Power women in tennis
Passion and performance, dynamism and aesthetics: the sensational “Court Supremes” photo project of Porsche Central and Eastern Europe, Porsche AG and the photographer Radka Leitmeritz is an artistic homage to women’s tennis and its players
For Porsche and Radka Leitmeritz, Court Supremes is an ongoing project that began in the tournament break was caused by the pandemic in 2020. An avid Porsche fan, the photographer unites her passion for photography and tennis. The photos range from intensive portraits to unusual still-lifes. World class players like Maria Sharapova, Angelique Kerber, Julia Görges, Aryna Sabalenka, Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sakkari, Martina Navratilova, Barbora Strychova, Marketa Vondrousova, Yulia Putintseva, Karolina Muchova, Iga Swiatek, Elina Svitolina and Petra Kvitova have all stood in front of her camera. She recently photographed the Porsche Brand Ambassador Emma Raducanu with a Porsche 911 dating back to 1965 at Silverstone.
The world class players spotlighted by the Prague photographer are not only united by their sporting successes, many also have a quite special relationship with Porsche. Maria Sharapova, a Porsche Brand Ambassador like Angelique Kerber and Emma Raducanu, won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix three times in succession between 2012 and 2014. Martina Navratilova is the record Porsche Tennis Grand Prix winner with six titles. Angelique Kerber, Julia Görges, Petra Kvitova have, like Iga Swiatek, also inscribed their names in the long-standing Stuttgart tournament’s roll of honour.
“The player’s power and elegance”
“The way in which Radka Leitmeritz presents power women in tennis with her art reflects many of the reasons why Porsche has been a committed partner of women’s tennis ever since 1978,” says Patrick Eble, the marketing director of Porsche Central and Eastern Europe. “The passion for her work and the attention to details correlate to the core of the Porsche brand. We’re looking forward to the way in which the project develops and to showing the world the inspiring photos of power women in tennis.”
Radka Leitmeritz became internationally renowned for her work with world famous fashion magazines like Vogue, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar. In her Court Supremes project, she has made it her job to break through barriers and therefore to change the world’s view of successful women in tennis. She shows players in all their strengths but also in their all too human vulnerability. As an avowed tennis fan, a court is simultaneously a stage, catwalk and launchpad. No wonder that, as she says, she does not keep to rules: “I don’t take any typical match photos. My aim is to share the strengths and elegance of the players with others, as a constant balance between performance and femininity.”
Fans can view the photos in Internet at www.porsche-tennis.com/court-supremes.
