Tennis tournament photography on many courts

A tennis event spreads across a venue. Courts run in parallel, and the order of play changes with the weather. A player might be on court number six at ten in the morning and out of the tournament by noon. A good plan starts from that reality.

This page sits within our guide to team and court-sport tournament photography. It looks at multi-court tennis and the people who are easy to miss.

How is a multi-court event organised?

Matches are scheduled across courts through the day, and the order of play is released by the organiser. Some courts are show courts with seating and others are outer courts with little or none. Play can be delayed by weather or by long matches.

Ask for the court layout and the order of play, and for how updates are shared. The concurrent activity and crew planner helps you see overlaps, and the coverage hours planner tests different windows against a schedule.

Which matches come first?

You cannot follow every match. Rank them. Typical priorities include a club's or sponsor's players, quarter-finals onward, matches with guests of honour and any fixtures that fit a featured storyline.

Rather than leaving the rest uncovered, give each court a rotating pass. Our page on individual player coverage within a club or league event explains how to follow named players across a day.

Who is easy to overlook?

Final-stage singles draw most of the attention. Others deserve a place.

• Early-round players, who may only play once.
• Doubles teams, where two people share the frame and the story.
• Junior and veteran categories.
• Umpires, ball crews and volunteers.
• Families and coaches watching from the edge.

Our page on photographing every team in a large tournament offers a way to share coverage fairly. If you want these groups included, say so in the brief.

What are the rules around the court?

Tennis relies on quiet and clear sight. Organisers often limit where photographers may stand, when they may move and what noise they may make. Some matches have specific zones for media and others none.

Ask the organiser for the rules in writing, including accreditation and equipment limits. We follow them and the umpires' instructions. We enter only areas that have been approved. The sports coverage zone planner helps describe the zones.

A hypothetical example

For example, imagine a two-day club tennis tournament on six courts with singles and doubles in several age groups. A sponsor wants evidence of branding, the club wants images of its players, and the organiser wants a general record.

The plan marks the club's players and the final matches as priorities. Our photographer makes a rotating pass through the outer courts for early rounds and doubles, and photographs sponsor boards from authorised positions, showing them as they appear on court. We also cover the short presentation at the end of each day.

How does weather affect the plan?

Outdoor courts depend on weather. Rain can stop play and compress the schedule later in the day. Agree who decides on delays and how we are told. Our guide to agreeing weather decision owners explains what to settle, and programmes that change or run beyond booked hours explains how longer days are treated.

What should you tell us?

• The court layout and the order of play, with updates.
• Priority players, courts and categories.
• The organiser's access, accreditation and noise rules.
• Who commissions the work and who approves changes.
• Players or families who should not be photographed.
• Presentation times.

Hours, crew and deliverables

Tennis days can be long and unpredictable. Coverage hours follow the order of play, and more than one photographer may be useful when many courts run at once. We confirm date, venue, crew and deliverables in writing, and extras such as video, same-day selections or a second photographer are included only when you ask and we confirm. Ask what can be included for your dates. Send us the draw and the court layout, and we will suggest which courts and matches to put first.