Russ Adams
Born: July 30, 1930
Hometown: Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
Citizenship: United States
Inducted: 2007
Russ Adams has spent the last 50 years visually documenting the history of tennis. He is the face behind the camera and his work has illuminated the greatest moments and stories in the sport. Adams has photographed the Grand Slam Tournaments and all tournaments around the world including Fed Cup, Davis Cup and the Olympics. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for photography in 1955. His images have graced more than 250 magazine covers, believed to be more than any single photojournalist covering any discipline.
Known in the industry as the “Dean” of tennis photography, Adams has captured the game’s power, emotion, beauty and grace, while preserving its significance. In 1967, he became the official (volunteer) photographer for the U.S. National Championships at Forest Hills. The following year, with the birth of open tennis, he developed and implemented the system for on-court photographers at the first US Open Championships. He has served as Director/Liaison of Photographers for the US Open since then, and was instrumental in developing the universal “Code of Conduct,” in conjunction with the Professional Tennis Council, for photographers covering professional tennis events around the world.
His life’s work has generated over 1.6 million sporting images, and is no doubt the largest privately-held source of images in tennis. Adams is a gentleman of enormous integrity with a quiet, wry humor. As a working journalist in the massive spectrum of newspapers, wire services, books and magazines, he is held in the highest regard by media colleagues, professional tennis players and administrators of the game.
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