Culture

Have The Photographers At The Australian Open Been Screwing With Us This Whole Time?

So. Many. Jazz Hands.

by Meg Watson  1 February 2015

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With Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray facing off in the men’s final of the Australian Open tonight at Rod Laver Arena, this whole tennis malarkey is officially reaching its end.

Of course, if you haven’t been paying much attention, this won’t mean much. Melburnians will find it easier to get around the inner-suburbs and everyone will soon be able to get a seat at the local pub again. But, if you’ve actually been into the sport, your nightly viewing of uniquely talented world-class athletes will soon sadly be replaced by an unwelcome parade of decidedly untalented schmucks starring in the latest lukewarm reboot of My Kitchen Rules. 

With that in mind, let’s all take a moment ahead of the grand final to appreciate the weeks that were. There were adorable golden retrievers and the fun times of #twirlgate, but all that was nothing when compared to the matches themselves. And through it all, these glorious and graceful feats of human strength and endurance have been lovingly catalogued via the Australian Open Twitter account.

Here’s a little run-down of the competition through their increasingly ridiculous lens.

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There was the time Serena Williams won her sixth Australian final by going full Matrix.

And when Madison Keys harnessed the power of jazz hands.

Not everyone could manage it.

And it was trialled to mixed success in the men’s game.

But world number one Novak Djokovic and his steely concentration proved too good for them all in the semi-finals.

Such might.

Many tongue control.

THE SAME BALL-SPOTTING ABILITIES OF AN OVER-ANXIOUS JACK RUSSELL.

Of course, Murray’s proved to be pretty good too.

And they both faced their fair share of quick-witted opponents.

And let’s face it — Murray and Djokovic are deserving victors considering the fact they could get past this guy.

HFFFFFT.

NNNNNG.

EYHHH.

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So, I have questions.

  • Were the social media people in cahoots this whole time, or were the photographers just going rogue and fucking with everyone for their private kicks?
  • Was this a joke that went way too far like a some sort of career-ending game of chicken?
  • Was this an organised take-down of the sport’s biggest stars or is it legitimately impossible to take a good-looking picture of a person playing tennis?
  • Do they get paid extra for embarrassing photos or is the only benefit their total and utter self-satisfaction?

Either way, I don’t want to change a thing. They’re doing the Lord’s work.

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Feature image via Australian Open/Twitter.