While the weekends at Indian Wells attract the LA crowd and all of their LA-ness, the weekdays are a glimpse into the essence1 of American tennis. Weekday fans come to play, waking up early to beat the desert heat and get on court with old friends2. This is the version of tennis that I, and so many others, fell in love with as a kid. I went to Ruth Hardy park in search of this soul3, and was immediately welcomed into a magical circle of friends, each with their own story, but brought together by tennis. I came in with a racquet and a camera4, and left with a full heart and sore calves.
1Portraying tennis at the Slams is like trying to explain the soul and cultural impact of music by showing someone the Grammy’s. And, similarly to music, the soul of tennis exists on the fringes
2Everyone is friendly, but you better make damn sure to follow the rules and be out here with a good attitude
3Ruth Hardy goes beyond the park: you’ll often find this crew at lunch after a good morning hit
4Most of photography is just developing empathy, and this was a shoot where my gut told me that the best thing I could do was to put down the camera and pick up my racquet.
