USTWA Member Art Seitz Recognized for His Tennis Photography Spanning 30 Years
December 2009 (Pieced together by USTWA)

“THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES - LEGENDARY SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER CAPTURES OVER 30 YEARS OF WOMEN’S TENNIS” was an online headline in October, when the WTA Tour paid tribute to longtime USTWA member Art Seitz and his distinguished career as a photographer. “The best shots in tennis and in sport would be forgotten if not for the exceptional eye and talent of ubiquitous sports photographers like Art Seitz,” the story went on to say.

A 67-year-old Floridian, Art was there when a group of pioneers created the women’s tour. He was the first official photographer for the Virginia Slims Tour, capturing the magic of such legends as Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Martina Hingis and hundreds of others. His photo of Chris Evert in a bikini was featured on the people page of Time Magazine, as was his photo of a teenage Tracy Austin  during a WTA Softball Game. If you need early photos of Maria Sharapova, Anna Kournikova or Martina Hingis, those shots are in his extensive files. Maria Sharapova's first two photo shoots at age 12 and 14 were with Art, and he introduced Anna Kournikova and the Williams sisters to the tennis world. During the past 40+ years, photos of hundreds of tennis players, from Althea Gibson to the Williams’ family, were published and have helped promote the sport worldwide. His photos have been published in dozens of tennis books and player autobiographies, and several have received “Picture of the Year” honors.

When Billie Jean created World TeamTennis, Art was hired as the first WTT Staff Photographer. While on assignment for Newsweek and as 1970s Staff Photographer for World Tennis, he covered the on- and off-court aspects of the historic “Battle of the Sexes” match. He is the only photographer to have covered all 42 US Opens, as well as the Wimbledon Championshps and Roland Garros for 40 years. 

While known primarily for tennis, Art also covered over 20 SuperBowls and had photos sessions with four U.S. Presidents. His photos have been used on the cover of over 1,000 magazines and in photo essays and features in virtually every major magazine and newspaper in the world including Time, People, Hello, Paris Match, Hola, Hello, Stern, Newsweek, Seventeen, Vogue and the NY Times Magazine to Vanity Fair. He received the lead photo credit in the ESPN Sports Century Series Programs on Chris Evert, Evonne Goolagong, Jennifer Capriati, and others. 

Art is also a player. He played the USTA Florida junior tennis circuit and went on to become a University of Florida letter man. He earned a 1965 BS in Advertising from the University of Florida and an MBA in 1971 from Florida Atlantic University, where he was the intramural tennis champion. While in the USAF, First Lieutenant Seitz was President of the 650-member Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Junior Officers Council and played worldwide as a member of the USAFE Team. He has also won several media tournaments, including the CU Masters Media Tournament with partner John Barrett.

Art continues to cover junior, men’s and women’s tennis and said that “the kind words from the WTA Tour were certainly a pleasant surprise.”

Noted in the tribute: “Over the past three decades of the WTA Tour’s existence, one of the few constants in the ever-evolving world of tennis has been creative sports photographer Art Seitz and his camera. On behalf of everyone at the Tour, thanks for the memories and capturing the very best of our sport!”