Although they have appeared in this blog, I am not usually an admirer of sports photographs.  However, I must make an exception again this week.  On the BBC I came across this incredible image by Miguel Medina for the AFP of Italian tennis player Camila Giorgi returning the ball to Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova (not pictured) during a second round match at this year’s  French Open.

The lines in this photograph are beautifully composed.  There is a complex construction of the rule of thirds between Ms. Giorgi and the lines on the clay court that act visually as a puzzle that creates an enigmatic dynamic tension appropriate to the a sense of power and motion.  The grim determined look on Giorgi’s face is riveting, and the relative positions of her legs and arms are perfect.  This photograph is oh so reminiscent of the fifth century B.C.E. statue by Myron the “Discobolus” or the “Discuss Thrower.”  The Discobolus is the ultimate sports image.  It celebrates the perfection of the human body of youth, as does Mr. Medina’s wonderful photograph.