A single split second, a perfectly placed shadow, a tennis ball frozen at the exact moment of impact – all captured within one of the most demanding genres in photography, where fractions of a second can make or break the shot.
That extraordinary convergence has just been crowned Overall Winner of the World Sports Photography Awards 2026, the largest global competition dedicated exclusively to sports imagery, sponsored by Canon.
The image, titled Carlos’ Shadow Hits A Ball, was captured by acclaimed sports photographer Edgar Su, working for news agency Reuters. It shows Spain’s tennis superstar Carlos Alcaraz in action at the 2025 Australian Open in Melbourne. The photograph was taken during Alcaraz’s fourth-round match against Britain’s Jack Draper.
‘Carlos’ Shadow Hits A Ball’ – A visual and technical analysis
What makes the photography truly unforgettable is the athletic intensity AND visual poetry.
Rather than relying on facial expression or peak physical strain, Su elevates the shadow of the racket into a subject in its own right – aligning it perfectly with the tennis ball at the precise instant of contact.
It’s a masterclass in sports photography timing, where anticipation, positioning, and compositional instinct matter as much as technical skill.
Tennis is, by nature, a sport built on repetition. But at the elite level, that repetition is driven by extraordinary speed. At the 2025 Australian Open, Carlos Alcaraz increased his average first-serve speed to 197km/h (122 mph), while Jack Draper’s average first serve across the early rounds was reported at 185.5 km/h ( 115.3 mph).
At those velocities, the window for capturing such a perfect alignment is vanishingly small. From a technical standpoint, freezing a moment like this demands very fast shutter speeds, often well beyond 1/2000 sec, to arrest the motion of the racket and ball.
Even then, relying on burst rates alone isn’t enough.
With the ball travelling at 55 metres per second (120mph), the difference between a near-miss and perfect alignment can occur between frames, even on high-speed professional cameras.
So, while sports cameras offer blistering burst speeds, this image doesn’t feel like the result of indiscriminate machine-gunning. Su’s photographic work underscores the importance of precise positioning and timing over sheer frame rate.
When repetition meets speed at this level, the decisive photograph comes not from volume, but from control, anticipation, and absolute trust in the gear. This way, Su was able to transform a familiar sporting moment into something more abstract, iconic, and instantly memorable.
The World Sports Photography Awards
As a global awards dedicated exclusively to sports photography, the World Sports Photography Awards celebrate images across more than 50 sports, with 24 category winners announced alongside the overall winner.
Su’s image topped a record-breaking competition, with 23,130 photographs submitted by 4,120 photographers from 123 countries, making 2026 the most successful year in the Award’s history.
This year’s submissions made one thing clear: the photographer’s eye, creativity, and instinct remain irreplaceable.
The full gallery of winning images – including Top 10 selections across every sporting category are available to view on the World Sports Photography Awards website.
Author: Kim Bunermann
Source: DigitalCameraWorld
Reviewed By: Editorial Team
