Paris based Ganeriwal, who’s originally from Kolkata but has been based in Europe for the past decade, received this prestigious award sponsored by Imago in the Independent photographers category at the World Sports Photography Awards by MPB. This image, ironically titled ‘Boys Don’t Cry’, is from the 2022 Laver Cup held in London, Federer’s last tournament.
Ganeriwal travels around Europe to cover important sporting events such as the UEFA Champions League, La Liga, Seria A, Slams, ATP Masters, amongst others. She also works as a Yoga and mindfulness teacher for kids in bilingual schools in Paris.
Speaking about her win, she said –
“This is so much more than just an image to me; it is proof that magic happens when you silently step out of a race that you were never really meant for, choose a life that feels right to you over one that looks right to others and redefine what success feels like for you.
In a world that tends to measure success in numbers, it is an excruciating, arduous process to dare to choose the magic of everyday life over the projected future of a ‘perfect’ life.
But once you do, once you sum up the courage to colour outside of the lines that you had once drawn for yourself, to listen to the little calling in your heart and let it guide you even if your mind doesn’t understand how it could possibly be realizable, once you decline what doesn’t feel right even if it looks right, that is when you move from a life you could tolerate, to one you absolutely cannot get enough of.
One, that is indeed better than all of your best laid plans!
Thank you Rafa and Roger for the being the catalyst. Many have been inspired by your tennis, but for me, it was your off-court demeanour that demanded I upend my life. A random day with the two of you at a charity event in Madrid a decade ago is all it took, and it’s only fitting that this image captures the camaraderie that changed (and continues to change) my life in ways I didn’t know possible”
Ganeriwal in action (📸 Guillaume Cuvillier/Sony France)
