Tennis Rage at the US Open

What's your clue that this is a tennis player?

The wide-open-mouthed rage, right?

I am getting awfully sick of seeing this. It's such a cliche. And, psst, it isn't working, either.

Who'd'a thunk it?

Is this the way we picture heroes? Wouldn't we normally see a photo like that of someone and think they're crazy? Or bad? I thought anger was supposed to be sin nowadays. We're not supposed to get like that, are we? You look at that photo and you think, "Wow, what a grand person. I wanna be just like that. I wanna look just like that when I grow up."

Not. So, what makes anyone think this stupid cliche will sell tennis?

It sells newspapers and magazines, but not tennis.

Why put on a rage face? The players must have to practice it before a mirror to resemble murderous rage so well.

Of course champions are fiercely competitive in this quiet sport. THAT'S the mystique of tennis. But this depiction is off base. If you saw the picture not knowing what it was about, you'd think that guy had blown a gasket. This is supposed to make tennis "seem" exciting.

Well, I'm sorry, dudes, but it doesn't have to seem exciting, because it IS exciting. Everything that is exciting doesn't have to scream like a kid on a high-caffein and sugar drink.

And it does no good to try to make tennis out to be something it ain't.

You can see how the face was made to look red by tweaking the lighting level when you look at this version with the lighting adjusted...


Jeez, why not curve the lighting to get even more hype like this...


He did that for one second during the match. Of the hundreds of photos taken, this is the one that get put on the front page of the US Open website.

The players know this. That's why they're all doing it. Even the Fed.

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