ITF Unveils "Journey to Beijing - Tennis Celebrates the Olympics" Book

The ITF has released a 140-page publication called "Journey to Beijing – Tennis celebrates the Olympics". Over 40 of the world’s leading tennis players took part in the ITF project and were photographed dressed as athletes from other summer or winter Olympic sports to help promote the 2008 Beijing Olympic Tennis Event.

These are accompanied by interviews with the players talking about their Olympic memories and hopes for Beijing.


According to the ITF website:

The photographs were taken over a six-month period by some of the world’s leading tennis photographers, with photo shoots held in venues as varied as Barcelona, Beijing, Dubai, Indian Wells, Los Angeles, Miami, Melbourne, Moscow, Netherlands, Palm Beach, Santiago, Shanghai and Tel Aviv.


Among the 44 players represented in the book are the two current world number ones, Roger Federer, who poses as a fencer, and Ana Ivanovic, who is shown playing beach volleyball, both in Miami. Rafael Nadal appears as a footballer on location in Shanghai, while Novak Djokovic takes advantage of Dubai’s indoor ski slope.




Maria Sharapova takes time out from a photo shoot to try rhythmic gymnastics in Los Angeles, while Serena Williams demonstrates her ice skating abilities at home in Palm Beach. Olympic champions Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez become marathon runners on the streets of Santiago, while wheelchair world No. 1 Esther Vergeer shows her versatility as a basketball player in the Netherlands.






Daniela Hantuchova appears as a sailor, Marcos Baghdatis as discus thrower, Alicia Molik as a showjumper, Amelie Mauresmo as a sprinter, Jelena Jankovic as a gymnast, Elena Dementieva as a softball player, Mark Knowles as swimmer, Shahar Peer as an archer, Lindsay Davenport as a volleyball player, Svetlana Kuznetsova as a snowborder, Nicole Vaidisova as an ice hockey player, David Ferrer as cyclist, Anna Chakvetadze as a javelin thrower, Argentina men's team as basketball team, China women's team as handball team, Russia men's team as hockey team.






The players also give an insight into the part the Olympics has played in their lives, with a series of exclusive interviews looking at their childhood memories, previous Olympic appearances and ambitions for this summer’s Games.


ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “I believe the book shows how proud current tennis players are to represent their countries in the Olympic Games as well as the importance the Olympics has played in their lives. In turn, we have witnessed the continued growth, not only of the Olympic Tennis Event, but also of the international reach of our sport since tennis returned to the Olympic Games in 1988.”


(source Women's Tennis Blog, photo/ITF website)