Indian Wells, part II

Some people question why I post photographs of a sporting event - and tennis, at that. Well, anyone who's ever looked at my profile here on the blog or on Twitter, or at the About page on the website, can see easily enough that I'm a huge tennis fan. No, I don't normally shoot sports. So what? It's something I love, I have fun, and it's a very real challenge to jump into a whole different world once or twice a year. It takes me a while to get back in the sports shooter groove, and then I usually end up with some pretty darn decent shots. Who knows, I may end up doing a little more of it in future; I can tell you without reservation that I have plenty of respect for the people who do this for a living. It ain't easy.

So back to Indian Wells: desert heat (hotter by far this year than in previous visits), blazing sunshine, milling crowds, sweat, sunscreen, and sipping water religiously to stay on my feet. Even sitting down.

As promised, here are a few of the ladies.

Vera Zvonareva of Russia, current world #3; known as Bepa to her fans because of the Cyrillic spelling of her name.

Francesca Schiavone, the Italian bombshell, world #4 and reigning French Open champion, charms the crowds
with her exuberant personality: small woman, big heart. I call her SuperFran.

Australian Samantha (Sam) Stosur, world #5, is another crowd favorite (so are her muscles).

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus has been hovering around the top ten in the world for a couple of years now,
but she's a lot closer to the top in terms of sheer decibels.

For some reason Maria Kirilenko of Russia drives the boys nuts... forget it, fellas, she's taken.

It comes but once a year, and now I have to wait another 11+ months for Indian Wells 2012. It's worth the wait.