Artballing, the "art" of hitting balls covered in paint against a blank canvas, is the latest publicity stunt being served up by the ATP tour. The eight players who qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals all get to make one-of-a-kind self-portraits using the technique. Former English cricket captain Michael Vaughan is the genius behind the concept, which in this case has a player aiming shots at a stenciled likeness of himself. The collection will be on display to the public at a gallery in London and then auctioned off for charity. So far, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have made theirs. Here's a look at how it went:
I'm no art critic, but I think their work looks pretty cool. Still, this isn't the first time that players have gone all Jackson Pollack on a piece of cloth. A couple years ago, Martina Navratilova unveiled the paintings she created using the same technique, which she called "tennising," with her collaborator, the Slovak artist Juraj Kralik. Her works have sold for more than $20,000. (For more on her process, check out this clip.) And last year, Kim Clijsters and Richard Krajicek tried their hand at a similar technique for the Belgian artist Pim Smit's series called Art Meets Sports. Can't wait to see what the next artistic endeavor will be for the pros. Perhaps sculpting the moment of their greatest victory by pounding balls into a slab of marble? Or posing in action mode while floating in a formaldehyde-filled vitrine, à la Damien Hirst?
—Sarah Thurmond