Tennis World Mourns the Loss of Legendary Photography Art Seitz
Sep 19, 2025
The Florida Tennis family and the entire tennis world mourn the passing of legendary photographer Art Seitz. He was an artist first and foremost. Luckily for all of us that love tennis, he focused his talents primarily on the tennis world and chronicled the sport and preserved its precious history for over 50 years.
Photo courtesy of Adam Ross.
He was an invaluable contributor to Florida Tennis working alongside his great friend and the original founder and publisher of Florida Tennis, the late Jim Martz. Seitz left the physical world on August 23rd, 2025, but his photographs will live on forever. If you’re lucky enough to visit the West Side Tennis Club, the original site of the U.S. Open, you must take some time to see some of Art’s incredible photos that he donated to the club which have been beautifully curated by his close friend, photographer Adam Stoltman and West Side’s Tennis Historian, Bea Hunt. The photo display is located next to the Bud Collins Tennis Library at the club. It is only fitting that that these two titans of tennis are celebrated in such close proximity.
Seitz photographed an incredible litany of players – both on and off the court – and in his own unique and iconic way. Who else would ask Bjorn Borg to carry a large block of ice on his shoulder for a classic photo that would serve as the cover for World Tennis magazine? When I asked Art about that and some of his other unique photos which included a baguette crown on Chrissie Evert’s head at Roland Garros, he smiled and would regale me with the great stories related to the photos. Hall of Fame Tennis Historian Steve Flink recounted his fond memories of Seitz on a recent Florida Tennis Podcast. Coincidentally, Flink was a writer for World Tennis at the time that Art offered the Borg photo to the magazine and he recalled that World Tennis was absolutely thrilled with the photo and more than happy to make it the issue’s cover.
It is hard to comprehend the vast number of photographs that Art took over his prolific career. I was lucky enough to be on an email list in which he shared some of his photos and I was always astounded by the greatness of the tennis photographs and the more intimate nature of some of them. He had unique access to players that simply is not available today and he became friends and confidantes of many tennis legends. He cherished these relationships even more than the game of tennis. As his health declined, he was visited by many in the tennis world including Mary Carillo and Chrissie Evert. This meant the world to Seitz.
It was not just magazines that coveted Art’s work. His photographs were featured in many books; both autobiographies of legendary players such as Jimmy Connors, Arthur Ashe and Chrissie Evert and tennis retrospective books as well for the U.S. Open and other events. Tennis documentaries also sourced his incredible photo archive.
Above: Art Seitz and Chris Evert. Photo courtesy of Adam Ross.
No tribute to Art Seitz would be complete without listing some of the tennis players that he photographed: Chrissie Evert; Martina Navratilova; Mary Joe Fernandez (including the first cover photo for Florida Tennis); Doris Hart; Serena Williams; Venus Williams; Jennifer Capriati; Martina Hingis; Monica Seles; Billie Jean King; Sofia Kenin; Steffi Graf; Arthur Ashe; Fred Perry; Don Budge; Rod Laver; John McEnroe; Jim Courier; Andre Agassi; Pete Sampras; Roger Federer; Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Bob and Mike Bryan, just to name a few.
And a look at some of the events and accolades: Gardnar Mulloy’s 100th birthday party; 50 Wimbledons; 50 French Opens; 20 Miami Opens; the 40th WTA Anniversary Wimbledon Celebration; recognized in 2018 as the only photographer to cover all 50 U.S. Open’s since the first “open” tournament in 1968. He photographed one of the most significant matches in history, the Battle of the Sexes between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs at the Houston Astrodome in 1973. Seitz was the first Virginia Slims photographer, the first staff photographer for Gladys Heldman’s World Tennis Magazine and he took photographs for Gene Scott’s Tennis Week publication for 30 years, as well.
Photo courtesy of Adam Ross.
Seitz regularly paid it forward by photographing charitable events such as the First Serve Pro-Ams hosted by Cliff Drysdale at the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne. He was always there for Chrissie Evert’s Pro Celebrity Tennis Classic in Boca Raton, as well. He grew particularly close to Chrissie Evert, and her family and his pictures of the first family of Florida Tennis are like peering into a time capsule.
Seitz’s close friend and fellow photographer Adam Stoltman penned a stirring tribute to his colleague, Seitz, in which he noted that he had spoken with Arthur Ashe’s widow and a photographer in her own right, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, about Seitz’s legacy. “In my almost 50-year relationship with the tennis community and family, I remember Art Seitz as a fixture. As a photographer, his keen instincts for the ‘shot’ were always in motion. His dedication to recording the important moments that tell a story in a single image, focused. When possible, Art’s ability to engage his subject made him known to all. Art’s archive of tennis, yesterday, today and tomorrow is of importance and value to the history of the sport and all who knew him in the tennis community,” said Moutoussamy-Ashe.
Stoltman also had an opportunity to speak with HOF’er Fern “Peachy” Kellmeyer, the first full-time employee of the WTA and one of the most influential figures in the development of women’s professional tennis. “[Art was] a very brilliant man with a gift of using the camera to reflect his creative talent to get the perfect picture. [He was] a legend for over many decades becoming an intricate part of the tennis family. To this day he was the one who the tennis family look to for that perfect shot. I along with so many others have been a friend and a fan of his work. Always generous to share his precious photos in times of need and always there to help remind the tennis family of the many historic moments snapped on so many worldwide occasions,” said Kellmeyer.
Above: Legendary photographer Art Seitz and Florida Tennis contributor Adam Ross. Photo courtesy of Adam Ross.
As a contributor to Florida Tennis, it was a privilege to get to know Art and to see his photographs. Speaking with him and watching his quest for the perfect picture are memories I will never forget. Unfortunately, towards the end of his life, Art was in failing health. But that did not stop us from staying in touch via telephone and emails that contained a treasure trove of photos. In life, you meet certain iconic individuals that will stay in your memory. Art Seitz is one of those people. Luckily, his photographs will remain a gift to the world forever.
Arthur “Art” Seitz is survived by his sister, Pauline “Polly” Seitz and his brother, Russell. Florida Tennis will provide information as it becomes available on plans to celebrate Seitz’s life.
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Written by Adam Ross, Florida Tennis Contributing Writer and Podcast Host. Adam Stoltman contributed to this article. Photo credit (top): Bob Miller.