Tommy Hindley, regarded as one of the finest of the country’s sports photographers, and especially renowned for his work at the great tennis tournaments of the world, died peacefully on Thursday night after a long illness.
One of his colleagues, Clive Brunskill, paid this tribute: “In my mind Tommy was one of the best tennis photographers of all time. His knowledge of the game was incredible and his hard-working ethic was something many photographers drew inspiration from, including myself.
“He was a lot of fun to be around, the sort of guy when you felt down or miserable would cheer you up.
“Tommy was well respected by his generation of tennis players all the way through to today’s players at the top of the game.
“His legacy as one of the great sports photographers will live on, from his fantastic images that hang on the walls of the All England Lawn Tennis Club at Wimbledon, a place he loved most, to the thousands of books and editorial publications that used his work all over the world.
“He will be deeply missed by all members of the international tennis photographers’ association of which he’s has been president and to many other photographers in other sports in Britain and around the world.
“I will always remember his favourite thing after a hard day on the courts was opening a cold bottle of Pino Grigio or a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, which over the years many of us have shared with him.”
Hindley was a stalwart member of the Professional Sports Photographers Association and then the SJA. He started his Professional Sport photo library in 1977, and developed a client list which included the top advertising agencies as well as news outlets and the International Tennis Federation and Wimbledon.
He worked on a range of sports, and covered the Olympic Games and football World Cups throughout his career. His pictures were regularly cited for awards and accolades.
The chairman of the SJA, David Walker, on behalf of the Association, its members and committee, has sent a message of condolences to Tommy’s wife, Jan, and family at this sad and difficult time.
The funeral for Tommy Hindley will take place this Thursday, September 26, at 4.15pm at Harwood Park Crematorium, Stevenage.