than I know about cricket.) On the other hand, I realize in my head that many people don't like cuesports, but in my heart I can't quite get there. How could anybody not like pool? (Please, no need to man the battlements. I know you're out there. Here's another view of that shot.)

Regardless of where they are played or where they're popular, you might say we each have our "home" sports, meaning the ones we like and follow, and "foreign" sports, the ones we don't know about or care for.

On the other hand (I think that's the third hand, if you're counting), lots of people can appreciate a sport that's "foreign" to them when something remarkable is happening. How many people who never follow athletics—also known as track and field—were on board for Usain Bolt's unforgettable Olympic feats? Similarly, a lot of people who couldn't care less about women's college basketball are aware of the dazzling college career of Caitlin Clarke which just ended. She's an outlier, a hero, and we like heroes. On to the WNBA.

The overpowering Italian
Anyway, tennis might be a foreign land for you, and I get it. But you still might want to be clued into the remarkable run of  Jannik Sinner. Only 22 years old, the Italian has a record so far in 2024 of 23–1 and has won three out of four tournaments, a run which includes his first major, the Australian Open in January. He's 44–3 since the last major of last year, the U.S. Open. And he's not just winning: he's overpowering opponents. The opening tournament of the clay season, Monte Carlo, is underway right now. It's usually considered a time when players are tentative and not up to speed yet on the less familiar surface, which culminates at Roland-Garros. Djokovic, for example, traditionally starts slow on clay. But Sinner, in the words of a commentator on the Tennis Channel, took "about three minutes" to adapt, steamrolling Seb Korda 6–1, 6–2 in the opening round. His laser-guided smoking winners off both wings, foot speed, consistency, incredible defense, impossible angles, and unlikely creativity have been otherworldly. Rankings lag behind current events, and the World No. 1 is still the aging Novak Djokovic, who had one of his greatest years in 2023. But Sinner is No. 2, and even Djokovic admits that Sinner is the best in the world at the moment.

Here's a random video of highlight shots. There's lots more out there.

The kid is really something. There's no telling if this is just a flash in the pan (it happens) or the birth of a new superstar, but it sure looks like the latter. Either way, it's a treat for tennis and its fans.

Nizhónígo Nee Ado’ááł*,

Mike

*"Have a good day" in the Navajo language.

P.S. I admit that this is a filler post. I'm working on a post about shooting wide open, and I wasn't going to get it done today, and something has to go up! That's how it is in the sport of blogging. 

Original contents copyright 2024 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below or on the title of this post.)

Featured Comments from:

Matt Kallio: "Ah, it's too bad you've spent so much time watching useless sports, instead of writing tons more blogs and taking pictures of skyscrapers and mannequins or something. Thanks for the tip about Sinner. Tennis is an incredible one-on-one battle of a sport, great fun to watch once in a while."

ST: "As a cricket fan and amateur photographer, some of my favourite sporting photographs come from cricket. It’s a sport that lends itself to great images. Magnum photographer Trent Parke is a particularly good cricket photographer."

Benjamin Marks: "I am one of those who doesn't pay too much attention to sports. That is, I am not emotionally invested in who wins and who loses. There is something, though, about a pinnacle of human achievement from which I cannot look away. Pele with a soccer ball, Michael Jordan, who seemed to be in motion while his competitors were standing still, Olympic sprinters, gymnasts, etc. There is a throat-catching beauty in it, a sense of struggle against whatever limits nature has imposed, that just gets me. Gets all of us, if TV ratings are to be believed. I had that sense when watching the video you linked to, Mike. Thanks."

Mike replies: Interesting! That's the way I am with basketball. I feel no allegiance to any team and it's possible I've never watched a single game all the way through. But I love watching highlights. The incredible athleticism and skill level is addicting. Sometimes I can watch things over and over and still can't imagine how they do it.

darlene: "I won't be tuning in if it doesn't involve baseball. I gave football a massive effort, though. I tried to grasp it to fit in with my football-loving friends. My ex attempted to decode the game for me, but it was a solid nope. I turned to my son, hoping for enlightenment, but all I got was a slightly fuzzier understanding.

"From what I see, football is a bunch of giants slamming each other over an odd-shaped ball. And then there's that laundry list of ailments: brain fog, bum knees, and early-onset forgetfulness for some. It's a real head-banger because I could never understand the game.

"I watched the random highlight video, which entertained me. This Sinner guy (memorable name) spans the entire court with his insane reach. I wouldn't be surprised if he sleeps in an extra-long bed to fit those limbs in comfortably. And his strategic ball placement is pure genius. He's like a chess master out there, outsmarting his opponents with every shot.

"I'm all in for about 95% of your non-photography posts. Your writing always hooks me, even if the subject matter differs from my usual familiar stuff. I'd much rather be sinking shots on the pool table than watching or reading about it, but you're a pool enthusiast and a wordsmith, so I have come to expect them from time to time. But no love for baseball hurts. Just sayin'.  ;-o) "

Mike replies: I'll never know enough about baseball to watch it on my own, but I love watching it with real fans who can explain it me as it goes along. They really bring it to life.

Andrew: "A fellow sport-loving colleague and I once tried to work out what the most boring sport to watch is. We eventually decided that it must ten pin bowling, and selected a random match on YouTube to try to confirm our theory. Long story short: ten pin bowling is really a fascinating thing to watch!"

Mike replies: I used to think the same thing of golf. I tested that theory, and, like you with the bowling, got rather fascinated with it for several years.