Russ Adams

Russ Adams (July 30, 1930 – June 28, 2017) was an American photographer. He was called by his peers the "dean" of modern tennis photography. In a Boston Globe profile (July 12, 2007) of Russ Adams regarding his July 2007 induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, Billie Jean King stated: "Russ is a national treasure. He's our dean, our guru, our guardian. Believe me, the players look for him and love him."

Adams photographed Grand Slam Tournaments, the World Championship Tour (WCT), all major United States Tennis Association (USTA) tournaments, Fed Cup, Davis Cup, and tennis at the Olympic Games. He credited learning tennis photographer from 17-time Grand Slam Champion, Hazel Wightman, at Longwood Cricket Club in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, where Wightman was a member.

In 1967, he became the official (volunteer) photographer of the U.S. National Championship at Forest Hills. At the birth of Open Tennis he developed and implemented the system for on-court photographers at the 1969 U.S. Open Championship in tandem with the tournament director Bill Talbert. He served as director/liaison of photographers for the U.S. Open, and was instrumental in developing the universal "Code of Conduct" in conjunction with the Professional Tennis Council to be used by photographers covering tennis events around the world. He was a founding member of the International Tennis Federation Media Commission and served on the Board for 17 years.

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