Why does Philipp Kohlschreiber play more photogenic than Alexander Zverev or Roger Federer? How do the Grand Slams differ from a photographer’s point of view? And how do you get by as a lone fighter against the big agencies? We talked to tennis photographer Juergen Hasenkopf.
Juergen Hasenkopf, 67, began his career as a sports photographer in Melbourne – and discovered his love of tennis there. After years in England and Switzerland he landed in Munich, where he still lives today, photographed for magazines and online media (for tennisnet.com, among others) and besides the big tournaments he also likes to accompany the smaller events. “If you only see Grand Slams, only Federer and Nadal, then at some point it gets boring,” he says.
Mr. Hasenkopf, the French Open is coming up. A good tournament to take pictures?
Going out in Paris, that’s deadly. Everything’s gotten so tight. But the Court Suzanne Lenglen is great: There we can take pictures down in the extension of the square, in the “Pit”, at leg height. There’ll be great photos! From there everyone likes to take pictures, because it’s a different angle, not just forehand and backhand, as you always see them. But it’s dangerous for us, too. A colleague once took a ball and broke her cheekbone. Another colleague’s camera was hit – total loss. You have to be careful.
What about the other majors – how do you get through a day in Australia, for example, at 40 degrees at the edge of the pitch?
I’m lucky, I like the hot weather (laughs). But many people have problems with that. The “Happy Slam” hasn’t been one for a long time anyway. This has become a business model. Tournament director Craig Tiley does not come from the tennis field, he is expanding the facility, you can hardly move. Security’s almost at its worst there. Since the knife attack on Monica Seles, everything has become more difficult anyway. In the past you could gambol around freely, but now everyone sits in a pile and takes similar photos.
What does it look like from the photos?
I used to be in Australia and got my first pictures in the sun. Meanwhile they have three roofs there, and the good matches will all be moved to the night session. The roof is closed even when it gets hot. A distortion of competition. The midday light is also the worst light you can get – that is “hard light”, the shadows are extreme. In Wimbledon this beautiful evening light comes in at sunset, you can see the dust flying, that’s great! But I like the US Open the most: “The facility is really big. Another problem here is the new roof on Arthur Ashe: Half the court is in the shade at 11 o’clock and you can only take pictures from one side.
I’m sure there are differences between the players. Are some pros more photogenic than others when playing?
Roger Federer is difficult to photograph because of his deep eyes. When he plays in Melbourne during the day, when the light comes from above, his eyes are black. And if you want Federer in daylight at all, you have to be fast. He might play one or two games outside, then he only gets night matches.
Are there other candidates who cause difficulties?
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has a huge problem with the photographers. Clicking the cameras, he goes crazy every time. Last year in Melbourne, in the Margaret Court Arena, there was brilliant light from behind in the evening, he had his hair wild, it looked great. Everybody was banging on when he threw the ball up. He went crazy and started screaming. Of course there were great photos (laughs). Usually we tennis photographers sit back with him and try not to pull the trigger on the ball. David Ferrer shot a ball in the pit once in Paris, I think, because that annoyed him.
Are there also players who, due to their technique or facial expressions, are more complicated to photograph when hitting?
Elina Svitolina always tears her arm in front of her face. Others have a very fast pull-through. You always have to readjust. But if you shoot a lot of tennis, you check it out sometime. Also problematic are Alexander Zverev, John Isner or Juan Martin del Potro, the long guys who play with both hands from below and stand very upright. You can never get a landscape format – and that doesn’t look very elegant. I like people like Philipp Kohlschreiber, a very dynamic player and not so tall. Also Hyeon Chung or Denis Shapovalov, who play nice and compact.
What about Federer, where everything looks so filigree – apart from the problem with the eyes… Do you like photographing him?
I don’t think so. He’s always right. He rarely gets into a stressful situation. You can leave after ten minutes, then everything repeats itself. But many still remain seated because they want to watch him play.
Is it sometimes annoying to have missed a certain situation – a freak, a jubilee?
Nah… I decided early on that I’m not a “news photographer”. Agency or newspaper photographers must have it. For example the “Becker-Hecht” in Wimbledon. A photographer shot him, he sat right – did a great job. From then on all photographers wanted to sit in this position to get a Becker pike. I said: Guys, it already exists, why do you want to do it again? The guys who work for the agencies are very good, they are trained by the reflexes, they see some things immediately, have a good anticipation. I wouldn’t be a good news photographer, I can’t do that.
That’s why you’re a tennis expert!
Yes, I’m better than others. I know the players and I know that it looks more elegant on the backhand and the forehand. In Stuttgart a photographer once took a picture of Tommy Haas warming up – Tommy had another ball in his left hand. You can’t do that. Some photographers who are not familiar with tennis do not know this. If you can’t do anything during the game, you often take a picture of the warm-up phase, and you can see that.
How do you schedule a tournament?
At a Grand Slam tournament, I know it takes over two weeks. I have to have all the Germans from Monday to Wednesday. There are no special photos: I walk from one place to the other, take wild pictures and go to the next. I can’t wait for a nice photo, I have to have the standard pictures for the archive. It also happened that I missed Federer and Nadal because they lost in the second round. The pictures where I can try something else will be available in the second week when I have all the players I need. Then I take pictures from above, with shadows, followers and detailed shots of the shoes. Or Serena Williams’ fingernails.
What about someone like Gael Monfils? There are always spectacular pictures of him.
The French photographers have the advantage that they get the better photos – because they stay with him. Like me with the German players. Monfils always does show for people, jumps over chairs… In Wimbledon there was a great photo once, in Australia he did it again: He is lying crosswise in the air, ball at the bat. That was taken by three or four photographers, including agency photographers. And then it’s right out. Getty’s in tournaments with eight people. Someone comes to the square, collects the cards and gives them out immediately. Many also have a transmitter on the camera and send this from the field. I don’t stand a chance there. So it’s no use getting angry if I miss a picture.
Do you get more money nowadays for a spectacular photo than for a normal one?
It used to be. By the agencies meanwhile… Most newspapers and magazines have Getty contracts and get the photos on their mailing lists. I couldn’t do anything with my own except be happy about it. A colleague came to the press centre the other day, showed me a great photo and was so happy – but the agencies had already sent it out. For me it’s interesting when I can get players for a nice portrait. I once photographed Philipp Kohlschreiber in Melbourne in front of a graffiti wall, it went everywhere. But these are exceptions. Basically Getty and Co. are much faster, they control the market. I don’t have to take the same pictures. Through my good contact to the players I see that I can offer something else.
Can you personally hit the players if you want to do something outside of tournament photos?
I know the Bavarian players well, like Florian Mayer or Kohlschreiber. But in the last ten, fifteen years that we’ve had consultants… You ask a 16-year-old – and he has to ask his manager for permission. I also know Sabine Lisicki very well, but when I wanted to do something with her again, she said that she was not allowed to do that. She would have been fined by management. The agencies want a say in everything, that was completely new to me. But that’s the way it goes now.
What is the competitive situation among photographers? Is there a code or is everyone on their own? Especially at award ceremonies there is a mighty crowd.
It’s every man for himself. There are some specialists… But I won’t get involved after all these years. I know from experience: I always get a picture. And this crowd, especially in Australia… most people always want the central position. At the US Open we have given places at the award ceremony, there we get a number.
A number?
They’ll stick it on the square. But often it is better to walk around trying to get the winner in a picture with his flag instead of standing in a bunch on his spot and taking a picture that everyone has. With good public relations, someone goes around with a sign you’re supposed to look at. That way, everyone gets a photo with eye contact. When playing tennis, players think: What kind of club is this? This screaming and pretending is embarrassing. Nervousness infects everyone. The cup photo is often the least important after two weeks of tournament.
Do you have special camera contracts with Canon or Nikon?
No. But Canon was the first to really get into sports photography. Some time ago Anna Kournikova played Lindsay Davenport in Australia. A photographer photographed from above – and all cameras went to Kournikova. Almost all were in these grey Canon colours. That was huge publicity for them. Years ago Canon built a bad camera, many people jumped off. Meanwhile it keeps at fifty-fifty. But it’s important to the companies. Nikon has black lenses, Canon light grey. When sports photographers use a particular camera, so do amateurs. The TV people often stage something, hold on to the photographer and wave over to the players. If there is a Canon lens in the picture, Canon is happy of course. There are no contracts, no discounts if we buy something. But Canon and Nikon are on site at the Grand Slams, where you can always borrow something, have it repaired or test new models. This service is great – and free.
How many cameras and lenses do you have with you?
Meanwhile I am a “Travelling light”-Fan. Simply because of the flights. Hand luggage is often limited to seven kilos – I have at least twice that. That’s always stress. And you break your back. At a Grand Slam tournament I know what I want to photograph and what I need. I have a telephoto lens, a 70-200 zoom for walking around, as a portrait lens or for interviews. And a wide angle to make a stadium overview. I also have two camera bodies: One is the short lens, the other the long one. When I’m on the court, taking pictures with the long lens and the player is flying in front of me, I have to change quickly. In the Wimbledon-Finale 2013 I was drawn on this platform, so I borrowed a 500 lens. Andy Murray danced around like a madman after his victory – that was a great series!
Can you just sit back and enjoy tennis?
I grew up with serve and volley, with John Newcombe, Ken Rosewall, Roscoe Tanner – people nobody knows anymore. You hardly ever see this style anymore. But last year at the Australian Open, when Mischa Zverev played Murray – that was so nice to watch. I just put the camera away… that was a real pleasure!
The interview was conducted by Florian Goosmann at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.