Ray Giubilo snapped what might be the tennis photo of the year at US Open-2025, capturing Italian player Jasmin Paolini with her face perfectly aligned behind her racket strings during a first-round match against Destani Aiava on Sunday.
"Jasmin Paolini at US Open-2025... and it's not Halloween," the Italian photographer humorously captioned the image that quickly took social media by storm.
The remarkable shot shows the 29-year-old Italian's facial features seemingly embedded within the racket frame during an intense rally point. What makes the image particularly striking is the perfect timing—catching Paolini's face precisely behind the strings in what many media outlets have described as a "one in a million" shot.
The photo spread rapidly across social platforms, accumulating over 5 million views on X within just a few hours. Italy's top-ranked tennis player probably didn't expect to go viral for her facial expression rather than her forehand technique!
Some skeptical users initially questioned the authenticity of the image. However, professional photographers quickly jumped into the comments to confirm such shots are entirely possible with modern camera equipment.
"Undoubtedly, this is a real photo. My question is how many frames per second they're shooting. Some cameras can capture over 240 frames per second," noted one photographer who shared a similar but less impressive shot of Elina Svitolina taken at a 2024 Charleston tournament.
Both Awful Announcing and Sports Illustrated praised the image as "incredible," highlighting how rare such perfectly timed moments are in fast-paced tennis. Belgian media outlets called it an "unreal capture," noting how it represents both luck and professional skill converging in a single moment.
Could this become one of the most iconic tennis photos of recent years? With its ghostly effect and perfect timing, Giubilo's shot has certainly served up something special for sports photography enthusiasts.
