In pictures: Tom Jenkins's best shots of 2010

Wayne Rooney, England v Germany World Cup last-16 match, Free State Stadium, Bloemfontain. 27/6/10. Lens 700mm, 1/500th @f5.6 ISO 3200. Towards the end of the match, the Germans were leading 4-1 and the desperate England World Cup campaign was drawing to a close. The poor form of the striker was symbolic for the rest of the team so I decided to just follow him around the pitch for the final few minutes, knowing that he was likely to express this disappointment. Sure enough his shoulders slumped and his eyes closed, depicting the despair and sense of resignation Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Graeme McDowell, Ryder Cup final day, Celtic Manor, south Wales. 4/10/10. Lens 270mm, 1/1000th @f4 ISO 400. The Ulsterman celebrates holing the crucial putt on the 16th green in his singles match with Hunter Mahan. It was this putt that won Europe the cup as McDowell went on to clinch the match and trophy on the following hole. It was an amazing finish to an event that I love, as it always produces great pictures. This year's was really hard work: trudging through the rain and mud, trying to keep the cameras working despite the conditions. Having studied at college in nearby Newport I should have known what the weather can be like in that part of the world Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Pakistan cricket team, one-day international with England, Rose Bowl, Southampton. 22/9/10. Lens 34mm, 1/160th @f3.5 ISO 1250. As the England team are presented with their trophy for winning the series, the Pakistanis look a forlorn and desperate bunch of cricketers. It turned out to be a tour from Hell for them with accusations of match-fixing and corruption coupled with some unsavoury moments with the England team. My aim at this game was to try to sum up the end of a series that will go down in history for the wrong reasons. Usually I focus on the winners getting their trophies, but at this game I turned the other way Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Rafael Nadal, Wimbledon singles final. 4/7/10. Lens 200mm, 1/1000th @ f4.5 ISO 400. After defeating Tomas Berdych and claiming his second Wimbledon title, the Spaniard performed a forward roll on Centre Court. As he finished the move he leapt up, sweat flew off his head and a slightly demented-looking grin broke out. Every photographer who shoots tennis knows that Nadal collapses to the floor on his back when he wins a grand slam. No one expected the roly-poly though Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Vuvuzela blowing. Brazil v North Korea, World Cup group match, Ellis Park, Johannesburg. 15/6/10. Lens 50mm, 1/320th @f2 ISO 800. It was obvious from the first match that the vuvuzela was going to become a symbol of the 2010 World Cup. I realised that I needed to get a striking image of it as soon as possible. Before every game I would wander around the ground trying to get some atmospheric images to put on the website and I found this area where I could produce a silhouette. It was just a case of waiting for someone to walk past this light while blowing that annoying, ear-splitting instrument Photograph: Tom Jenkins

AP McCoy wins the Grand National, Aintree. 10/4/10. Lens 145mm, 1/1000th @f5.6 ISO 800. As he finally wins the race at his 15th attempt, the glee on the face of the greatest ever jockey is evident. McCoy is one of my favourite sportsmen and one I have so much respect for. I have covered the Aintree race many, many times so I knew exactly the place to go to capture the jockey turning towards the crowd as he passed the winning line. I knew that if McCoy was that rider he wouldn’t disappoint Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Cheltenham crowd scene. Day two of the festival meeting. 17/3/10. Lens 85mm, 1/500th @f3.5 ISO 1000. Taken at one of my favourite events of the year, this crowd scene sums up the atmosphere at the Cheltenham Festival. Wherever you look there are pictures to be had both on the course and off. I had spotted these ladies earlier and just waited during the race for some sort of reaction. Luckily for me, at the penultimate fence a horse careered through the railings and caused havoc Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Audley Harrison, Repton Boys Club, Bethnal Green. 1/11/10. Lens 48mm, 1/60th @f4 ISO 800. Back at his amateur gym in east London, Harrison was exhausted and coming to the end of a long media session promoting his upcoming fight with David Haye. I quickly cleared an area and set up a couple of lights. I said to him 'Audley, put your hand on your heart and look straight at me and tell me you can win the fight'. He placed his hand on the right side of his chest. I said 'Audley, your heart is on the other side!' He moved it over, closed his eyes and starting singing the Star Spangled Banner. That will do nicely, I thought. It was no surprise to me what followed in that farcical fight Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Women's rugby World Cup final, the Stoop, Twickenham. 5/9/10. Lens 500mm, 1/800th @f4 ISO 1600. The final between England and New Zealand was a tense affair with just three points separating them. Unfortunately for the home crowd, the Black Ferns edged it 13-10. It was a fantastic game and unbelievably committed. This shows in the determination etched on to the face of the Kiwi full-back Victoria Grant as she flies past the last-gasp tackle from the England full-back Danielle Waterman Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Celebrating the first goal, South Africa v Mexico, the opening game of the World Cup, Soccer City, Johannesburg. 11/6/10. Lens 500mm, 1/800th @f4.5 ISO 2000. After Siphiwe Tshabalala (second left) had scored a fantastic goal, the noise was deafening as he was joined by three team-mates to do a pre-planned dance in front of the home fans. The opening game was a magnificent occasion, one that my ear drums are still recovering from! It was slightly disconcerting not being able to even hear the shutter firing on my camera when it was right in front of my nose Photograph: Tom Jenkins

David Haye, world heavyweight title fight v John Ruiz, MEN Arena, Manchester. 3/4/10. Lens 500m, 1/1000th @f4 ISO 2500. The British fighter was defending his title for the first time against an ageing but wily American fighter. Haye put on a really classy performance, even knocking his opponent through the ropes, establishing himself at the top of the heavyweight scene. Positions for photographers at ring-side are limited but they normally produce the best pictures. Sometimes though, especially with the big men, you get a better view when slightly elevated and further back Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Cesc Fábregas, Arsenal v Barcelona, Champions League quarter-final first leg, Emirates Stadium. 31/3/10. Lens 500mm, 1/640th @f4 ISO 2500. After fouling his Barcelona opponent Sergio Busquets, the Arsenal captain reacts as he realises he is about to be booked and will be suspended for the second leg in Spain. He comes from the Catalan city and was looking forward to playing back there. Later in this game he was injured and couldn’t play for Arsenal again that season. It looked like it might have been his final game for the club before he was persuaded to stay in the summer Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Steve Davis, Brentwood, Essex. 7/5/10. Lens 50mm, 1/800th @f1.6 ISO 200. This portrait was taken just a few days after he had beaten John Higgins in the World Championship, when revelations about Higgins and corruption had emerged. It shocked everyone in the snooker world and greatly depressed Davis. He had his emotions split in two: on one hand being overjoyed with his performance, on the other despair at the state his beloved sport was in. I had spotted a rope swing in the garden of his manager’s office and thought that may be just the spot for this picture Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Fen skating, Earith near St Ives, Cambridgeshire. 9/1/10. Lens 14mm, 1/1250th @f9 ISO 320. The bitter weather at the beginning of the year was creating havoc with the fixture list so my mind turned to finding a sport that was thriving in the sub-zero temperatures. After a bit of research I discovered that for the first time since 1997 organised skating races were being held on a flooded field in the Fens. Luckily for me it was a beautiful day and produced scenes that reminded me of a Breugel painting. It was hard to believe I was in the heart of England Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Roger Espinoza, Honduras v Spain, World Cup group match, Ellis Park, Johannesburg. 21/6/10. Lens 70mm, 1/800th @f4 ISO 2000. This is one of my favourite action shots from the World Cup. The overhead kick is probably the most spectacular piece of action in a football match but so often it doesn’t quite make a good, still photograph. Not only does it happen quickly but there is often an arm or leg in the way of the player's face Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, Ryder Cup day three, Celtic Manor, South Wales. 3/10/10. Lens 62mm, 1/800th @f4 ISO 1000. The inspired pair from Northern Ireland celebrate as McIlroy holes the winning putt on the 17th green in their foursomes match with Hunter Mahan and Zach Johnson. I knew from watching McIlroy earlier that he tended to celebrate to the cheering crowd nearest him. So when he had a putt from the back of the green I placed myself between him and the stands behind Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Tour de France final stage, Champs Elysées, Paris. 25/7/10. Lens 420mm, 1/1250th @f8 ISO 400. One of the great sights in sport is seeing the peloton making its way up and down the Champs Elysées before the end of the final stage. But why don’t they cross the line with the Arc de Triomphe in the background? It would make a great finish picture. In this picture the eventual stage winner Mark Cavendish is right in the middle guarded by team-mates either side Photograph: Tom Jenkins

José Mourinho, Chelsea v Internazionale, Champions League last-16 second leg, Stamford Bridge. 16/3/10. Lens 500mm, 1/500th @f4 ISO 2000. On the return to his old stomping ground, the extravagant Portuguese is not shy in performing for the crowd. I really miss Mourinho, not just for the entertainment but also because he makes great pictures. When he is around you almost have to have one eye on the game and one on the benches. You never quite know what he is going to do Photograph: Tom Jenkins

The San Francisco 49ers, NFL game, Wembley Stadium. 31/10/10. Lens 24mm, 1/320th @f9 ISO 1600. The Californian team emerge from the dry-ice to play their 'home' match with the Denver Broncos. I have always thought the Americans are great in spicing up their sports, what with cheerleaders etc. It can make for some great pictures away from the actual sport Photograph: Tom Jenkins

St Andrews, The Open championship final day. 18/7/10. Lens 85mm, 1/3200 @f2.8 ISO 200. I had access to a tower behind the 17th green from which I had a great view up the 18th to the clubhouse. It’s a unique piece of golfing territory, with the enormous fairway and a road running past the 17th green. I wanted to emphasise this so I decided to use a tilt and shift lens. This piece of equipment enables me to create a tiny plane of focus which can be used to give a miniaturisation effect. It’s something I like to use only occasionally as I feel tricks like these can get boring if overused Photograph: Tom Jenkins