Photographer Ray Giubilo’s half terrifying, half sublime one-in-a-million image of Jasmine Paolini had more than an element of fortune to it
Of the scores of photographers from across the globe snapping thousands upon thousands of photos at this year’s US Open, one image has stood out above all the others so far at the tennis grand slam in New York.
A slight imbalance from seventh-seed Jasmine Paolini and a relentlessly steady hand allowed photographer Ray Giubilo to nail a one-in-a-million shot at Flushing Meadows this week.
Paolini hailed it as “maybe the picture of the year”, but the whimsical image taken during the Italian player’s first-round encounter with Australia’s Destanee Aiava could lay claim to an even grander title than that.
Tennis photography isn’t known for its sense of humour. The images are often clean, sharp and intense but rarely are they hilarious. A nanosecond later or before would have rendered a completely different frame and missed the pure comedic value behind Giubilo’s image.
