Drop shots: aerial photographs of the world’s tennis courts – in pictures

When Nick Pachelli set out to document tennis courts around the world, he wasn’t just looking for heavy-hitters like Wimbledon and Roland-Garros. The photographer, who played competitively growing up in the US south-west, also wanted to capture the surprising and obscure, such as a Kenyan court made from crushed termite mounds. “I got pretty good at looking at Google Maps satellite view and just showing up,” he says. For his new book, The Tennis Court, Pachelli travelled to 32 countries, visiting more than 1,000 courts and clubs. Whether it’s at a lawn tennis club in Ilkley or a hidden gem at the heart of Venice, he says, “people really structure their lives around their tennis homes”.

• The Tennis Court by Nick Pachelli is published by Workman Publishing (£30)