Editorial Review

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER

Far more than a superb memoir about the highest levels of professional tennis, Open is the engrossing story of a remarkable life.
 
Andre Agassi had his life mapped out for him before he left the crib. Groomed to be a tennis champion by his moody and demanding father, by the age of twenty-two Agassi had won the first of his eight grand slams and achieved wealth, celebrity, and the game’s highest honors. But as he reveals in this searching autobiography, off the court he was often unhappy and confused, unfulfilled by his great achievements in a sport he had come to resent. Agassi writes candidly about his early success and his uncomfortable relationship with fame, his marriage to Brooke Shields, his growing interest in philanthropy, and—described in haunting, point-by-point detail—the highs and lows of his celebrated career.

Reviews

This book will change you. In a good way.
So you're thinking this might be one of those recently retired famous people books aren't you? One where a celebrity, or a Politician, or a sports star cranks out hundreds of pages of self-serving, history-correcting drivel in order to cash the big advance check. A book you can't even bring yourself to finish; better than a tranquilizer at bedtime.

Well, this is certainly not that book. "Open" is a journey that I predict will stay with you for a very long time. It's a completely unexpected trip to places you've never been. I'm not one of those quasi-professional reviewers you see on Amazon. But this book practically made me write about it.

Interestingly, Open starts not at the beginning and not quite at the end. Second round, US Open, 2006.

Not the final match of Andre's career--but the one right before that.
Against a competitor you'd never heard of before or since.
The battle was against the guy across the net, and also Andre's hatred of tennis, his failing body, the demons that he harnessed to get through the unending heroic contest that seemed destined to continue until both just fell into a heap on the court. And it is so well told.

After 20 pages, I knew that this was unlike any other biography I had ever read. Couldn't put it down. Couldn't stop thinking about it. Agassi dug deeper inside than most of us ever will have to, to get to core of what made him so powerful as a player and so conflicted as a person. It is all conspicuously real: The small moments, the outlandish triumphs and the friendships that sustained him and/or corrupted him. The gauntlet he had to run through to arrive at the balance and joy he has today. It's transformative.

The headlines about this book have mostly related to Andre's drug use when he was at his lowest. But honestly, although it marked the place from which he recovered and flourished, it's only an incidental part of this story. The story is actually about perseverance, intelligence and raw talent all baked together into a very, very large American life.

If Open doesn't win a Pulitzer Prize, something is terribly wrong. Can I nominate it?

Image Is Everything
Andre Agassi has written a 'tell-all' book about his life in tennis. And, it turns out, he hated tennis. That was a bigger shocker to me than the salacious fact that he was on 'crystal meth'for a period of time. J.R. Moehringer, the author of 'A Tender Bar' and a Pulitzer Prize winner for his writing was a co-author of this autobiography. Andre loved Moehringer's writing in 'The Tender Bar', and he is correct, the man's writing and the book are excellent. This book, too, is very well written and is an exceptional read.

Andre tells us that he started playing tennis at the age of 3 and by the age of 5 he was showing an aptitude for the game. He was pushed by his father-an obsessive man who pushed his son too far and too much. In fact his father felt that education was not necessary and a hindrance to his tennis practice. Andre could never tell his father how much he hated the game because it was Andre's responsibility to help his family, and that is what he did. He left school in the ninth grade, something that has bothered him his entire career. His goal was to achieve in tennis. He was enrolled in the Bollettien tennis camp, but it felt more like a prison than a camp. The academy, in Agassi's words, was "Lord of the Flies with forehands." In retaliation Andre started wearing earrings, grew his hair long and wore loud clothes. Thus his reputation was born. As his career started to flourish, Andre, tried to keep it all together. He was known as the flamboyant player, the real player. He played the best tennis players in the world, and he was one of the best. He had an eye for the ball, and the 'tell' of players when they were about to hit the big one.

Andre Agassi talks about his rivals, the ones who were boring, the ones who kept it all together and the the real players; Pete Sampras, Boris Becker and Jimmy Connors The book is at its best when the game of tennis is being discussed. Each play during the tournaments and how he figured out how to win. He talks of his marriage to Brooke Shields, he never really wanted to be married, just like he never really liked to play tennis. His crystal meth years, the spiel he gave the Tennis Association when he tested positive for drugs. He finally met and married Steffi Graf and found the happiness that had so long eluded him.
He has built a life and a foundation that sponsors a charter school. He gave the first graduation speech and wowed the crowd. A ninth grade drop-out he has achieved success and fame. He has found his life and he has become Open. For anyone who loves tennis, this is a book that will be a fascinating look at the life of a giant in the tennis world and told in words that best describes him. He finally lives down his famous words 'Image Is Everything'.

Highly Recommended. prisrob 11-09-09

The Tender Bar

Inspiring - Must Read
We have all read the press and watched the news; the drug allegations, the "I hate tennis". Tennis fans aren't quite sure whether they should feel cheated for all the love and support they have given Andre, to me the book set things straight.

Most of us look back at chapters of our lives and can identify with particularly unhappy periods. Andre kicks off the book with what was going through his head with the match against Baghdatis in the 2006 US Open. It is a blow by blow account of key parts of the match and a thought provoking glimpse into the mind and heart of a tennis player. He then goes straight into his childhood, the discomfort and unhappiness of being the child prodigy son of an obsessive father. There are weirdly honest stories - his grandmother tried to breastfeed him, very disturbing but a revelation of a dysfunctional upbringing. What seems to carry Andre through his childhood are friendships with his brother Phil and Perry who later becomes his manager. The importance of the childhood friendships are critical and from the way they are explained it is easy to understand why these friends are crucial figures for Andre.

The critical friendship is that of his mentor/guide/life coach/surrogate father Gill Reyes. Andre is taken under his wing and treated with the love and respect a father should treat his son, you sense through the stories in the book that now they have met each other neither could really exist happily without the other. His marriage with Brooke Shields is dealt with candidly, many will buy this book to find out what celebrities do behind closed doors. Whereas I did think Brooke appeared superficial from some of the things mentioned here, I think it merely shows how fame affects people differently. It appears that fame as a child makes people so perception orientated that perceptions are more important than anything else - who can judge the pressures these guys live through? Perfectly understandable in my opinion.

The drugs issue is dealt with here but only for a few pages in the book. The very weird thing is it doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Like most fans I was shocked and somewhat critical of the damage to his sport. But, I could understand after reading the book how stupid mistakes can be made. Off the book for a second truth is he wouldn't have got the endorsements for 10's of millions had he been suspended, or there would have been a clause in his existing deals that he would have broken had the allegations come out. However, reading the book and seeing what has been done with the money I can't help but feel it was better for everyone that nothing came out at the time.

Andre talks about his attraction to Stefanie from many years back, the courting process is just the same as you or I. We all have been through that 'has the phone just rung?' depression when expecting a call from someone we are interested in. It does feel almost story like the way they end up together, but we all have a story like this just not in the press.

Players are mentioned here all the time, the interesting one for me was Becker 'B.B. Socrates' they call him because he 'tries to appear intellectual but is just an overgrown farmboy', this is going to do nothing for Becker's ego. The rivalry with Becker seems more important than that with Sampras - who would have thought?

Another of those important times for Andre was a meeting with Mandela, a truly humbling experience for anyone. This times perfectly with the starting of his Charter school and I presume was a defining moment for him.

Overall, hey I got the book yesterday and I read 325 pages the first day this should tell you all you need to know. I felt sorry for Andre with his childhood but towards the end I understood how his father really wanted the best for everyone. Andre is surprisingly influenced by anyone he trusts - guided more by his heart than his head, he appears to live life to please for much of the book which is pretty much the way a child acts. His first marriage is what everyone else wants to see but he is developing on another level through his interactions with his trainer Gil, the goalposts are always changing as he tries understands what he wants from life. His 'hate' of tennis develops into an appreciation and respect.

When you read this book you will see parallels between what you go through in life with what a celebrity goes through but you go through it perhaps without the press. It is incredibly well written, so well written in fact that most will not credit Andre for the writing. This is what is says it is, an autobiography not just a tennis manual. Enjoy!

One of the best autobiographies I've read
Most autobiographies, especially sports autobiographies, are just a chronological series of events with insight into each event. It's usually not new insight and is mostly just filled with platitudes and cliches that the author already gave in press conferences. There are always a few interesting tidbits in each of these autobiographies, and reading a bullet point summary of those tidbits in an online review is just as good as reading the actual book.

Agassi's autobiography is more like a novel. You read it and think it would make a phenomenal movie, the way it starts at the very end and then flashbacks to the beginning. You can't just read about the revelations in some online review and think you've gotten everything out of this book. This is a book that needs to be read front to back. It's superbly written -- not by Agassi himself, as he never had the education to pull that off, but he did spend thousands of hours on it and as a longtime fan I know that this is his authentic voice. In a recent interview, Andre expanded on why he and Pete Sampras were opposites by saying that when they saw each other in October 2009, Andre realized that Sampras had also just released an autobiography and tried to start a conversation by mentioning how he was so glad how his turned out, and how many thousands of hours of sweat and tears he put into it. He said that Sampras just looked at him like he was crazy. Sampras felt that an autobiography was just an encyclopedic sort of thing, not a cathartic baring of the soul. When you compare their books, it shows.

Another thing that separates this book is Agassi's remarkable memory. Agassi has always been known as one of the best analysts of the sport, and has always astounded the press with his point-by-point recollection of matches that had taken place decades before. After I play a recreational tennis match, I can barely remember the points I just played. You could ask Agassi about a point he played in 1988 and he'd be able to tell you what was going through his head, how fast the serve came at him, the sequence of shots, what someone in the crowd shouted out, what the temperature was, the humidity, the wind speed. He mentions in the book how he seems to notice the most trivial things, and once he notices them they forever stay in his mind. I'm sure if his memory was somehow measured, it would be found to be in the very upper tier in the populace. This combined with his deep, empathetic ability to notice and understand human behavior creates a truly astounding read. It is rare to find an athlete as intelligent as Agassi, and if his father hadn't been so anti-education, I believe he could have had a brilliant academic career and flourished in some intellectual field. Perhaps psychology. Sports psychology would have been an easy fit, certainly!

You don't have to be a tennis fan to enjoy this book, although you will certainly get a little bit more out of it. Similarly, a sports fan will be able to get more of it than someone who doesn't care much for any sport. However, there is not a person out there who could not gain something from reading this book. This is not simply a tennis story, or a sports story. This is a human story.

In regards to the crystal meth revelation, I will say this in his defense:

1. Testing positive for a recreational drug (crystal meth is a recreational, performance inhibiting drug, NOT a performance enhancer) in 1997, the year that he started and stopped taking the drug, had the penalty of a 3 month suspension. 3 months. That's like a nice little vacation to get rested and refreshed for the rest of the season.

2. In 1997, Agassi won nothing. He was losing in the first round of every tournament. He was playing challenger events, the minor leagues of tennis, and even losing in those. It is true that he won a few matches, and he did have a surprising run at the US Open when everyone thought he was going to quit tennis any minute. This was not fair to the players he beat - he should have been suspended at the time. However, when you really think about it, it just speaks to his talent that at his absolute lowest, when he was quite literally disabled physically, when he went out in front of that New York crowd and felt the magic and realized that he wanted to win, he was still able to muster up the game to beat world class players. At the end of the day, the only person hurt by his drug use was himself. Andre has said in recent interviews that he would happily have 1997 thrown out of his career. Have all of his results from that year blacked out. It makes absolutely no difference to the total number of titles and championships he won.

3. For the past decade, Agassi has been the most admirable person to ever come out tennis. What he's given back is remarkable. What he's done for the sport is unmatched. Tennis is an unpopular sport in the United States, but people would always tune in for Agassi, and this book is selling like hot cakes. People love Agassi, and for good reason.

This doesn't justify him lying to the ATP, but we need to keep this in perspective. It's important to understand that this doesn't diminish his legacy in the slightest. He is still one of the best tennis players of all time -- and as you'll see in this book, he may have achieved twice as much if he hadn't stumbled and fallen and beaten himself for so much of his life. He hated tennis, he admits it. His father, a man who would make Joe Jackson quiver with fear, thrust him into it as a toddler. He makes a strong argument for why it is the loneliest sport in the world, the sport most likely to produce insanity in its players. On the other hand, look at what it gave him. He loved holding up trophies and gold medals. He would never have met Stefanie without it. There was a duality to his life that I'm sure we can all relate to in some way.

Wonderful
This is a wonderful book. Many people have tough childhoods and suffer at the hands of their parents (often well intentioned) abuse. But it is a rare person that has the capacity and bravery to recycle their own suffering in order to grow and learn. Agassi may not have made it past 9th grade but he is an avid and relentless student of life. I did a lot of wincing while reading this book and sometimes felt caught up and unsettled by the whirlwind as it unfolds, but there was always the anchor of Agassi's unblinking candor and his drive to tell the truth.

Throughout the book, Agassi has a knack for describing painful relationships and encounters without sounding shrill or judgmental. There is a curious objectivity in his descriptions of the brutal treatment he endures from his father...he sticks to the details and the facts and steers clear of editorializing. There are occasional lapses into self pity but they are brief, rare and, in some cases, justifiable.

I was particularly interested in Agassi's early observations of Pete Sampras. A few short years before Sampras started on the road to becoming a legend, Agassi and his brother watch him play and bemoan the early disintegration of a talented player. It is a reminder not to pass early judgement on a developing athlete (or a developing anyone for that matter). Sampras re-builds his game and goes on to become one of the greatest players ever. As their rivalry and tentative friendship unfolds Agassi's descriptions of Sampras' character come dangerously close to being petty (i.e. revealing that he gives lousy tips) but you get the sense that Sampras wouldn't care....that the two men are such polar opposites they are immune to each other off the tennis court.

It is interesting to compare Andre's early and brutal training regimen (which started in the crib) to Roger Federer who didn't start tennis until he was eight years old. Agassi is clearly a physical genius with great gifts but you wonder if he made it in tennis despite his early training rather than because of his early training. It also makes me uncomfortable and aware of the strange urgency and anxiety I feel during my eight year old's soccer games...why?

Despite the shallowness of the topic, Agassi's personal style (hairpiece, earrings, pink shorts) is one of the more compelling aspects of this book. He unwittingly creates a culture shock in the tennis world and sports culture as a whole by revealing his personal vanity and 'girly' side while maintaining a strong masculine presence. Ironically, despite his lack of personal identity he is a slave to his uniqueness and can't seem to do anything in a 'normal' mainstream way. He even overturns the Sampson myth growing stronger after a beautiful woman shaves his head. Go figure.

Agassi's philanthropy and commitment to his school and foundation comes across as grounded and sincere because it evolves over time as a product of his own suffering. He discovers the satisfaction of helping others as a survival mechanism rather than some sort of 'moral' or 'intellectual' decision.

At several junctures in this book I wondered if Agassi has undiagnosed dyslexia...he seems to have many of the stumbling blocks of dyslexia (slow learning to read, agonizing pain in the classroom, inability to learn other languages) as well as many of the strengths (creativity, charm, sensitivity and an almost freakish ability to see things in three dimensions). Dyslexics are often forced to develop their memories beyond the normal scope as a compensatory learning mechanism which helps explain his uncanny ability to remember the smallest details of every tennis match.

Agassis's romance with Steffi Graf helps to soften the book's relentless anguish. Like many of Agassi's accomplishments you get the sense that it had to be earned using his trial and error learning style. It has the elements of a fairy tale romance replete with serendipity, timing and Agassi pursuing her like a medieval knight; alongside a modern edge with Graf being an accomplished woman and very much his equal (if not superior) in many ways.

I have family members and friends that have lived in the public eye and been misrepresented by the media in ways that are both ignorant and cruel. Agassi, shares the disturbing fun house mirror aspect of being in the public eye without sounding bitter. By the end you get the sense that the public humiliations and misunderstandings forced him into a corner and ultimately made him stronger and more resilient. By the end of the story he learns to leverage his fame rather than fall victim to it.

One overarching theme in Agassi's life is his 'luck.' He is a walking contradiction...a lucky guy for whom nothing seems to come easy. There seems to be an unseen force measuring out his luck and his suffering to keep things balanced.

Another theme is lying, and again, it is full of contradiction. Although you can argue that Agassi's whole life is built around a lie (he hates tennis), Agassi comes across as a compulsively truthful person who forces himself to lie and pays a steep price for it.

Agassi offers himself up to the reader with unblinking candor. You may, or may not, like him but when you are done with this book you will know him...more than you know many of your relatives and friends. Any time a person allows himself (or herself) to be known with such depth and vulnerability it binds us closer and highlights the connections we all share. My favorite poet says it better: 'If you don't know the kind of person I am/and I don't know the kind of person you are/a pattern that others made may prevail in the world/and following the wrong god home we may miss our star.' (William StaffordThe Way It Is)

Andre Agassi (and J.R. Moehringer) have pulled off one of my favorite literary stunts...they have written a tough important book cleverly disguised as an entertaining book. Nice work.

The Best Sports Biography Ever
How many of us grow up conflicted and angry with ourselves and our lives? How can we love our parents on one hand and hate them on the other? How many of us would have given their eye teeth to have the talent of a world class athlete, the fame, the adulation? Reading OPEN, the new autobiography by Andre Agassi, brought back so many of the painful emotions I felt growing up. Not that I had the gift that Andre has, but I can certainly relate to much of the anger and frustration that he so bluntly and eloquently describes in this brilliant book. One moment, among many in the book, stands out for me. It is the day he goes with his father to buy a new Corvette after winning a tournament in South America. His father, a tortured and volcanic man, turns the experience into a nightmare by his terrorist negotiating tactics. Andre is both humiliated by his father's actions while secretly admiring the man's rage and confidence. If only he could employ that kind of emotional energy on the court to conqueror his opponents, he thinks to himself. Approach, avoidance. Attraction, rejection. It's a constant battle in his mind. In his career. In his life. A life that has been explored and explained for us in a book unlike any other I've ever read. Tennis fan or not, you must read OPEN.

More than I could have hoped for...
I remember stopping on page 189 because I was so overcome with a need to write a review. But I wasn't ready to put it into words yet, of course, because I hadn't reached the end. So, instead I logged in and simply put down 5 stars. And now, as I've finished the last page after settling down after the Thanksgiving guests have gone, to finish what I started two days ago, I am in awe of the story that I just read. It is as much a tennis story, as it is a love story, a personal journey, a reflection on the importance of family and friends, unlike any book I've ever read. You will, and you should, feel every emotion possible while going through the twists and turns of Andre's life as it is laid on every page. I laughed, I cried, a felt tense with anticipation, I cringed every time the words led to a devastating loss. You FEEL him spiraling, you FEEL him exhalted, you FEEL him unsure.

I am honored to have been allowed to see the many other sides of this great player. As a young tennis player myself, when he surfaced on the tour, I loved him from the beginning. I willed him to win every point while sitting on the floor in front of the television. As I grew older, I took every chance to see him at local tournaments. I saw him and Stefanie recently in Marin, playing together, and after reading this story just feel a sense of full circle. I was on the ride with Andre, likely as those of you who are my age and older were, and we can look back on those matches that we'll never forget, and have an idea of who he was then, through this thoroughly engaging work in his autobiography.

I loved reading it, but I hated to put it down. You will know what I mean when you finish, the relevance of that statement in more ways than one. Enjoy.

A memoir for the ages.
Simply put, `Open' is the most brazenly raw, heart wrenching, high paced, thrilling memoir I have ever read. As an avid reader I have never been so rewarded for investing time in the pages of a book. Andre's life reads like a novel, from a childhood that is scripted for him by overbearing authority figures, to a meteoric rise on the world stage, then a slow spiral toward bottom, and then an inspirational comeback story for the ages. Through Agassi's eyes, we travel the globe, meet a fascinating cast of characters, see from the inside the building of a world renowned charitable organization, and witness the deep, complex bond he maintains with his friends and family.

Andre chose J.R. Moehringer to help him craft the story and the choice pays huge dividends. J.R brings the pace and energy of Andre's adventures to life. This book exudes masculinity, competition, deep loyalties, and a thirst for life. This literary effort represents a sea change in non fiction work. With `Open' as the new benchmark, I feel pity for future memoir writers.

As I finished this read, I not only learned more about Andre Agassi, I learned more about myself and who I want to be.

as a fan this is a must read but it is too honest an account
What a ride, what a read. I was slow to read this work as I have been a big fan for Andre's career and did not want to spoil the "image" I had of Andre. My "pals" teased me when they read reviews about the tough times this man has been through with drugs and relationships as if to mock my worship of Andre. "Hey I read your tennis star took drugs" People sometimes smile at the famous who go through tough times and make mistakes. I did not want to tarnish the image I had of Andre, which turned out to be mostly lies created by the media. I appreciate the man and the tennis player more now after having read this account. What a strong person to be able to open himself up as he did. Fitting title for the book. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The Inner Game of Tennis is a revolutionary program for overcoming the self-doubt, nervousness, and lapses of concentration that can keep a player from winning. Now available in a revised paperback edition, this classic bestseller can change the way the game of tennis is played. ... Read more

Reviews

Know Your "Selves" Better, January 27, 2008
As most people can guess by the title, the "inner game" of tennis is the game that takes place iin the mind of the player and is played against barriers such as nervousness, self-doubt, etc.

To gain clarity on the mental problems in tennis, the book looks at the concepts of "Self 1" and "Self 2". Self 1 is the name that is given to the conscious ego-mind which likes the tell Self 2, you and your potential, how to hit the ball and play the game. Or, to put it another way, Self 1 is the "teller" and Self 2 the "doer". I found this to be an interesting idea, as we have all caught ourselves talking to ourselves or have seen others talking to themselves during a game. If you ask someone who they are talking to, they will usually say "I'm talking to myself." This, of course, implies that there are 2 "selves", "I" and "myself"- and so is born the idea of Self 1 and Self 2. Pretty astutue observation in my opinion.

Now according to the book, to achieve peak performance, the key is to resolve any lack of harmony between the two selves, as it is the contrary thinking of Self 1 which causes interference with the natural abilities of Self 2. This requires the learning of several inner skills, such as the art of letting go of self-judgements, letting Self 2 do the hitting, recognizing and trusting the natural learning process, and so on- which is what much of the books spends discussing.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who plays tennis (or any other sport for that matter) as it does a great job in dealing with the fact that many of our difficulties in tennis are indeed mental in origin. Other helpful books for tennis players I've come across include Treat Your Own Tennis Elbow.

If you want to play better, read this book..... I am proof, April 20, 2000
This book cuts right through to what all tennis players inherantly know, your success on the court is directly related to what is going on in your mind. You realize that your body knows how to play, and needs no gratification or instructions by your inner critic. The less you interfere, the better your body will perform. When your mind is quiet and trusts your body's abilities is when it is has the freedom to perform.

My game improved dramatically since my first match after I read the book, one technique is to occupy your mind into silence by focusing it on something. The thing I focused on was the spin of the ball as it came to me. When I began to concentrate on that, my mind was silent and focused on the ball. When I do this, the ball seems slower and bigger. All of my strokes improved by doing this. Another thing I got out of this book is to let go of all of your lessons and ideas of how to move your feet, how to hit the ball, how to angle your raquet head. A match is no time to ponder these things it is a time to do them. When in a match, just let your body do what it knows how to do. Don't focus on details, just focus on the goal of making a good tennis shot.

All of this is wonderful, but the best thing this book has to offer, is giving the reader the understanding of how to learn in a natural way without your inner voice giving approval or disaproval. And that is a skill that will apply to all things in your life.

I can't wait to read the Inner Game of Work.

A Landmark Work, May 20, 2000
I remember clearly the first time I read this book. It was the summer before 9th grade, almost two decades ago. I'd been playing tennis for about a year. My trusty wooden racquet in tow, I had taken lessons, read every how-to book and tried to follow all the step-by-step pictures. Also, I was getting soundly beaten by friends who'd be playing longer than myself.

I found the book in the library and was surprised at how thin it was. Then I noticed there were no pictures. I thought "What kind of tennis book has no pictures? " I started to read there next to the shelves and my life has never been the same. I wound up captain of my highschool tennis team, all-state selection, and along the way crushed the bums who used to beat me.

Now I'm almost 30 and a tennis has-been but still play a pretty good game. And whenever I go on the court (be it tennis, basketball, squash) I apply the same principles. I stop trying, stop forcing. Quiet the mind and let it happen.

As others reviewers have written in this space, this book will transform your game. It will also broaden your appreciation for what the human body can do. It will enrich your life. This is a classic and indispensible work.

How to experience freedom in tennis, January 25, 2006
The main point of the book is that neither mastery nor satisfaction can be found in the playing of any game without giving some attention to your inner game. This game is played against such obstacles as lapses in concentration, nervousness, self-doubt and self-condemnation. The goal of the inner game is to overcome these obstacles which inhibit peak performance.

As my journey of a tennis coach began I started looking for more and more books on this topic. It doesn't take much searching before you find this extraordinary book. I read it in two days and many pieces of the mental puzzle finally came together.

We have to agree with him that most problems with players of any level are not technical or tactical. Even a total newbie to tennis quickly realizes that when he passes the local courts and overhears many inappropriate words and emotional outbursts.

Gallwey masterfully explains his concepts of Self1 and Self2; there is an inner dialogue in our mind - and it's usually not the friendliest one. When we learn to find harmony between both parts of our mind is when we discover the harmony in our mind - body connection.

His next very powerful concept is �letting it happen� vs. �trying hard�. It comes very counter intuitively since that what we believe that we have to do when things are not working yet. We try harder. In tennis that translates to tension, narrow awareness and emotional hitting.

I've personally discovered this fact before reading this book and called it �less is more�. When you learn new things in tennis whether they are a technique, tactics or movement your first tries rarely succeed. But instead of trying harder try less. Hit slower, grip your racquet lighter, move more lightly and don't try to be good or even perfect. Accept your current level and stay with it for a while. Suddenly you'll experience improvement which happens by itself.

This approach is closely tied to his final concept of non-judgment. It means seeing things as they are without adding our labels of good and bad. The biggest problem is the consequent thinking which comes after the label �bad�. It spreads like a virus from a bad shot to the bad stroke and then to the bad player and finally to the bad person.

If we investigate our thinking we realize that there is no logical connection between bad backhands and our inner self. And the best way of investigation of our thinking and making yourself free from these concepts is Loving what is by Byron Katie.

Tomaz Mencinger
http://www.tennismindgame.com

Must Read, February 17, 2006
This book has had a very positive impact on my life. I have suffered with concentration problems for all my life and was recently diagnosed with ADD. I was always told at school that i was intelligent but didnt "try hard enough" and thats why I was failing. But funnily enough trying hard seemed to make things worse for me. My difficulties have led me to being fired from several jobs due to lapses of attention. After reading this book I have been putting the ideas in to practice through the medium of chess (I am an expert level player) and have noticed an improved abiltity to focus my mind. I hope now to move forward in life and repair my shatterd self esteem and gain confidence to take on new challenges. This is a great self help book!.

Highly recommended, for tennis and beyond!, November 14, 2005
This book is simply a gem. I would highly recommend it for anyone seeking to improve their tennis game, but the scope of its content goes far, far beyond mere tennis. In fact, I picked up this book after several of my colleagues recommended it to me. As a professional musician, I find myself confronted by the same mental games Tim Gallwey brooches here. Though "The Inner Game of Music" was inspired and written in conjunction with Tim Gallwey several years later, I find "The Inner Game of Tennis" infinitely more inspiring. It is direct in its approach, highly concentrated, and easy to make the leap from tennis to any other discipline. In no uncertain terms, this book changed the way I make music, and changed my life. For anyone who, despite all your best efforts, all of your hardest "trying," still doesn't manage to get the ball over the net, hit the high note, or otherwise succeed at something because your own mental noise is getting in the way, this is the book for you.
After reading this, I became engrossed with the philosophies behind Gallwey's experiences, and I continued to pursue other books in the same vein: "Zen and the Art of Archery," "Effortless Mastery," etc. None of them hold a candle to this one, however.
It is earth-moving in its simplicity and has the power to change how you approach almost any discipline.
I continue to re-read and refer to it on a regular basis.

Classic not as practical as recent resources, December 12, 2001
Gallwey's book was an instant classic when it first came out. It was somewhat revolutionary at the time as few sport psychology books were available for the tennis public. It still makes good bathroom reading and it still applies to a general lifestyle, not just about tennis. However, there are currently more practical mental toughness or mental zone books out there which are easier to read and use. Still Gallwey's book is interesting philosophy more than psychology as he works with your automatic and analytic selves (self 1 and 2) which conflict each other.
Gallwey addresses why negativity and self-analysis inhibits the creative, automatic self. Readers become more aware of how being in the "zone" really works. Recently, there have been advances in sport psychology which pushes some of Gallwey's ideas a bit out there although he is still on the right path. I would recommend "Zennis" (Peter Spang) over the "Inner Game" since it is more practical.

Re-wrote my mental picture of me playing tennis, December 28, 1998
Not a book of technique but one which transformed my attitude to playing tennis. Gallwey explains his transformation from a an ego-driven win-at all-cost player, to a yoga-player who played for the experience without desire to win, to a player who concentrates on making the effort to win. The latter concept, as opposed to being concerned about winning, was the most profound part of the book for me. It explained paradoxes I had felt in competing as purely social player, where often I had not wanted to win. The book has taught me to think less, to concentrate more, and to focus on playing in the present without harse self-judgement. Gallwey insists that he has not written a self-help book, but his philosophy is certainly applicable to wider spheres, not the least learning new sports such as, in my case, roller-blading. I'm trying to just 'let it happen". A book that needs to be kept and read over.

Highly Recommended, August 28, 2006
I'm in my late 30's and have been playing tennis my whole life. I'm a self-rated (USTA) solid 4.5, maybe even a low 5.0 for singles, 4.5 for doubles.

I read this book when I was 14 or 15 and it changed my tennis game first, and then it gradually impacted other areas of my life. I've just purchased this relatively new edition because I lost my original copy long ago, and also I'm teaching my daughters to play tennis now and wanted to apply the techniques for the first time as a coach.

I tend to be long-winded but I'll try to put this succinctly: Before the book, I had the shots in my aresenal but they weren't frequently surfacing in my matches. I lost many matches against players with lesser skills. After applying the lessons learned from the book, I started consistently winning against these same players, and sometimes winning against superior opponents that I should not have been able to beat.

More importantly, tennis became much more enjoyable for me, and at times even like an out of body experience during which it seemed like part of me was kicking back in my mind and just enjoying watching myself play. I never self-destruct anymore, and I generally have a feeling in tennis that there's nothing I can't accomplish when I'm feeling well.

It's not always that perfect, and sometimes my "Self 1" imposes its will on my game, but it's fairly easy to pick up on when that's happening and there are some techniques in the book for bringing myself back on track.

For competition purposes, I've been trying to find ways to merge the faith in "Self 2" that this book teaches with the strategies outlined in Brad Gilbert's book "Winning Ugly," which is almost an opposite approach to the game. Anyone else out there have this challenge? My approach has been to think strategically like Brad suggests between points (i.e., employing Self 1), then try to apply Galwey's "bounce-hit" exercise at the beginning of each point so that Self 2 takes over during actual play. I'm having mixed results with that but improving over time.

a non-tennis player, January 9, 2001
Despite the fact I don't play tennis (I don't really enjoy the sport), this book changed the way I apprached my sport (Sailing), and after reading it I improved from an also-ran regional contender to a 3-time collegiate national champion and won the 'heisman' for college sailing. I cannot overstate how great this book is! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Drawing on his work with some of the top teams in professional sports, noted sport psychology consultant Gary Mack shares with you the same techniques and exercises he uses to help elite athletes build mental "muscle." These 40 accessible lessons and inspirational anecdotes will help you gain the "head edge" over the competition. ... Read more

Reviews

Well worth the time and the price. If more tactics, better, December 6, 2005
Many readers said that it's clumsily written. I really cant agree so. It's a little repetitive especially in the second half of it. However, the author did quote a lot of real life examples including successful players' personal quotes to stress the importance of the mind on performance. The key message had been well delivered, for sure. However, it would be better if he could tell more on the "how" side, as in page 9, "One key to achieving success in sports is learning how to focus on the task and not let negative thoughts intrude. The mind can concentrate on only one thing at a time. So, rather than suppress what you dont want to happen, you must focus on what you do want to happen or on some neutral thought. In working with the placekicers, I use a distraction technique. I ask them to create a word that, when said to themselves, will block out all negative thought and help relieve tension."

Certainly a good read for aspiring athletes, for leisure and for life. Anyway, below please find some copy and paste of my favorite messages for your reference.

Competition is won or lost on the six inch playing field between the ears. Practice the seven C's (Competitive, Confident, Control, Committed, Composure, Courage, Consistency) of mental toughness. Learn to love the competition. Pg 28

It takes years of hard work to become an overnight success. Are you willing to make the committment and pay the price. Pg 69

Learn how to fail successfully. Hate to fail but never fear it. Learn to view failure as feedback. Pg 80

You cant outperform your self image. - Dennis Connor. Pg 81

Discipline means doing what you have to do when you need to do it, whether you want to or not. Pg 95

The more you hurry the later you get. When you find yourself rushing you are no longer in the present. Pace instead of race. Pg 144

The less tension and effort, the faster and more powerful you will be. - Bruce Lee / The way to run faster is with four fifths effort. Just take it nice and easy. - Bud Winters Pg 145

The will to win is important, but the will to prepare to win is vital. - Joe Paterno / Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. - Wayne Gretzky Pg 155

Excellence for all life's pursuits, April 30, 2005
Mind Gym is one of my favorite books to pickup whenever I need a little inspiration and encouragement. While the many stories and quotes are derived from the world of professional athletics, the book is really about creating excellence in one's life with applicability to any pursuit and any profession. The main theme is that once one reaches a certain level of competency, the level he achieves in performance will be determined by how well he learns to utilize his mind. With this, the author takes us on a fascinating tour of the minds of some of the world's greatest coaches and athletes; their successes, their challenges, and the mental tools they employed to succeed. To borrow a line from the book, "it takes years of hard work to become an overnight success", Mind Gym is an excellent coach along the way.

Not well written, rehashes other books., June 21, 2005
I have just about every book on the topic of sports performance.

I've read others that were more impactful and helpful.

Granted, this book is good if you're just looking for some inspiration that might eventually lead you to results. For immediate results to use on one's game, however, this book isn't it!

As another reviewer said, it's clumsily written. For my hard earned money, I'd like something that I can actually use on my game right away.

If you're a couch potato athlete that only watches a game, this book is probably good. My brother-in-law loves it. He's never played a sport in his life, but is a big fan. For competitive athletes who are more interested in RESULTS and can get their cliches from TV announcers, this book isn't for them.

I'd give it one star, but those who've met the guy seem to like him enough to log onto amazon and write a review. Nothing personal, but I can't give this anything like the rating the others did.

Crippled by one jaw-droppingly awful flaw, April 5, 2009
Mind Gym's theories on sports psychology are not all that revolutionary. Any good coach will already understand the author's thoughts on discipline, preparation, confidence, positive imagery, etc.; however, there is substantial value in the dozens of anecdotes and stories from household name athletes. These examples make great talking points when explaining psychological concepts to kids.

So, until I was almost finished with the book, I definitely enjoyed it. That was until the author revealed that he has all of his clients close their eyes and listen to "Hero" by Mariah Carey. Wow - talk about a blow to his credibility.

If you believe you can overcome this horrendous nugget of info, then you will probably like this book. But if you, like me, find this just too much to bare, then don't waste your time.

Gary Mack, October 23, 2002
Gary Mack is the author of the sports psychological book "Mind Gym." I rate this book with 5 stars becuase I feel that it is at the top of its catagory. For the athlete who desires to gain a mental edge over his/her opponent, there is no better book to shed light on that subject. I read this book while I was healing from a broken back and it turned me around about how I thought about my sport of gymnastics. Garys book opened many doors for me in the way I thought about competition, training, and everyday life. I recommend it to every athlete in every sport because the psychological side of sports is often overlooked. Gary does a great job creating motivation, and better yet--sport and life lessons.

A great book from a great author, August 24, 2004
I had the fortune of knowing Gary Mack personally when I was playing for the Arizona State's Sundevils men's tennis, back in the 2000. All I can say is that the book was extremely useful to me, both in tennis and private life. The bottom line that we can all learn from it is that it's really all about attitude.
May Gary rest in peace.

Clumsily written, cliched, but with a great message, July 10, 2003
I had initially planned to give it just a skim, but then could not put it down. It is full of cliches and hoary coaching bromides, and is obsessed with commercial spectator sports; but its overall, can-do message negates any faults.

No depth at all, October 18, 2010
The author starts by stating how important psychology for sports is. It is.
After this promising start, however, we are presented with chapter after chapter of - well, nothing.
He states something obvious like "belive in yourself" and underlines this with some quotes and success stories from profs.
Great. This does not help at all. I already knew that I need confidence to excel.
No "how to", no in depth tipps, nothing usefull at all :-(

Best one for athletes!, October 4, 2007
I have read several books on the mental game in sports and this is by far the best. I work with collegiate and professional athletes and recommend this so often that Gary Mack should send me a commission!!!

The Most Important Part of the Game, February 12, 2002
As the mild winter weather promises an earlier than usual start to the golf and tennis seasons, I am thinking about equipment, exercises, instructional videotapes and maybe a short "spring training" trip to Florida. But at the top of my list this year will be a re-read of a little book by Gary Mack that will have more impact than all of the above preparations combined. I learned from "Mind Gym" that, for most of us, how we approach our games mentally is the greatest key to improvement. It made a dramatic difference for me -- in attitude, enjoyment and score! ... Read more

Editorial Review

He's been called the best in the world at the mental game of tennis. Brad Gilbert's strokes may not be pretty, but looks aren't everything. He has beaten the Tour's biggest names -- all by playing his "ugly" game.

Now, in Winning Ugly Gilbert teaches recreational players how to win more often without necessarily even changing their strokes. The key to success, he says, is to become a better thinking player -- to recognize, analyze, and capitalize. That means outthinking opponents before, during, and after a match; forcing him or her to play your game. Gilbert's unconventional advice includes:

* How to identify the seven "Hidden Ad Points," and what to do when they come up
* Six reasons why you should never serve first
* How to beat a Lefty, a Retriever, a Serve-Volley player, and other troublesome opponents
* How to keep a lead, or stop a match from slipping away
* How to handle psyching and gamesmanship

Winning Ugly is an invaluable combat manual for the court, and its tips include "some real gems," according to Tennis magazine. Ultimately, Winning Ugly will help you beat players who have been beating you. ... Read more

Reviews

Must read for all competitive players, November 9, 1999
Winning at a tournament and league level is dictated by mental and physical conditioning, not shotmaking. This book tackles the mental aspect, giving tips on how to think about each point with winning (not shotmaking) in mind. It helps you deconstruct your opponents' game, as well as your own, so that you just plain win. Plus, having read this book and using it will give you a mental confidence.

I keep it in my tennis bag, not to read during changeovers, but to remind me that I'm there to win. It's that simple. Another reviewer noted that INNER TENNIS is the theoretic, while WINNING UGLY is the downright practical.

Or instead you can just go buy yet another book that shows you a different way to hit your forehand volley. It's your pick. Gilbert's a winner, and the book is engaging reading as well.

Analytical and Intelligent Tennis, September 7, 2002
Winning Ugly is a great book on how to gain the advantage in a tennis match in ways other than perfecting your strokes or training into world-class shape. The book is divided into three sections. The first is on preparing for a match and gaining an edge before the match even begins. Gilbert goes through planning, equipment preparation, stretching, overcoming nervousness, and how to mentally prepare to win the first few games. Some things in the chapters on equipment and stretching may be a little elementary but are nonetheless good tennis knowledge. The next section is on strategizing during your match and recognizing critical points. The last section is on developing a good mental game. Throughout the book, Gilbert uses examples from his own career and analyzes other players. These illustrations are perhaps the most valuable aspects of the book. Written in the early nineties, Winning Ugly talks about the top level pros of its time. The concepts, however, will never become outdated. The book is very easy to read. The reader gets a feel for Gilbert's analytical approach to playing tennis and can use it as an example for his own game. In one chapter, Gilbert goes into how to deal with certain types of players. It would have been nice if there was more of this, but overall, Winning Ugly is a great book and will help improve anyone's game.

This book is great!, September 11, 2004
While I have enjoyed reading many books in the past, the book I am currently reading, Winning Ugly, has been especially enjoyable for me. It has been good not only because of the fact that it is on the subject of improvement on my favorite sport, tennis, but also because it has many lessons that apply to life off the court. It is very amusing because of the examples he uses, that often have John McEnroe at the butt of a joke.

The author of Winning Ugly, Brad Gilbert, has a great writing style. I think part of the reason that I enjoy this book so much is because of how he makes points by explaining how he has actually used what he talks about against players like Jimmy Conners, Boris Becker, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, and Andre Agassi. It's not a book about the basics of tennis, or how to hit the ball and such, it's a book about the mental aspect of the game, or as he describes it, playing smart. One of the first points he makes is how important it is to stay focused. He talks about how throughout his whole professional career he was playing and beating many players, who, on paper, should have won. The main reason he was able to beat so many players who had a "better game" (i.e. more powerful, cleaner shots) was because of simply making observations, and changing his plans accordingly. A great example of this would be many of his matches against Becker. He realized that in a contest of who could hit the ball harder Becker would win, hands down. So he changed his strategy, instead of hitting the ball as hard as he could, like most players would, he went for shots that didn't generate much power, making Becker hit a shot he isn't comfortable with, and giving him an edge.

This book doesn't just help my game, or prove that Brad Gilbert is a great coach and player; he doesn't need to write a book to prove that. He's been number five internationally for long periods at a time, and coached both Andre Agassi and Andy Rodick. What the book proves is that there is a connection between the mind and body that can help improve performance in sports, and elsewhere. It also exposes many important aspects of planning and being able to change plans, without loosing focus and getting distracted by the fact that things may not go your way. I still haven't finished the whole book, but I can honestly say that I get excited every time I read it. That's why this book is, even though I still have more to read, among my top favorite books.

A win is a win, November 18, 2000
This book helped me win a lot of matches, beating the guys that I wasn't supposed to beat! The underlying principle is that it doesn't matter how you HIT the ball, but how you PLAY the ball. This book won't tell you anything about how to improve your technique, but it'll sure help you understand what tennis is all about. I heard players saying that the book doesn't teach anything they didn't know before. This might be true, but it is amazing how many of those players simply fail to APPLY Gilbert's ideas. Hitting a soft return to a serve & volleyer is probably something "we already know", but Brad emphasizes that many players are brain-dead when it comes to the match. They don't think how to win points, they just try to smack the ball. Brad's main idea is exactly that: to think when you're on the court. In other words: analyze, recognize and capitalize. Some people might win by putting in use Brad's ideas and still think that it wasn't REAL tennis, or that it's not the way tennis is supposed to be played. Well, all I can do is ask: WHAT DO YOU CARE ABOUT? PLAYING BEAUTIFULLY OR WINNING A TENNIS MATCH? I'd rather win a tennis match.

Learn how to win from an overachieving master, June 1, 2000
I played tennis for a long time without the results I really wanted. This book helped to fill in some of the holes to help my game. It is a very easy, quick read. I didn't like that it went so much into minor details like what is in the tennis bag. What I really liked was the blow by blow description of how he won some big matches against Becker and McEnroe. Also, his explanation of basic strategy types was very good. I've watched Brad play many matches live and he is a master at mentally undressing his opponent. He is a perfect guy to write this book. I do agree with the reviewer who said it will be better for the intermediate player than the expert but still would recommend it for any player.

One of the most useful "how-to" books I've ever read, May 15, 2001
This book is just amaizing: I was only half through it when I started using its recommendations and I started to win games with players who used to beat me routinely. If you feel that you need a boost in your tennis results, get this book. If you are satisfied with your results, get it anyway -- you will be surprised ... and it is a very entertaining reading too.

I'm a recreational player of 3.0 - 3.5 level. My tennis lesson were always about strokes, tosses, serves, etc. This book opened for me the world of the game tactics, strategy and psychology ... and have I mentioned that it is a very entertaining reading too?

read ' n' weep, May 30, 2003
Do I regret not watching Brad Gilbert's ugly & boring matches ? You bet!!! Now, 'Winning Ugly' has become a reference for all my tennis partners here in Paris. A mere look at the book cover is enough to understand the contents. Brad's wit and pure common sense match Harvard Business books on decision analysis and game theory such as 'Thinking Strategically' by Dixit and Nalebuff, or 'the US marine book of strategy' applied to tennis. A page turner.

Brad is a genius!, December 12, 2001
Brad teaches you how to prepare for matches, think properly during a match, and how to take advantage of certain situations other players might miss. I bought this book and couldn't put it down the moment I started reading and finished it in one sitting. After reading this book I realized that when I was on the court I wasn't using my game to the best of my ability.
Did my tennis improve after reading it? Well in tournaments before I got the book I had one win and four losses. After reading it, I won 2 doubles tournaments, 3 singles tournaments and had a total record of 32-4. So did it improve? You bet! This book helped my game more than any lesson could ever help!

Winnin Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis -- Lessions from a Master, January 21, 2007
The best tennis book I've ever read. Brad gilbert is a tennis genius and a very good writer. He has a keen sense of humor which is just in his personality - he writes the same way as he speaks (you can see him on TV a lot during the tennis tournaments). In this book he describes what is going on in player's head and what should be going on up there. He teaches how to be mentally strong during the matches. He also gives some very good practical advice on how to improve your strokes and how to play different style players. Very useful book for a tennis player. I'm going to re-read it again - every single page has wealth of valuable info.

Must read., April 4, 2001
Most of us are lazy to use our brains in the court, much less outside the court when we should be preparing mentally.

If you are willing to work on these two very important aspects of your game, Gilbert takes you by the hand and shows you how to THINK.

One reviewer was complaining that the book didn't help him compose a strategy. If you expect that after you read the book you will suddenly become a better player, do not bother. But give it some thought, do your homework, maybe an hour a week (I made my own notes-summary of the book and go through them before matches), then step in and pick up the fruits!

It works, but it is not magic. You have to make it a part of your game schedule and work on it, just like you work on each of your strokes.

By the way, I am a squash player myself and the book applies beautifully to squash too. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The only calendar to feature photographs of the top players in the world, Tennis: The 2011 US Open Calendar 2011 Wall Calendar is a must-have for every fan. The calendar includes dramatic full-page action photographs of the sport's biggest stars, including Roger Federer, Kim Clijsters, Juan Martin del Potro, Andy Murray, Serena and Venus Williams, Rafael Nadal, and others.

* Poster-size images of tennis's photogenic athletes.

* Contains numerous dates of interest for all tennis fans, including the start dates of all of the major tennis tournaments of the year. ... Read more

Editorial Review

At the time of Marcus Dupree's birth, when Deep South racism was about to crest and shatter against the Civil Rights Movement, Willie Morris journeyed north in a circular transit peculiar to southern writers. His memoir of those years, North Toward Home, became a modern classic. In The Courting of Marcus Dupree he turned again home to Mississippi to write about the small town of Philadelphia and its favorite son, a black high-school quarterback. In Marcus Dupree, Morris found a living emblem of that baroque strain in the American character called "southern."

Beginning on the summer practice fields, Morris follows Marcus Dupree through each game of his senior varsity year. He talks with the Dupree family, the college recruiters, the coach and the school principal, some of the teachers and townspeople, and, of course, with the young man himself. As the season progresses and the seventeen-year-old Dupree attracts a degree of national attention to Philadelphia neither known nor endured since "the Troubles" of the early sixties, these conversations take on a wider significance. Willie Morris has created more than a spectator's journal. He writes here of his repatriation to a land and a people who have recovered something that fear and misdirected loyalties had once eclipsed. The result is a fascinating, unusual, and even topical work that tells a story richer than its apparent subject, for it brings the whole of the eighties South, with all its distinctive resonances, to life. ... Read more

Reviews

South Towards Home- W. Morris returns to a greater state., March 19, 1999
In "North Towards Home" Mississippi born author Willie Morris suggested that he was able to fully understand his home state only after he had lived for a time away from it. In "The Courting of Marcus Dupree", the inimitable Morris returns to his beloved Mississippi, acutely and painfully aware of both the greatness and the terrible tragedy of the place which has basically made Morris the writer and person he is.

Morris returned in 1980 to a radically changed and changing place, and although the locale for 80% of the book is Philadelphia, a Central Mississippi "hill" town, rather than the edge-of-the-Delta Yazoo City of his boyhood, Morris, as usual, evocatively captures the scenes, images, and activity of this town and the state as a whole, in his account of a high school senior All-State running-back and the nationwide recruiting for his talents. Actually, I remember firsthand the media sensation surrounding Marcus Dupree from Philadelphia High School in the fall of 1981, partly because I was a sophomore in high school in another Mississippi town about 150 miles away. In his descriptions of the high school and town itself, the students, the often uneasy yet usually unaffected black-white relationships by that time, and the fervor of high school athletics itself, especially fall football was all, to me, right-on-target and accurate. Morris' eye for detail in the area of social interaction; the picking up of the subtle look or gesture, or offhand comment, reported as indeed, non-fiction, rather than creating fictional characters, is one of his strong suits.

The other of Morris' strengths displayed in this book, is of course his use of a main subject, the 1981 football season for Philadelphia High School, to provide a backdrop for the greater story of how race relations had changed in that town since 1964, the infamous summer of the Schwerner/Goodman/Chaney killings etc.. Morris neither moralizes nor whitewashes, in either talking about the past or the present.

Morris lived in the small motel a few blocks from the center of town in getting his information, and basically reports the events Sports Illustrated feature story-style during the progression of the season, ultimately leading up to the climactic February post-season signing day and where Dupree would end up playing college football. Morris befriends not only Dupree, but also Dupree's family, his coach, a few of the recruiters, and gives a different angle on the situation from all sides. Marcus Dupree, although being from a lower-income black family, is supremely talented and is treated as a star by the entire community, with young people and adults alike asking him for his autograph. Of course all of this creates a ridiculous pressure for the 17 year old senior, and you can probably figure out the questions Morris raises and the problems which arise. But the strength of this narrative is, once again, the ability of Morris to create portraits of people and events which are captivating and entertaining.

The only problem with the book, (and these are my own pet problems with all of his works), is Morris' tendency to ramble off into one of his left-leaning political speeches, as if ghostwritten for the Democratic National Convention keynote speaker. But that is forgiven and forgotten quickly as he relates the poignant passage about the dying of his dog Pete at a rented hunting lodge, and his unforgettable recount of a boyhood trip with his father to an Ole Miss football game in Memphis at the Liberty Bowl in the rain in 1941,just a few weeks before Pearl Harbor.

Marcus Dupree (no giving anything away; this happened after the book was published) played briefly for the USFL and doesn't, to my knowledge, play professional football anymore. The names of the coaches of the colleges which attempted to recruit him have all since changed, in some cases, for the third or fourth time in the last 17 years. Philadelphia, Mississippi, and even the nation has changed even since then. Even so, 1981 doesn't seem all that long ago. "The Courting of Marcus Dupree" is an excellent story about football, social relations, history, and childhood memories; it is also vintage Morris, about himself, his state and his time.

A great read even if you are not a football fan, November 9, 2000
As an OU fan and a person who remember Marcus Dupree light up Norman during his brief time, I was very excited to have a little bit more background on this fascinating person.

The book hits several different topics. Obviously his recruitment of many football schools at times take center stage. But much of the book also discusses the effect of a black athlete becoming a state hero in Mississippi and gaining fans of all races. The foil of Dupree's time to that of two decades earlier when three cival rights activists were brutally murdered by the Klan. And the author, Willie Morris, contrasting and comparing his life with what he sees around him while following Dupree.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a great personal account that takes you back to 1981 Mississippi, civil rights, and the power of football.

An all-time favorite, August 10, 1999
I was expecting a good read about the recruitment of a football player, and got that along with a fascinating tale of civil rights in the South. This is on my top 20 list of the best sports books ever written, partly because it's not solely about sports.

Excellent story line, October 9, 2001
I recently read "The Courting of Marcus Dupree" and found it to be exciting and spell binding. My entire family was caught up in it. The book is an excellent tale of the birth of a young Black male in a troubling time for the South. The way Willie Morris related Marcus' birth and powerful strength to the struggle of his town and state was awesome, he should be the Mayor of Philadelphia or the Governor of Mississippi. I expected the book to be totally about football but it proved to be much more. It made you laugh and cry at times because of the tremendous pressure on Marcus Dupree, the 17 year old athlete that was blessed with such miraculous skills. The book made you feel like you were at the games when he made some of the beautiful plays. It was so intense that you wanted to get to the next page, but never wanted the book to end. I wish it was reprinted.

One of the all time great books about sports in society, December 11, 1997
Willie Morris is my hero. His book THE COURTING OF MARCUS DUPREE weaves the history of the civil rights movement into a compelling blow-by-blow description of big time college football recruiting. Aside from his incredible mastery of the English language, that is so vivid that you can smell the leaves on the autumn afternoons at the football practice, he makes startling connections between the past and present in the context of race relations. Willie Morris is my hero because his description of Marcus Dupree's touchdown run in the OU-Nebraska game in Lincoln during Marcus' freshman year is the greatest paragraph in American literature. Willie Morris is my hero because he loves dogs, and makes me want to quit my job, go on the road with my retriever, and write books.

An Interesting Tale of Football and the South, July 16, 2001
I read this book again recently and it was better than I remembered. It was so interesting to see how one 17 year old boy could dominate one small town's conversations. I expected this book to be a tale of a high school football star and his recruitment, but I got more, much more. Willie Morris examines the importance of football in Mississippi and how Marcus brought blacks and whites together with his play. He had insight in to Marcus that nobody outside of his family and high school coach could have had. Overall, a great read.

This book is not about football, February 13, 2007
This book is about the South and northern places in the mid 60's-80's. To be sure it is about a gifted black athlete having to survive a white society that wants somehow to be with him in his quest for greatness. Much more than that, this book is about racism at its core, promise, insecurity, and reluctant goodness, and we should hope that Morris's honest and understandable "sorta" autobiographical dissertation on his homeland Mississippi will compel us to take another look at where we are as a society. We should not let Pete, Willie's mid-life dog, be the best of what we can be.

Dupree a Phenomenon, September 2, 2005
This is a must read-especially for the young athletes of today. This man was a legend! Hands down the best running back in the country during his era!
Having met him, he's a modest, humble man who loves football and loves his hometown. Would love to see this made into a movie!
Get it, you won't be disappointed!

Marcus Dupree, the man, the myth, the legend., February 28, 1999
Although I had heard of Marcus Dupree the famous football player, it was Marcus the man that moved me. Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Marcus in person. He was charming witty and fun. He still has fans that recognize him and ask for autographs. I ask him if he likes being in the spotlight still? He humbly answered "I'm just a ordinary guy from the country". Yeah right! I know the real Marcus Dupree and he is not ordinary in any way. Much sucess to you in all of your endevours Mr Dupree. It is my pleasure to know the man, the myth, the legend. Lisa Lee ... Read more

Editorial Review

A highly illustrated, beautifully designed tribute to ping pong, the world's most popular yet least appreciated sport—with tales from the table by Nick Hornby, Will Shortz, Davy Rothbart, Harold Evans, Jonathan Safran Foer, and others.

Every sport claims to be the world's game—soccer, basketball, kabaddi. But none can match the global status acquired by modest, ubiquitous ping pong—the most popular yet misunderstood pastime in the world today, a sleeping giant of fast-paced fun. Join us on a journey into the dark corners and distant alleys of this ponging globe, from suburban basements of misspent youths to Bangkok backrooms to New Jersey rec rooms to Beijing stadia to dwarf child champions to elderly enthusiasts to Hollywood hipsters to perky porn stars. This cast of thousands, combined with artifacts from the authors' ever-growing collection of ping pongalia, reveals the hidden truths of the world behind the game: the secrets of eternal youth, guerrilla warfare, foolproof seduction, fame and adulation—all explained through two paddles, sixty inches of net, and a bouncing, bouncing ball. A world where everything you know is pong.

Reviews

Very cool book, but there is a little nudity so beware!, November 23, 2010
Cool book, but I wish I'd known there were some nude (artsy old advertisting type shots, but some have full-frontal nudity) shots in the book before purchasing as I had intended to give it to my 16-year old and, possibly, a priest who enjoys playing ping pong (!) for Christmas. Needless to say, neither will be receiving it!

not for childen, December 20, 2010
This book was bought for a 12 year old champion ping pong player and contained pictures of naked players both male an female.There was also a story with sexual content that was not apprpriate for someone this age.I returned the book to Amazon.I'M SURE THIS REVIEW WILL HELP SELL THE BOOK BUT THAT IS NOT MY INTENT. ... Read more

Editorial Review

For anyone who wants to improve their mental game, this must-have book provides inspiration, specific strategies and tools that will help tennis players shift their thinking so they truly can play the best tennis of their life. Former No. 1 world-ranked player, coach, sport psychology consultant and psychotherapist, Jeff Greenwald provides a deeper and richer glimpse into the mental game that gets at the heart of players' inner struggle. Full of highly practical mental toughness strategies, personal anecdotes and examples from clients, Greenwald's approach gives tennis players the edge they need to succeed at this most elusive part of the game of tennis. Organized in a simple and practical manner, no other book on the market makes improving your mental game this accessible. ... Read more

Reviews

Competitve tennis players should carry this book in their bag at all times!, December 6, 2007
This book is the best psychological "coach" for serious tennis players I have yet to find. There are an untold number of sport psychology books which claim to help a player find the elusive "zone". The chapters in these books tend to droan on without a tangible connection to the player. For me, Best Tennis broke the mold because the author relates to us as players, not students. He has walked in our shoes and relates practical and applicable insight through his journey as a player, coach and psychologist. The dozens of "pressure" tennis situations succinctly described in this book will hit home for any serious player with untapped potential. I will carry this book in my tennis bag and read the circled chapters in the parking lot before my next tournament. Don't be fooled by the recreational title of the book, this book should get a serious player back on track and down the right path. Nuggets of wisdom in this book.

Excellent & Relevant Advice for Playing Great Tennis, June 1, 2008
As a therapist and tennis player who has read numerous books and articles on the mental aspect of tennis, Jeff Greenwald's book and cd are by far the most helpful and the most relevant I've come across. While other mental tennis books are interesting and helpful, Greenwald has put together powerful and credible insights born from his own tennis career and solid mental health research and experience.

His insights ring true and they are clear, employable and even necessary for being a healthy happy human tennis playing person (and I would think especially necessary for the junior and pro level players to keep a healthy perspective). Often mental tennis advice makes sense (just think positive) but falls far short of being realistically helpful (positive thinking usually doesn't help muscles from getting tense in a close match). But Greenwald has done a superior job of organizing, articulating and delving into the heart of the issue/s that can leave every tennis player from playing their best tennis.

Greate menntal strategy guide for the average club tennis player, March 23, 2009
The author presents several mental strategies for tennis that he developed from his experiences in playing and coaching. These look to be applicable to players at any level. It was a quick read and I found that a few points stuck in my head well after I had finished reading the book that helped me improve my thought process on the court and consequently my results. I play at the 4.0/4.5 level.

great for tennis mental cases, July 14, 2008
This quick read will give you great tips for your mental game. It focuses on relaxing, playing freely, not thinking about the outcome and staying in the moment.

Found some useful thoughts, February 18, 2008
It is a nice read to have in the tennis bag and read while waiting for a match. It did have some useful angles that I have used on the court.
Worth the money.

Enjoying my tennis more - and winning!, December 26, 2007
This book has really improved my game - and my enjoyment playing. I learned how my attitudes have been hurting my performance in the big matches. I have no doubt that my last tournament win is directly attributable to mental strategies from 'The Best Tennis of Your Life.' Thank you, Jeff Greenwald.

The Best Tennis of Your Life: 50 Mental Strategies for Fearless Performance, August 7, 2009
I've been playing A grade tennis for over 30 years and never really considered the mental aspects of the game. I highly recommend this book. I got a lot out of it and now better understand how the mind and my thoughts play such a important part in the game. Gone are the days of expecting to win every point and never making a mistake. Now I don't beat up on myself for making errors. The book's filled with wisdom about attitude, behavior, positive affirmations and how you bring all these together to make you a better tennis player and person. I'm ordering additional books to give to my team mates. It's one of those books that will change your life.

Great Depth with Compact Strokes, March 8, 2008
Jeff Greenwald delivers a work filled with some stunning insights from himself and other top players that can help you focus, relax, and bring out your best. As he points out, everyone is struggling with something on the court, and it turns out that most of us are struggling with the same things. I have found myself going back to this book again and again because it examines so many of the key mental obstacles that the game presents, and provides a practical, process-based approach to overcoming them.

An Insight Into Life, January 7, 2008
Jeff Greenwald's well-written, nicely-packaged little book on how to improve one's tennis is far more than a "how to" book. It offers keen insight into the most effective psychological way to approach this game and, indeed, life in general. Greenwald's expertise comes from real life experience as a former #1 world-ranked tennis player and nationally recognized sports psychology consultant. In my opinion, not even players like Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Andre Aggasi, or for that matter, Pancho Gonzales, Jack Kramer or Rod Laver could have gained the insight that Greenwald passes along to the reader. I give this volume five shining stars and recommend it to any sportsman or sportswoman who wants to not only improve their tennis game, but gain a valuable new perspective into how to get more out of life.
Woody Klein
Westport, CT ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

The Big Book of Tennis, July 14, 2008
Literally and figuratively at 784 pages, the just-released The Bud Collins History of Tennis is the big book of the game. etween its soft covers awaits a prodigious compilation of historical tennis information, including year-by-year recaps of every tennis season, biographical sketches of every major tennis personality, as well as stats, records, and championship rolls for all the major events. FOR THE FULL REVIEW GO TO:

http://www.hofmag.com/content/view/1115/60/

Tennis, Anyone?, August 16, 2009
This is an authoritative, comprehensive reference work, a necessity for anyone interested in the history of tennis. The b/w photos are wonderful although printed on plain-text stock, and the copy is always the usual Bud Collins as journalist stuff, amusing and arch, with all the stats one could possibly desire.

My copy, however, has neither date nor place of publication listed anywhere, making me wonder about its authenticity. Furthermore, typos abound.

Still, I wouldn't be without this tome, especially with the Open coming up so soon.

great book, January 11, 2009
Really enjoyed this book on the history of tennis..I am fairly new to the sport and this felt like it helped me catch up to the present day players that I love to folow. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Before Federer versus Nadal, before Borg versus McEnroe, the greatest tennis match ever played pitted the dominant Don Budge against the seductively handsome Baron Gottfried von Cramm. This deciding 1937 Davis Cup match, played on the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon, was a battle of titans: the world's number one tennis player against the number two; America against Germany; democracy against fascism. For five superhuman sets, the duo’s brilliant shotmaking kept the Centre Court crowd–and the world–spellbound.

But the match’s significance extended well beyond the immaculate grass courts of Wimbledon. Against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the brink of World War II, one man played for the pride of his country while the other played for his life. Budge, the humble hard-working American who would soon become the first man to win all four Grand Slam titles in the same year, vied to keep the Davis Cup out of the hands of the Nazi regime. On the other side of the net, the immensely popular and elegant von Cramm fought Budge point for point knowing that a loss might precipitate his descent into the living hell being constructed behind barbed wire back home.

Born into an aristocratic family, von Cramm was admired for his devastating good looks as well as his unparalleled sportsmanship. But he harbored a dark secret, one that put him under increasing Gestapo surveillance. And his situation was made even more perilous by his refusal to join the Nazi Party or defend Hitler. Desperately relying on his athletic achievements and the global spotlight to keep him out of the Gestapo’s clutches, his strategy was to keep traveling and keep winning. A Davis Cup victory would make him the toast of Germany. A loss might be catastrophic.

Watching the mesmerizingly intense match from the stands was von Cramm’s mentor and all-time tennis superstar Bill Tilden–a consummate showman whose double life would run in ironic counterpoint to that of his German pupil.

Set at a time when sports and politics were inextricably linked, A Terrible Splendor gives readers a courtside seat on that fateful day, moving gracefully between the tennis match for the ages and the dramatic events leading Germany, Britain, and America into global war. A book like no other in its weaving of social significance and athletic spectacle, this soul-stirring account is ultimately a tribute to the strength of the human spirit.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Reviews

a splendid book!, May 2, 2009
This book is simply magnificent - writing at its best. In this exquisite account of purportedly the most important tennis match ever, Marshall Jon Fisher has succeeded in creating a tale that both informs and entertains. The tennis match itself is fascinating, but by putting it in historical perspective, Fisher has provided a backdrop that illuminates the lives behind the tennis players. This book provides a terrifying and realistic history of the world in the 1930's and 1940's and peoples it with both historic and lesser known figures, all of whom played a part in the world of tennis. His conclusion that provides a finale to each of the characters is as important to the book as the tale of the tennis match itself. I am grateful to have had an opportunity to learn more about the history of tennis and the biographies of some of tennis' most important figures through such an eloquent medium. If you are interested in history, tennis, movie stars, or brilliant writing, READ THIS BOOK!

More Than a Sports Hero, May 21, 2009
Sports and nationalism often clash, and did so memorably when Adolf Hitler was in power. The story of how the four gold medals won by non-Aryan Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics embarrassed the Fuhrer has often been told. Of somewhat lesser renown is the 1936 heavyweight fight between Max Schmeling and Joe Louis, of which a German radio announcer said, "It is every German's obligation to stay up tonight. Max will fight overseas with a Negro for the hegemony of the white race!" I am no sports fan, but I knew of these instances. I had not heard of another significant sports battle of the time, a tennis match in 1937 between American Don Budge and German Gottfried von Cramm. It is the subject of an exciting book, _A Terrible Splendor: Three Extraordinary Men, a World Poised for War, and the Greatest Tennis Match Ever Played_ (Crown) by Marshall Jon Fisher. I still am not a sports fan, much less a tennis fan, but this isn't really a sports story; it is a thoroughly riveting account of intense human endeavor.

There may be "three extraordinary men" in the subtitle and in the book, but Cramm is the one the book is really about. The others are Don Budge and Bill Tilden. Budge wasn't extraordinary except in his capacity to play tennis. Tilden was extraordinary in that in the 1920s, and also that he was a flamboyant but closeted homosexual whose exploits were constantly bothering the American tennis bureaucracy. Tilden is part of this story because he was keeping his hand in the game by helping to coach Cramm and his German team. But this is Cramm's story, or rather the story of Gottfried Alexander Maximilian Walter Kurt von Cramm, born at his family's manor near Hanover in 1909. Cramm was a gentleman, with a refined, thoughtful, but powerful game. He was the soul of honor, refusing to take points the officials mistakenly called for him. He was handsome; one observer said, "Every year that von Cramm steps onto the Centre Court at Wimbledon, a few hundred young women sit a little straighter and forget about their escorts." Cramm was, however, a homosexual. His homosexuality was not much of a problem in Weimar Berlin in the early 1920s, but after that the Nazis were putting homosexuals into concentration camps. He detested the Third Reich, refusing to talk it up when he was on tour. The match to decide the 1937 Davis Cup at Wimbledon is one of the many tennis tournaments described here. Fisher has woven parts of the match into the larger narrative of the book, and though the actual play isn't as important as the larger story he has to tell, the battle between Cramm and Budge sounds as if it was a game no one in the stands would ever forget. Journalist Alistair Cooke was there, and wrote, "The two white figures began to set the rhythms of something that looked more like ballet than a game where you hit a ball. People stopped asking other people to sit down. The umpire gave up stopping the game to beg for silence during rallies." James Thurber was there, too, and reflected on the end of the match that it had been "something so close to art that at the end it was more as if a concert had ended than a tennis match. The shouts of `Bravo!' when it was over came out of an emotion usually reserved for something more important." Hardly anyone knew that, as Cramm put it himself, "I'm playing for my life." As long as he kept winning, the Nazis were willing to overlook his unorthodox ways, and when Budge managed a last splendid shot, no one beside Cramm knew how much he had lost. But he was a real sportsman. Having lost the match, he went to Budge, clasped his hand, and said, "Don, this was absolutely the finest match I have ever played in my life. I'm very happy I could have played it against you, whom I like so much. Congratulations."

Cramm had been right about playing for his life. Less than a year later, he was thrown into prison for "moral delinquency", and afterwards he was sent to the Russian front. He got frostbite in both legs, but after the war he returned to tennis, and took up cotton importing. He couldn't visit the United States again; even if it had been a bunch of Nazis who had convicted him of a morals charge, it prevented him from getting a visa. It could have been much worse for him; homosexuals liberated from the prison camps after the war were sent to regular prisons to finish their sentences. The law making them criminals wasn't revoked until 1994. _A Terrible Splendor_ is the astonishing, inspiring story of a sports hero who was not merely a heroic tennis player, but a genuinely heroic man.

Terribly Splendid, May 16, 2009
I am half way through "A Terrible Splendor" and plan to creep along until the very end. If I waited to the last page to share with readers how much I am enjoying this book, that time might never come. This is because "A Terrible Splendor" is one of those book I don't want to finish. I love historical facts and every fews pages offers me some tantalizing tidbit. Fisher's development of von Cramm, Tilden, and Budge is brilliant and I have come to really know them -- and feel for them. So, I want to hang out with them for a while. The story is not all fun and games and this knowing has me turning pages with mixed feelings. I want to learn more about the lives of these interesting people, and to follow the excitement of the great match, but I do not yet know its cost. The backdrop of Nazi Germany makes for a compelling story line and the way Fisher weaves it all together makes for a riveting read. I highly recommend this terribly splendid book.

excellent, May 10, 2009
I enjoyed reading this book - fast paced, tightly written, just enough side line drama to keep it interesting and great character development.

Riveting, July 12, 2009
I've recommended this book to all of my friends and I don't even play tennis. What a great story of time passed. This is an education and won't disappoint. I have a waiting list of 9 people wanting to read the book.

Many Lives, One Match, September 8, 2009
A Terrible Splendor by Marshall Jon Fisher is one of the best books I've read this year for [...]. The subtitle of the book is "Three Extraordinary Men, A World Poised for War, and the Greatest Tennis Match Every Played" and it is all this, and so much more. It is certainly the very best tennis book I've ever read but even for non-tennis players, this book will hold you from first page until the last, providing suspense, thrills, and very sobering, moving, and compelling history.

In telling the lives of Baron Gottfried Von Cramm, German tennis player, Don Budge, an American player from head to toe, and Bill Tilden, one of the mightiest racquet-wielders ever, and building their stories around the 1937 Davis Cup match between Cramm and Budge, Fisher brings to vibrant life the years between the two world wars, and the very different places that each of these players came from and answered to. Fisher illustrates through strong and engaging writing the dramatic differences that country, age, and sexual orientation played for these three men, and brings home the magnitude of their achievements, on court but also in their lives.

Cramm was an aristocratic German with impeccable good looks, sportsmanship, and tennis playing. Opposed to the policies and practices of the Nazis, and gay, Cramm was safe from Nazi persecution only so long as he kept winning tennis matches for Germany. Budge was a middle-class American with phenomenal tennis skills, a love for Jazz and good times with the Hollywood cronies who befriended him, and solid support from the United States Tennis Association. Bill Tilden was the most famous tennis player of his time and into our own, as heralded for his amazing and enduring tennis-playing as for his off-court persona, infamous for his on-court antics, and highly irritating to the USTA for his bullheadedness as well as his ill-closeted gayness. Fisher gives us insight into all three, as well as solid introductions to many other figures of the times, including American tennis player Gene Mako, Queen Mary of England, English playwright Christopher Isherwood, German-Jewish tennis player Daniel Prenn, up and coming American Bobby Riggs, Hollywood types like Jack Benny and Charlie Chaplin, heiress Barbara Hutton, and Nazi terrors Goring, Himmler, and Hitler himself. That was the mix of the 1930s, a world indeed "poised for war." For some, World War II would bring persecution, deprivations, and personal tragedy, for others a new responsibility and realization of life's chaos, and for others, death.

The tennis match around which A Terrible Splendor is structured is told with perfect timing, building momentum and suspense then taking a break (neither disruptive nor jarring) to tell more of the background history, personal and political and social, and then taking us back into the match. The book drove me through emotional ranges of tears, anger, and excitement, and I could not put it down, as caught up as I was in the amazing lives of these three very distinct individuals, the times they lived in, and the match itself. Indeed, I was on the edge of my seat throughout this marvelous book and unsure until the end who won this incredible battle that went five sets, who survived the spiraling years into World War II, and who met the promise of a world beyond tennis and beyond war. I will never forget Cramm, Budge, or Tilden, or this great book, A Terrible Splendor.

Elegant!, August 23, 2009
With the elegance that von Cramm played tennis, Marshall Fisher writes. I don't know much about tennis,or at least I didn't before reading "Terrible Splendor" but was fascinated by the game, the history, and the humanity of the players. It is indeed a thought provoking book and a fun, entertaining read. I recommend it to anyone interested in history, tennis, and the working-out of human existence.

Tennis, and then some!, July 21, 2009
Like the world of the arts and politics, sports is no stranger to larger than life personalities whose individual lives often fail to mirror the success of those individuals. Marshall Jon Fisher, in his excellent new book, "A Terrible Splendor", recounts the activities of the top players in tennis in the late 1930s, both on and off the court. What he reveals is hardly shocking by today's standards but it allows the reader to get a glimpse of how tennis fit into the larger world picture as war clouds were gathering in Europe.

The thrust of the book centers around one match...a Davis Cup final played in London in 1937...a match often thought to be the most exciting ever played, where American newcomer Don Budge upset the German aristocrat Gottfried von Cramm. The ramifications of that match extended worldwide, but in no country more so than Germany. Ostensibly, "A Terrible Splendor" is about the von Cramm/Budge meeting, but it becomes almost a sideshow when the issues of von Cramm, a German homosexual and mentored by the greatest tennis player of his day, "Big" Bill Tilden, also a gay man, cross paths. Fisher is very good at blending in societal parallels regarding the mores of the day, especially on the issue of sexuality. That both men were gay, and known to be gay in tennis circles, and the fact that dicreetness played a role it wouldn't play today, reminds each reader of how different things were just a couple of generations ago.

Fisher's narrative style builds nicely. He's good at telling the story of the match, but his historical perspective completes the book. It's not always easy to have a courtside seat (in this case) but the author manages to do so with a crisp play-by-play. I highly recommend "A Terrible Splendor" for its insightful look at the game, the players of the time and the society in which they lived.

Excellent mix of tennis, Roaring 20s, sportsmanship, Nazism, gay issues, June 28, 2009
As Don Budge replaced Bill Tilden as America's top tennis player, the Roaring 20s were well into the Depression. But, Tilden was still one of the top sports icons of that era.

But, the US Lawn Tennis Association was glad to see him fall. They knew, as few others did, despite jokes, that Tilden was gay.

Meanwhile, across the ocean, aristocratic Baron Gottfried von Cramm resisted calls first, then pressure, to join the Nazi Party even as he rose in the tennis ranks. He, though married, was also gay, and watched over his shoulder as the 30s grew longer.

Then, befriended by Tilden in the mid-30s, he raised his tennis game even higher. And with Tilden rebuffed even as a USLTA coach, so, he sat watching von Cramm face off against Budge in a do-or-die Davis Cup match three weeks after Budge had whipped von Cramm to win Wimbledon.

Fisher weaves these story lines together, both before and after the dramatic clash, including the eventual arrests of both Tilden, in the U.S., and von Cramm, in Nazi Germany.

An excellent look at various slices of life, expertly woven together.

very interesting, June 26, 2009
quite interesting juxtaposition of tennis greats and pre world war 2 history. Well written. ... Read more

Editorial Review

40 Years...40 ChampionsFor two wondrous weeks each summer, the US Open showcases the sport of tennis and its greatest players. Day and night, through seven rounds of play, only the best of the best survive. In fact, only 40 players in the 40 years of Open tennis have raised the US Open singles championship trophy. Billie. Chrissie. Jimbo. McEnroe. Martina. Pete. Andre. Serena. Venus. They've become household names in countless households. But that's what happens when you have the world's toughest tennis being played before worldwide fans at the game's greatest show. A test not only of talent but of will, an annual drama spotlighting not just athletic achievement but head and heart, the US Open--America's Grand Slam--is where the stars or tennis really earn their stripes. ... Read more

Reviews

Great photos, and more., August 15, 2008
The first thing I did when I opened this book was to look at the pictures; all of them! The photography is so spectacular that I couldn't stop until I saw them all. The Open Book is a history of the US Open Tennis Championships during the 40 years of the "open" (professional) era of tennis. It covers each decade since the beginning of the open era in 1968, using photos, statistics, and articles by famous tennis journalists. The photographs, as mentioned above, are amazing, and lead you through the story of the Open, with a few thrown in "out of order" to make you think about the connections between players of different decades, and to marvel at the way the game of tennis has changed over the years. I found it interesting to read the articles and opinions written during each phase of the change over from the amateur to professional era, through the institution of the tie break, equal prize money for women players, and the birth of the National Tennis Center. The statistics are interesting, but don't make your eyes glaze over if you're not a stats person, and there is also a dvd with information about the players immortalized on the Us Open Court of Champions. This book has so much information, that I expect to find something I "missed the first time", every time I open the book. As an avid tennis player and fan, I highly recommend "The Open Book" to anyone who has an interest in the game.

Brilliant Tennis Book for all ages, July 7, 2010
If you are a tennis fanatic or not this book is a winner! The writing,editing and photos are outstanding. It makes a super gift for the tennis player or someone who may be interested in learning about the US Open Tennis Champions in New York. Makes a beautiful coffee table book in any office or home!

Wonderful, August 25, 2008
This is a lovely book, which will we will want to own, but also makes a great gift.

Book About US OPEN Tennis in NY, September 30, 2008
This is a magnificent book about the US Tennis background held in NY every year. The book is large and extremely informative. There are numerous photos of the past players etc. It is well worth reading and keeping in any library.

Fantastic, May 3, 2009
Got it this morning. Book is beautiful and in perfect condition. Definitely will use this seller again. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Great Book About A Great Match, May 13, 2009
It's amazing that years can go by without a great tennis book, and now in 2009 - only a month after "A Terrible Splendor" - we've got another one.
Wertheim is one of the best tennis writers around, and one of the fairest, and he brings the 2008 Wimbledon final to life with a highly readable portrait of both Federer and Nadal, and how their games combined to create a clash for the ages.
An interesting and informed analysis of the tennis itself is complemented by the author's take on the two players that lets the reader understand why each has such passionate fans, and on the tennis scene, whose absurdities inspire a number of humorous asides.
If the book has one relative weakness, it's that it doesn't have a broader context in the way that "A Terrible Splendor" does. But in terms of getting to the heart of why tennis (and sports in general) can be so enthralling, the book definitely scores. Since finishing it, I'm eager to re-watch the DVD of the final with Wertheim's writing in mind.

Missed opportunity, May 13, 2009
The initial idea for Wertheim's book was to write about Federer but the concept changed after witnessing that historic Wimbledon final.

Instead, the author tells the tale of a fantastic match between two champions during which time briefly stopped for every tennis fan lucky enough to see it. Not only does he go through the match, set by set, but he also paints the background of not only Federer and Nadal (which didn't have any information that isn't already available on the internet) but it also has an interesting insight into the career of the umpire Pascal Maria.

The author does not seem to have been able to get close to both players or to their environment to get a real insight, you don't get direct reactions from them or their coaches, no interviews. You read the tale based on old press articles and interviews. Other than a few nice but brief glimpses in the locker rooms, there's nothing extra. Only information that a keen tennis fan already knew from the daily press.

Furthermore, you get the feeling that, in his mind, the author never really stepped away from his idea to write about Federer. Describing the players, he gets stuck in stereotypes and tired old clich�s of both. Some of those have an element of truth but other descriptions are off base and dated. You expect more from an experienced tennis journalist.

It's a missed opportunity. My advice would be to get a copy of this match on DVD to (re)live the experience with your own eyes.

Greatness of Tennis, August 29, 2009

Tennis is great. At the time of this writing, it is Middle Sunday, the traditional Sunday without action during Wimbledon. The non-appearance of Nadal at this tournament due to injury, combined with Federer's historic win at the French Open and the reading of a book (more on this in a few) has made me reflect on the significance of last year's Wimbledon Mens Final. In the last several years Roger Federer has become my favorite player to watch, due to his grace, fluidity and ease of play. Some of the other players I enjoyed watching before him include Andre Agassi, Stefan Edberg, and Mats Wilander. All these players had rivals, and that made them raise their games to the next level. For Andre Agassi, of course it was the greatness of Pete Sampras, for Edberg it was Becker and in the case of Wilander one of his main rivals was Ivan Lendl. Still many people talk about the rivalry between McEnroe and Borg as the greatest, which I was too young at the time to fully experience and enjoy. What led me to think about this on a Middle Sunday during Wimbledon 2009? The answer to that question is L. Jon Wertheim's book, Strokes of Genius. This book is about Federer, Nadal, the rivalry, Pascal Maria (the match umpire), the game of tennis and most importantly about the greatest game played, Wimbledon 2008 Mens Final. The author does a great job of weaving the story of the game together, from the pre-match ongoings, the sights and sounds of Wimbledon and the historical background of the game of tennis. The author delicately crafts historical information about the game of tennis at the right junctures as the match is being described, like flashbacks in a movie. This book has been an easy, fast, and an enjoyable read. It makes me want to pick up a racket again and play tennis. It is a book that celebrates the greatness of tennis. This book is a must read for all, and including those up and coming young tennis players. Thanks to Mr. Wertheim for capturing this great moment in tennis history and hopefully further jolting the popularity of tennis.

Good writing which goes down sour, August 1, 2009
Wertheim is a talented writer. His prose is engaging and readable. However, it seems to me that a disconcerting amount of this book was devoted to exercise in sarcasm and sly personal attacks directed either at players (Djokovic), TV personalities, or even an unidentified mass ("cynics"? "armchair experts"?). The tone of his work varies tremendously, as he often goes from a rational reporter to a malicious gossiper, and his voice often fluctuates between reverent and childish ("Nadal's ass..."). It's an adequate yet confusingly frustrating one, as the reader often finds himself irritated at gratuitous bursts of negativity from the author.

no unique insights, but still an entertaining read, June 10, 2009
As a faithful reader of Wertheim's tennis mailbag on CNNSI for 10 years, I looked forward to reading this book. Sadly, I was a little disappointed. Wertheim's Fedophilia came across in every page and Nadal just seemed like an afterthought. Fed is graceful, brilliant, gifted, Nadal on the other hand is infantile, grips his racket like a caveman, and is a simple brute. Wertheim plays on the Swiss stereotypes v. the Spanish stereotypes too often: Calm, meticulous, organized, a multi-lingual diplomat, versus emotional, passionate, monolingual macho. Which is inaccurate as Nadal speaks Spanish, Catalan, the native language of Manacor, and English.

What I enjoyed the most were the sections on how the sport has evolved, the background info on Wimbledon, the umpire's bio, and the side stories of the fans. However, I feel this book suffered from lack of any unique insight into the players themselves.

Brilliant, June 10, 2009
Wertheim has captured the brilliance and excitement of the match. Wertheim demonstrates eloquently that the 2008 Wimbledon Final between NADAL and Federer truly was the greatest match ever. Thank you John for capturing two great champions in their prime and covering the world class match that they played

Fantastic book about a fantastic match, May 6, 2009
As a huge tennis fan I sat in awe as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played the greatest tennis match ever a year ago. It was one of those matches where as soon as it ended, I immediately wanted to watch it again.
Jon Wertheim has written a fantastic book about Nadal and Federer's epic Wimbledon match, filled with great behind the scenes anecdotes and terrific analysis. It's also a great look at two very different players, whose paths in life led them to this great rivalry.
Any tennis fan would be fascinated by this book, especially with the French Open and Wimbledon coming up. The Nadal-Federer rivalry deserves a great book, and now it has one.

... Read more

Editorial Review

Pete Sampras is arguably the greatest tennis player ever, a man whose hard-nosedwork ethic led to an unprecedented number one world ranking for 286 weeks, and whoseprodigious talent made possible a record-setting fourteen Grand Slam titles. Whilehis more vocal rivals sometimes grabbed the headlines, Pete always preferred to lethis racket do the talking.

Until now.

In A Champion’s Mind, the tennis great whoso often exhibited visible discomfort with letting people “inside his head” finallyopens up. An athletic prodigy, Pete resolved from his earliest playing days neverto let anything get in the way of his love for the game. But while this single-mindeddetermination led to tennis domination, success didn’t come without a price. Theconstant pressure of competing on the world’s biggest stage—in the unblinking eyeof a media machine hungry for more than mere athletic greatness—took its toll.

Here for the first time Pete speaks freely about what it was like to possess whathe calls “the Gift.” He writes about the personal trials he faced—including the deathof a longtime coach and confidant—and the struggles he gutted his way through whilebeing seemingly on top of the world. Among the book’s most riveting scenes are anearly devastating loss to Stefan Edberg that led Pete to make a monastic commitmentto delivering on his natural talent; a grueling, four-hour-plus match against AlexCorretja during which Pete became seriously ill; fierce on-court battles with rivaland friend Andre Agassi; and the triumphant last match of Pete’s career at the finalsof the 2002 U.S. Open.

In A Champion’s Mind, one of the most revered, successful,and intensely private players in the history of tennis offers an intimate look atthe life of an elite athlete.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Reviews

Class Act, June 17, 2008
This book gives a clear picture of Sampras' personality which is pretty similiar to his game-straight forward, aggressive when necessary, and well rounded. Sampras tells of his parents' sacrifice so that he could become a champion, and his admiration of their values is evident throughout the book. He also tells of small sibling rivalries; helping his sister deal with Robert Landsorph, who seems to lose all of his students from Austin to Davenport to other coaches because of his belligerent demeanor; and the desinegration of his relationship with Pete Fisher after Fisher's arrest for child molestation. Tennis attracts a strange crowd, and the Sampras family may have found the strangest in Fisher who has taken more credit for Sampras' game than Pete gives him here. Who is to say which of the two is correct? In regard to his rivals, Sampras speaks in detail and honestly. His page or so that he gives to Connors is probably longer than any conversation between the two. Sampras also does a good job of showing the Jekyll and Hyde personality of McEnroe. He gives Lendl his due as an underated champion whose accomplishments are perhaps greater than Connors' or McEnroe's, a kind person, and someone who took time to help a future champion, Sampras at the age 17(Yes, the time with Lendl may have caused the bias). He also thoroughly analyzes the games, friendships, and rivalies with Agassi, Courier, Chang, and Martin. Finally, he nods to Federer as a worthy player to break his records, classy again. As far as romantic relationships, an important point to make is that unlike McEnroe, Sampras does not tell anything of his first girlfriend Delana Mulcahy who is substantially older than he and left Sampras for someone even younger or of his relationship with Kimberly Williams. For his not telling the dirt, he has certainly more class than McEnroe whose children will someday read what dad said about all the cokeheads he dated and the disturbing marriage to mom, Tatum O'Neal. Sampras does state that tennis took a priority and cost him until he met Bridgette Wilson. On a different note, one complaint-somebody needed to do a better job on the proofing. There are a number of cliches, and there seems to be no understanding about the difference between I and me, an English teacher's complaint. Regardless, Sampras' book reveals a champion and person of great character.

Game, set, match, Agassi., April 4, 2010
Having just finished Agassi's "Open" I immediately picked up "Champion's Mind" (highly recommend it) hoping to relive the action through another pair of eyes. Unfortunately, for a game that puts so much stress both physically and mentally on the player, this autobiography reads more like a mechanical recollection of the matches, with a few offhand remarks about the opponent or key points in the game. Sampras was, and still remains an extremely private person, and unfortunately this book does little to help us understand the game, or the player. Game, set, match goes to Agassi's "Open" - now there's a book any tennis fan should not miss.

Couldn't put it down!, June 23, 2008
I cracked open the book on a transatlantic red-eye flight thinking that I would read a couple of chapters to put me to sleep. Boy, was I wrong! I finally slept but only after finishing the book.
I am a tennis nut but I thought the content would be appreciated even by people that aren't tennis nuts. He covers his career and key matches but there is a lot of coverage given to people, his relationships and what made him a champion. It is difficult to walk the fine line of sounding confident without coming across as arrogant but Pete Sampras does a good job of that throughout the book like he did/does in real life - he talks about the Gift and how he went about harnessing it. He has very candid commentary about a number of other fellow pros like McEnroe, Connors, Lendl, Federer, etc. He talks about his relationships and competition with his generation of American players (Agassi, Courier and Chang) in a lot of detail as well as his relationship with his coaches through the years. All in all, if you are a tennis fan (or follow sports in general), this is a must read!

As good as Sampras is, August 19, 2010
If you read this book AFTER Agassi's Open, you will be disappointed because the tones of the two are totally different. Sampras' books is as Sampras is. I could see why some reviewers said it's boring. Through the book you could see Sampras as the person of who he is: highly disciplined, focused, quiet, and introvert. And that is how the book comes about. Towards the end Sampras seems to come out of his shell some. Reading his autobiography and you will see, understand and appreciate what it takes to remain No. 1 for such a long time. I don't mind the stats at the beginning of each chapter. That just more represents Sampras of who he is, the athlete who's very focused and disciplined in the sports of his choosing. All the data might be boring to some readers, but you get several tips out of the book as a tennis player because here and there he would share his mentality/tactics/strategies of how he played especially against different kinds of players. He even provided his opinions/analysis of each top player in his time. All those represent the book title, A Champion's Mind.

Excellent Read, July 16, 2009
First off, for the avid tennis lover this is a 5* book. The only reason I give it a 4* is that it is not a compelling read for people who are not into the game or worse still have not heard of one of its greatest players, Pete Sampras.
Let me say this upfront. In the heydays of Sampras, I was one of them who said "He looks like a dog with his tongue out in the court and plays like a robot". My favorite then was Andre Agassi with his colorful clothes and even more colorful personality. Since then I have spent a lot of time playing and learning the game to understand how truly great Sampras is and was. This book delves deep into what made him click and his game, so powerful. Playing like a robot is a huge compliment in a game where stars don't last long. Champions do. Until Federer came along, Sampras had the record of most Grand Slams and at 14, that number is unreal.
The book chronicles the growth of an introverted kid through different mentors and coaches (including the late Tim G) to being a champion of the game.
Strongly recommended for tennis lovers and practitioners of the game.

A fan's mind: Lessons learned, August 6, 2008
Pete Sampras' "A Champion's Mind" is indeed a 15th grand slam.

It never ceases to amaze me how generally people that move quiet, are soft spoken and calm are, turn to be the best writers, authors and talkers. Sampras' may have got a bit of help from his editor, but still it is impressive how relaxing and smooth this book can be... pretty much as his tennis was.

It is an interesting read that I recommend not only to tennis fans but also to people that are into knowing what is it that spins around the brain of successful people: from their first steps, through their growth, their falls, their peaks and finally their retirement. Pete basically gets naked on subjetcs as his family, coaches, trainers, friends, competitors, basically everything he never talked about during his days on the tour.

Another fun point worth every penny is Sampras' sarcastic sense of humour. Sometimes I felt I was reading something written by Conan O'Brien or David Letterman. Probably it is because as I said earlier you have this serious, non-emotional guy telling you this unexpected line at a very uptight situation. One example is what Sampras thought when he met Bridgette Wilson (whoever read the book will know what I'm taking about).

Objetive and no auto-flattering behavior, Sampras shows respect for himself, his peers and his predecesors as well as the new school of tennis players. One thing I would really like to ask Pete is why he placed Ivan Lendl as one of the GOAT, instead of perhaps the one player people relate him most -Pancho Gonzales-; the others named I agree. From my read, it seemed like Sampras had a bit more of respect for Lendl because of Ivan being so friendly and helpful to him during his first days on the tours. Who knows. After all, a few chapters into the book you realize that Pete is human, has a heart, has feelings and emotions, and may be a little subjective at times. Yet I wouldn't argue with him as I'm not even a Pro Tennis Player.

A Champion's Mind deserves 5 stars and no less, because it delivers what it says and it delivers what people would always expect from Pete Sampras: nothing else but 100% high quality.

a champion's mind review, May 10, 2010
Overall good book. I was expecting more details of the matches. I guess because I read the Agassi Open book and it was so revealing in many ways. But Sampras is more reserved. He still has some good inputs on most of his opponents, just not as detailed. I do recommend it though.

Empty read, June 30, 2010
I had just finished reading Agassi's book, which was amazing. Agassi put you in the game, in his head. You felt as if you were really walking in his shoes. My husband kept remarking of how long it took me to read Agassi's book, wondering why. Was there something wrong with it. No! I told him there was such depth, such detail that every word spoke volumes. There was such care in not only what was said but how it was said. Truly not only a great autobiography, not only a great tennis book but truly a great book.

Pete's book, by contrast, reads like some of my old professors, just droning on and on. Despite the breadth of knowledge they possess, it is passed with such a lack of passion that it's shocking. There is no emotion, there is no humanity. At least Agassi had hatred, strong, HONEST hatred. In Pete's book, seemingly important events are summed up in short, choppy sentences. Cliches abound in descriptions. And, frankly, without the emotion, without the description of what was in his head, the book reads very arrogant, as it often mentions just how great he was, how great everyone thought he was, how he was gifted, how he's the tennis Tiger Woods. Now, yes, he's a champion. But, hey, without the humanity behind it, without the blood and guts of the struggles, it made me feel no connectivity nor appreciation for his success.

Makes me wonder why the book was written. I can watch old matches and get more from them than I got from this book. Even the camera imparts more emotion than this book and, apparently, Pete.

Perhaps the man really is that superficial. Perhaps the man has no depth. I can only wonder. This book is supposed to be him putting himself out there, a book about, apparently, presumably, Pete - the champion's mind.

I feel sorry for him that wherein he had the (presumed) courage to face contenders on the court time and time again, the one person he seems most fearful to face is himself.

This book had a chance to teach you about the man. He has made his impact in history on the courts. But without understanding who he is, and how the two interplay, his accomplishments are as empty as if accomplished by a machine. What a person does is one thing, has only single sided resonance. But in light of their personal struggles, those accomplishments can become of epic proportions.

The book should be retitled.

Kudos to Andre for being OPEN. Thank you Andre. You gave us a gift.

A highly enjoyable read, March 18, 2009
I finished this book in two nights and still wanted more. This is the best tennis player's biography I've ever read, even better than McEnroe's "Serious". It is true that there is not much Pete can tell you about his personality cause, as he said himself, he is a boring tennis kid. But his opinions of other major players in his era are very very interesting.

Pete hits an ace, July 26, 2008
I am a fan of Pete Sampras, so I enjoyed this book and got to see some insight into his life. He gives great details about certain big matches, and his coaches. The only criticism, and this is a very minor criticism, is he did not go into his personal life that much, he pretty much wrote only about his tennis life. One answer to that is tennis was his life. I believe this i one ofthe better bio books on tennis players. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Take Your Doubles Game to the Next Level!

Whether you're trying to improve your doubles game or are just getting started playing tennis with a partner, The Art of Doubles is the book for you. Author Pat Blaskower is your personal coach, guiding and encouraging you and your partner to play winning tennis by showing you how to:

• choose a compatible partner
• determine your jobs on the court
• learn poaching skills
• communicate with each other and opposing teams
• maintain mental toughness
• use various formations and strategies
• pick your shots intelligently
• decide where to play: tournaments or leagues
• and much, much more!

The book also includes detailed court diagrams that show you how to execute offense, defense, and tactical plays; checklists that summarize the most important points of each chapter; and on-court drills to help you improve and refine your skills. The Art of Doubles is loaded with practical, proven tennis strategies that you can put to work immediately to see improvements in your own doubles game! ... Read more

Reviews

Best Doubles book there is, January 28, 2009
I am an avid tennis player and I have read numerous books on tennis techniques and strategies. This is by FAR the best doubles book I have ever read. You might argue with some of the advise, (i.e. the rules are hard and fast), but if you implement them, you will win far more matches. I highly recommend this book. I own copies and I lend one out to my tennis friends, whenever they need help.

We're winning matches using Pat's strategies!, August 23, 2009
When we began playing tennis 4 years ago, we purchased the first edition of The Art of Doubles. Pat showed us strategies that no one else was teaching and we referred to her book many times since 2005. Now that we are reading Pat's second edition, with her new strategies that are evolving like the game of tennis is, we are winning matches. Even when we are playing with other partners who aren't using our new strategies, we are scoring more points than we used to. I will read this book cover to cover many times over like I did the first edition. I highly recommend this book to anyone who plays tennis or who is considering playing someday.

The Art of Doubles: Winning Tennis Strategies and Drills, July 6, 2009
I have been able to apply the strategies and tactics presented in this book immediately and have noticed that I am playing doubles better and with more intelligence and fore thought after having read this book.

Fabulous book for all doubles enthusiasts, March 13, 2009
I stumbled onto this book while browsing at Barnes and Noble. It is GREAT-- packed with so much foundational wisdom, including positioning theories that run counter to how many pros teach people how to play doubles-- or which simply are never mentioned in your typical doubles clinic. I am re-reading the book for the third time and expect to continue to absorb new information in subsequent re-readings. This book is DENSE with savvy advice and helps you coach yourself, your partner, and your team. I can hardly wait until my partner receives her copy.

The Art of Doubles, January 27, 2010
The Art of Doubles by Blaskower-2nd edition

This book is so great that I shared it with my doubles partner who coaches a team and she doesn't want to give it back. I am going to order another copy. The drills are great and there are so many ideas on stategy that we are using and it has made us a stronger doubles team. Do make sure that you buy the 2nd edition with the woman on the forefront of the cover. I would highly recommend it to others.

great book, February 15, 2008
I loved this book. Pat lays out a comprehensive study of doubles strategy and its application that just makes sense. It's punctuated with personal stories that keep it light as well as give examples of her talking point. I'd recommend this book to any doubles player no matter their experience level.

needs editing, November 10, 2009
Let me start my review by stating that nothing herein is intended to a critique of the author's theories of doubles strategy. to the contrary, i found the theories to be thought-provoking and useful.

my critique is intended to be of use when the author undertakes drafting the next edition: this books needs serious editing. i found myself having to re-read sections several times just to understand what was intended by the author, which generated quite a bit of frustration and also interrupted the flow of the section and thus, the points and themes that the section was discussing. i found the prose to be extremely confusing and, dare i say it, poorly written and laden with what seemed to be substantive errors.

rather than go on with generalities, let me provide some specific suggestions: (1) the term "volley" is ambiguous as it can mean "volley" in particular or "shot" in general - substituting "shot" or "hit" for shots that aren't volleys per se would go a long way toward making the prose easier to understand; (2) the diagrams have some errors and not just typos; (3) the shorthand for shots shown in the diagrams (see the legend) yielded aeveral confusing or ambuguous diagrams. regarding the last point, i suggest rather than using A, B, & C, the author use 1, 2, & 3 to refer to the first, second and third shot; use C to mean a/the correct shot, W[wrong] or I [incorrect] to mean a/the incorrect or wrong shot; S to mean "serve" and R to mean "return of serve" where 1 may ambigously mean one and/or the other in the same diagram. Also, when the author refers to "you," it should always be clear as to which position or turn "you" is intended to refer in that sentence's or paragraph's context. Other edits, especially regarding poor and confusing sentence structure, would be basic to a professional editor and need not be detailed here.

i anticipate someone will fault the grammar, clarity and typos in this review, but of course that is irrelevant to the book's need for editing. after all, i am not asking anyone to pay for my opinions whereas the author is. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Most of this book could have been written using the ATP fixtures and match results, January 5, 2008
What a waste of a tree. This book is little more than a narrative of Roger Federer's travel movements and his match scores. Most of it could have been written using the ATP fixtures and match results. The rest could have been gathered from internet news searches.

Despite describing himself as "one of the world's leading tennis journalists", Ren� Stauffer offers little personal insight into Roger Federer, man or tennis player. Nor has there been any substantial research into the views of people who know him well enough to provide such insight.

Federer has stable personal life and he is not a party animal, so there is no expectation by the reader of great revelations in this area. But there are some things the reader of a tennis biography would like to know, such as:

* Why did Federer use a single-handed backhand when most players of his generation use a double-handed back-hand?

* How did he develop that balletic and devastating forehand?

* Did he naturally have great footwork or did he (or someone else) decide to develop it?

* Who taught him to serve that way?

* How has he changed or developed his groundstrokes over the years?

* When does he try to hit a winner?

* What tactics does he use against different opponents?

And so on.

And what was he trying to do in those big matches? What makes Federer tick? This is the essence of biography.

Obviously Federer himself will not reveal his thinking and tactics, but one would expect one of the "world's leading tennis journalists" to provide some analysis - or to get it from others.

A perfect summer read!, July 16, 2007
I bought this book on the recommendation of Chris Fowler from the ESPN broadcast of Wimbledon and it arrived the day after Roger's win at Wimbledon. The book is full of fun and interesting stories about Roger as a junior player, as well as a pro with interesting insight on his game, his personality, his reasonings for his coaching changes and what drives him. It is a great educational book for tennis fans or those remotely interested in the sport. I loved the story about how Roger had to clean toilets for a week!

Very Disappointing!, July 14, 2007
This book is basically a regurgitation of almost every tennis match Roger has played in, with the odd personal ancedote thrown in. There are statements about his character and personality with little information to back it up.

I wanted to gain a better understanding of who Roger was and how he came to be at the pinnacle of his profession, from the standpoint of his athletic gifts, his personality/character and environment. (That is what the name and book jacket desription led me to believe I would find in the book.) There needed to be more information and analysis of these things.

I could have learned more about Roger from a google search.

This book is poorly written and poorly translated. Many of the adjectives were odd in the context of the sentence they were being used in. Some of Mr. Stauffer's descriptions of the tennis world and the people in it, as they related to Roger, were very simplistic, as if he was writing for a 10 year old audience.

One is left with a very one dimensional view of Roger. Perhaps Roger was unwilling to reveal more personal information which would have given the reader a better understanding of the whys and wherefores in his journey to the top

Story of a genius, March 8, 2010
This is the only book about Federer that I have been able to find. It contains some excellent analyses of his style that capture the essence of his greatness, as well as insights into his character. I enjoyed it so much that it a shame to make negative comments but they should be said. Originally written in German, the translation into English is at times awkward. Secondly, including the stats of all his matches within the text can become boring. I would have preferred tables at the end. But these are minor compared to the positives.

Very Inspirational for the Young Tennis Player, May 23, 2009
We bought this book for my son and all of us ended up reading it. The book has all of the scores from Roger's matches, but more importantly, I thought it did a good job of explaining how he got past his temper tantrums. He is still very emotional (he is so devoted to tennis), but when he is on the court he is entirely professional and that's what young players need to do, to control their emotions, to have their emotions work for them, in order to play their best tennis.

Unbelievably bad, January 24, 2010
I downloaded this book onto my Kindle but after two chapters I deleted it for good. It reads like a collection of newspaper clippings, offering no insight into Federer as a person or the world of progessional tennis. It could have been put together by a 10 year old who doesn't know how to write English.

This book is one of the best I've read yet., January 13, 2010
You can't say anything bad about this book. This book was a lot better than I expected it to be. It went into a lot further detail than I thought it would. I never knew that Roger Federer had trouble with his anger when he was a kid. He definitely proves that if you set your mind to something, you can achieve anything you want. He said he wanted to become number one in the world; he devoted most of his life to becoming number one. Roger started out like the rest of the tennis players out there, but just worked a lot harder than most of them have ever worked, both in the junior category and the ATP category.
I would definitely recommend this book to any tennis player wanting to improve his/her game and attitude toward the game. This book also shows how you can set your sights to anything you want, and you can achieve it. Every tennis player should definitely ready this book, I'd put it at the top of my list of all time favorites.

Roger Federer, September 4, 2008
I highly recommend this book to the fans . It is easy to read and full of details and anecdotes . You also have the feeling that you become part of Roger Federer's life .
Many thanks to the writer .

Patricia Jimmy

An Ok Read, but not a page turner, June 22, 2008
More of a comprehensive collection of past interviews and accomplishments, as opposed to unique insights or details many Federer fans may look for. The book is well written, but as far as sports biographies are concerned, I found James Blake's bio as well as Lance Armstrong's more interesting.

Beyond the forehand, January 27, 2008
The Roger Federer Story: Quest for Perfection is the real thing. Written by a real journalist about a real achiever. The author, Rene Stauffer, is a recognized figure in sports writing in Europe, and he is not at all embarassed to be smitten with Roger, as we all have been. But the biography is not gushy and it's not celebrity worship. Stauffer has done his own legwork and reveals the person behind the statistics and the worldwide recognition. Readers will not be surprised to learn that solid rearing by sensible parents and hard work on the court are the dominant factors in Federer's life. And of course now he must be a businessman, and we learn about that, too. This is a superior sports biography, at its core, good writing about a good person. You will read straight through and be glad you did. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Increase strength, power, agility, and quickness and take your game to a much higher level. Complete Conditioning for Tennis details how to make the most of your training time with exercises, drills, and programs designed to

• assess your fitness level,
• improve footwork,
• increase speed and flexibility,
• enhance stamina,
• boost mental focus, and
• prevent common injuries.

Endorsed by the United States Tennis Association, Complete Conditioning for Tennis is simply the best guide to developing the highest level of athleticism for success in the sport. ... Read more

Reviews

Right on Target, March 21, 2010
This book is REALLY comprehensive and covers every aspect of conditioning you can imagine. Major chapters include:

-warm-up and flexibility training (includes all the major stretches)
-agility and footwork (specific drills to improve your footwork)
-speed and quickness (more drills to increase your speediness)
-core training (a lot of tennis moves depend on a strong trunk)
-strength and power training (exercises to increase your upper and lower body strength)
-aerobic training (ways to increase your endurance)

Also included, a short section on injury prevention- only a page and a half on tennis elbow though (suggest Treat Your Own Tennis Elbow for more on that).

Just a ton of information here and I can't see anybody who plays tennis reading this book and not coming away with at least a few nuggets of wisdom. Get this book if you want to get in better physical shape to play tennis or if you're a coach and want more training tips and ideas.

Complete Conditioning for Tenis Review, March 9, 2002
I gave this book 4 stars mainly beause here is nothing out there like it. Power tennis training is not even close to the coverage of this book. This book is for serious players in good shape already. I would say it is designed more for Juniors and Satalite hopefulls than the weekend player. If your working on the gut and hoping this will bring your game up you need to do more work before getting started on this book. It has great streching tips and fantastic agility drills and explains how to train based on playing tennis. What it contains is very good. The training programs however are written by people with no real world lives. They are all pros or have been around pros without I would suspect a normal 9-5 family and job. It references a lot of weight training equipment that must be in a nice gym. It covers and gets into more tournament fitness building strategy rather than an average weekend game. A modified version for the average guy would be nice. A very big dissapointment was nutrition. I was really hoping to learn when to eat, what to eat before a match etc. This book covered nothing about nutrition. It talked about water and sodium, thats it. If your really into tennis and run three times a week already and work out some, you can benefit from this book. The fitness test is good and gives you goals to shoot for but you better be self motivated. If they add two more chapters; nutrition and a modified weekend players life, home workout system this book would be perfect.

Safe & Scientific Conditioning, May 9, 1999
Most conditioning methods recommended by even some of the leading lights in tennis have been a regurgitation of methods which was non-progressive and relied heavily on `past, successful experiences'. Afterall, he won with those exercises and practices, so I don't see why .... This book stays closely to the latest research so that the exercises thus recommended are safe, time-saving, objective and practical - the last a criteria for adaptation into actual court strategy w/o too much of a hindrance. Language is simple. Coaches worth their salt should have a serious look at it before dismissing it as another scientific hoodwink by a bunch of scientists who'd never played the real game, except after work.

Amazing amount of info on the subject, July 19, 2007
I was excited when i got this book, but dissapointed when I opened it. I purchased this book to find a tennis workout program and what i found was a bunch of pictures describing various exercises. I could have got this information online in dozens of different websites. I found no information new and i still have to create a fitness program for myself. All this book has is a bunch of scattered information, the authors should have tied it all together with a comprehensive fitness program at the end, which would have made this book great. This book is ok at best.

Conditionning for tennis, May 9, 2008
What a book! According to me, it is the best book to help an independant player to progress by himself. The explanations are very clear, simple. And the CD is fabulous: fabulous to watch the exercices, fabulous to avoid wrong positions, wrong movements,...Thank you very much for this conditionning Bible.

Comprehensive, too much for some readers?, May 27, 2008
This is an excellent book for tennis conditioning. Most readers would have to pick and choose which things to employ as only the most dedicated athlete would find the time for everything. Excellent as a comprehensive survey.

Complete Conditioning for Tennis, April 27, 2008
Like the title states, this is a very complete and thorough conditioning book designed for the needs of the tennis player. With chapters on condition assesment, flexibility, strength, agility and others, a complete routine can be established that players of all skill levels will enjoy. I strongly recommened this book for players, or parents of, looking to compete at the highest levels. Being a 1-2 times a week player, some parts don't apply to me but will the most serious. The majority of this book can be used by players of every skill and dedication level.

Excellent Reference for Tennis Conditioning, July 16, 2000
Paul Roetert was formerly the Head of Sport Science for USTA Player Development in Key Biscayne. He has been instrumental in advancing US tennis scientifically and shows why here. This book was created for the tennis player and coach and perhaps is the best book on the market regarding conditioning for tennis (there are 3 or 4 other inferior books). For myself, I think it is a bit basic (a primer) and doesn't cover enough scientific applications and how to scientifically create a conditioning program. Anyhow, I think that is for the German DTB (e.g., look up Richard Schoenborn books). Otherwise, Paul and Todd (a top trainer) would limit their audience. The authors produce an excellent resource for most serious players perhaps applicable to all. This book should rank among the top ten tennis books written in the past decade.

Completely Great!, February 16, 2008
All books on conditioning will get you into shape, but THIS book was the best for tennis I have ever come across. As a 4.0 level player, I was looking for a book that gave me step-by-step instructions to beef up my conditioning - while focusing on the tennis side in a big way. I leafed through this one in the bookstore, and liked what I saw. Upon reading it cover-to-cover, it was EXACTLY what I wanted, and got me excited to play again! I've never seen the in-depth, attention to detail, and one-step-at-a-time coverage this book has. ... Read more

Editorial Review

A Davis Cup winner and Pepperdine coach has written the first book on the strategy and mental dimension of the game since the bestselling The Inner Game of Tennis. ... Read more

Reviews

best tennis book for the advanced player, February 13, 1999
I'm not fond of tennis books that tell you all about grip and how to swing the racket for top spin, slice, etc. You can't learn that from a book. It's like reading a book on how to swim the crawl. And besides, that's boring stuff that takes up the majority of every banal tennis book. This book is so very different. It doesn't mess around, but tells you that, when the ball lands here, you've got these options, etc. And it goes into detail, with illustrations, letting you know why, based on physics, that certain shots are low percentage shots. There is a wealth of info on net play, baseline play, approach shots, all with a concentration on placement, instead of racket swing. If you have the ability to play and be competitive, I suggest this book.

At last a book on Strategy for Tennis!, July 16, 1998
This book is ideal for those of us who have the strokes; however don't know what to do with them. The ideas of keeping the ball crosscourt, attack down the line, keep the ball in play, utilizing your strengths and weaknesses, as well as information on strokes can only help a player improve. My success rate in turning matches into victories has increased tremendoulsy since applying the ideas. Most coaches and players mainly concentrate on strokes which are important; moreover this book tends to avoid situations which can cause potential problems down the road. I have worked hard on my game over the years with mixed results; however I know realise if you do not use strategy properly it all does not work! Rarely do coaches teach this information to players as one parent put it "...all we ever get is forehand and a backhand " I feel more coaches should be aware that progress is a lot more effective when strategy is taught. The results of the players that I h! ! ave coached have improved immeasurably since applying these principles; the game is easier to handle! Fox looks at it from a players perspective who needs direction-there are a lot us around-I ask the question why this information was not provided earlier! You also get advice on doubles in this book which makes it unique in both singles and doubles play. This book is for those who have the strokes. There is high level of credablity in the pages, Fox who is a former professional player, a high level college coach, and an academic writes from the battlefield. I do recommend the video version of this book as the concepts are put into practice. This one is a treasure for anyone who wants to improve from beginners to professional level players.

A terrific book on tennis strategy, December 18, 2000
"Think To Win," is the best book I've ever read on tennis strategy-and I've read a bunch of 'em. Allen Fox doesn't just tell you how to stroke the ball, he shows you how to PLAY TENNIS! Fox's book has done more for my game than many (too many, I'm sorry to say) years of lessons. His insights on the subtleties of court geometry were a revelation to me, and have improved my winning percentage immeasurably. Buy "Think To Win," along with Brad Gilbert's "Winning Ugly" (who, by the way, was coached by Fox at Pepperdine) Between the two, you'll find the majority of the information you'll need to play successful, competitive tennis.

Strategy from a geometric point of view!, May 9, 2001
This book specializes in strategy from a geometric point of view. This means that it helps you analyze your options and explains why an option is best. It also explains what is the best spot to recover to after hitting a certain shot. I find this very useful because the author throughly explains why. I don't often apply something to my game unless I know exactly why I am doing it. This way I won't feel reluctant or unsure about doing something. This book takes away my reluctance because the author explains exactly why what he preaches is ideal. It is ideal because he explains how what he says is the best based on angles, court coverage, and percentages. I also enjoyed the chapter on strategy of past champions and current champions such as McEnroe or Becker, and the chapter on game plans. I didn't like his advice on tennis strokes though, but it is still worth the read just for another opinion because no one knows everything. I'd give this book a 4.5 star rating and I believe it is a must read for any tennis player.

Perfect for New Intermediates, June 8, 2003
This book very clearly explains the purposes of various shots, how to decide on a winning style for yourself, and how to construct winning points from the baseline and from the net. For a college player or old timer most of this will be old hat, but for the vast majority of intermediates who have learned the strokes but can't win against experienced players, this is mandatory reading. The diagrams are clear but they do require a few seconds of thinking and visualization; this is strategy after all.

Great teacher but average book, December 2, 2001
Having throughly enjoyed Brad Gilbert's book, I hoped to learn even more from his former coach who shaped Brad into the world class player he was. Unfortunately this book is written in the typical how to play tennis and be better at it. There are pictures showing the different strokes and grips. It's actually not similar to Brad's book at all although it does have a couple examples of how Brad and other players used mental advantages to win matches against better players.

If you are a beginner and want to read a good "how to" book, this would be fine. But if you already play and are looking for some useful tips from a master, this doesn't quite fill the bill.

Covers all the aspects of tennis. Quite good., November 21, 2000
Mr. Fox is very detailed in his explanations. His insights are very interesting, sometimes a little too scientific. He covers all the aspects of the game, from technique to strategy and court positioning. I find this book suited more for coaches than for players, although players can benefit from it, too. If you are a player, like me, I would reccomend Gilbert's "Winning ugly". Although Fox was the one to coach Gilbert, I think Brad's book is more practical and it can help you win more immediately and against specific types of players.

GOOD BUT A LITTLE ANTIQUATED, March 11, 2010
I'm a clay court tennis player 6.0-6.5
This book is a contribution to the strategic view of the tennis game undoubtedly.
However, the groundstroke instructions are a little "old style" or "antiquated methods". Today the biomechanical research, have shown that the wrist must to be involved in all the groundstrokes, like a kinetic chain. This is the reason of the tremendous power in the modern game. Nevertheless, this book is a very "educational book" of the world of strategic tennis. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Step up to table tennis success! Table Tennis: Steps to Success combines the knowledge and experience of master instructor Richard McAfee with essential table tennis techniques and strategies for today's player.

With a unique 11-step approach designed to maximize table tennis instruction, you'll learn the proper grip for your style of play, execution of the basic strokes, and the correct way to apply spin to the ball. Then, build on these core techniques with masterful footwork, serves, returns, and stroke combinations.

Best of all, learn how and when to apply those skills in match play. With competitive strategies--adapted for both you and your opponent's playing style--you'll raise your game to a new level. And with clear instruction, comprehensive coverage, detailed photo sequences, and drills to ensure mastery of every technique, you'll be playing--and winning--in no time.

As part of the Steps to Success Sports Series--with more than 1.5 million copies sold--rest assured that Table Tennis: Steps to Success is the #1 resource for learning, and loving, the game. ... Read more

Reviews

Good for beginners, May 31, 2009
This book is great for me. I don't know much about table tennis except that my boyfriend loves to play and really wants me to get some game. I can't afford coaching and he's too much of an impatient jerk to teach me. Now I've finally found a resource that will let me develop into a passable player and earn his respect.


What a great book, the drills have already made me able to hit the ball over the net consistently and I can't wait to get to the more advanced strokes. I'm still a rookie but with this book on my side I envision beating my arrogant boyfriend soon.

Thanks coach!!

Great resource for beginners and intermediate players, July 5, 2009
Richard McAfee's new instructional guide, Table Tennis Steps to Success provides straightforward advice for beginning and intermediate players and their coaches. Coach McAfee covers basic technique and strategy, and provides detailed drills. Each stroke is illustrated with photos and diagrams that highlight correct technique. Common technique mistakes and corrections for each are highlighted. Each new stroke introduction is followed by a drill that helps the player use it in a game situation. A key feature of the book is that each drill includes scoring criteria that help the player track their progress and find their own relative strengths and weaknesses.

The chapter titled Using the Five-Ball Training System presents a well-rounded set of drills designed to mirror common game situations. Each drill includes a diagram, and points out key elements for success at the drill. Any player below the 2000 level who is armed with a table, a practice partner, willingness to work and a desire to improve can use this section of the book to become a better player.

Along with the instructional material, McAfee includes some information that other books have left out: a concise history of the sport, a section on unwritten rules and etiquette, basic stretching instruction and injury treatment. Coach McAfee also describes common styles of play, including the traditional strengths and weaknesses of each. A section on serve tactics includes suggestions on which serves to use against each style. The book concludes with an excellent section on how to get the most out of tournament play.

A Wealth Knowledge From One of The Best Minds in The Sport, May 30, 2009
A disclaimer before I get started: I know Richard McAfee personally, he's been my coach for about 16 months. In that time he's turned me from a complete beginner into an 1800 player. More important than rating points though, coach has given me a lifelong love for the elegant sport of pong. The man has spent over 40 years playing with and coaching elite players around the globe. In talking to him and reading this book one gets the sense that he's broken down and analyzed every stroke he's seen in that time.

That attention to detail and nuance have made this book an excellent resource for the aspiring pong player. Make no mistake: table tennis is not an easy sport, to master the intricacies of the various strokes takes dedication and hours of practice. The instructions and diagrams in the book clearly illustrate the mechanics of each stroke, and the drills get you on your way to mastering them. I've found these drills invaluable for improving me serve and backhand.

If you don't live in Denver and can't get personal coaching from McAfee this book will go a long way towards improving your game.

Learn the Modern Attacking Style, July 16, 2009
An excellent book for beginning and novice players wanting to learn the modern attacking style of play. Also has some information that can be of value to more experienced players. Explains footwork, strokes, understanding and imparting spin, and returning serves. Gives training drills for developing basic table tennis skills. Gives history of the sport not included in many other table tennis books.

Some helpful tips make this book worthwhile, August 8, 2010
I have been playing pingpong for years but never had lessons, read any instructions, or had anyone teach me. I decided to get this book. It Explains footwork, strokes, understanding and imparting spin, and returning serves. I wasnt too interested in the history of ping-pong but the step by step lessons were good. I came to realize that I had developed some bad habbits and skipped over some important developmental steps since my goal was to improve my game at work where it is friendly but competitive.

Best reading on table tennis I have found, March 10, 2010
I am a member of a small table tennis club (15 or less members), and everyone who has read this (we have shared it) has learned something from the book. It is a well organized, practical, and as much as is possible to write about a visual sport, helpful. The guy obviously knows how to coach; if I could live in Denver, I would definitely try to get some coaching time in from him. But I digress, back to the book, he has numerous useful photos showing various skills and how to practice certain drills to make you more proficient. All of our group loves his picture on serves (it shows a wheel and the angle of the paddle coming up from the wheel to give the proper angle for the paddle to come up to make contact with the ball. You have to see it to understand it. Anyway, it's a good book, well worth the money if you are in the lower or middle range of table tennis skills.

Very Pleased!, January 28, 2010
Haven't finished book yet but based upon what I have read, the book gives great technique on playing table tennis. Illustrations are well done and concepts are easy to grasp. Drills are effective and specific to skill sets trained for. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

A must reading for tennis fans!, July 31, 2010
This book provides an interesting and valuable insight in the personality and the life of a sports icon. The lessons you take from Federer's experience can be used by every person. Easy reading. Enjoyable. I strongly recommend it. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Ace your tennis game with all the tips, tricks, tactics, and techniques of professional tennis players awaiting discovery in Tennis For Dummies, written by veteran tour player and ESPN sports commentator Patrick McEnroe (with a foreword by brother John). This is your grand slam guide to tennis, whether you're a player or a spectator. You'll find courtside coverage of everything from equipment and etiquette to scoring and strategies packed inside this friendly and fun primer.

Whatever your level of play, you'll find what you need -- and what you want to know -- in this insider's guide to great tennis. Conquer the courtside vernacular, improve your basic strokes, learn a little strategy, bounce back from common injuries like shin splints and tennis elbow, and even make the move up to the big leagues and competitive tennis matches. With Tennis For Dummies, take a sneak peek behind the scenes at pro matches or peruse Mac's lists of the top ten male tennis players, female tennis players, and matches of the Open era. ... Read more

Reviews

Excellent introduction to the world of tennis, June 13, 2004
Actually i'm fourteen but I bought this book entering my freshman year of high school to get acquainted with the game. It really does a thorough job of introducing one to the tennis world, covering everything from gear, tennis racquets, grips, strings, and the different types of strokes (forehand, backhand, volley, lob, serve, spins), and what the strokes ARE, but does not focus on how they should be implemented during matches. Advanced tennis players will probably already know most of the info in the book, but absolutely superb for beginners. It really helped me get started with tennis and reduced a LOT of beginner's confusion (eg. what stroke is that again... which is my forehand/which is my backhand, and what they should look like, how do i score, what in the world is a volley?? really detailed information on gear, how to score, what the grand slams are, short bios on historical players, and a lot more) really, really helpful and a must read for all beginners, a good reference book for intermediate players. After attending 6 weeks of tennis camp and hard work outside of tennis camp, I got into my school's JV team, muchly thanks to this book but also thanks to the fact that we didn't have cuts this year because too many people dropped out of tryouts.

Perfect for a beginner, May 9, 2001
I am an advanced player who has been training everyday for several years. This is an excellent overview of tennis. It does not get very detailed into anything, but it covers everything. What do I mean? For example, when it talks about forehand, it shows you basically how to hit it but doesnt include much more information like about open stance, semi-open stance, hip rotation, etc. It does include the very basic information. It also gives you information about the pro tour, how the tournaments work, and grand slams. I also like a few creative pages of information like "a day in the life of a pro" and "mommy, where do pros come from?" I recommend it for any beginner to intermediate player and it could even add one or two tips to the knowledge of the advanced player (afterall, no one knows everything!).

A very good tennis book for a beginner, October 9, 2002
I think it's a good and well-written book for a beginner. I wish it had more detailed pictures when authors are explaining techniques of the game . It has some, but the majority of techniques described in words rather then pictures. However, I wasn't able to find much better book with regard to visual explanations. On the other hand, when it comes to keeping in mind a novice, you can't beat the Dummies books.

You can only love this book !!, February 7, 2001
I'd suggest this book to everyone who is interested in tennis. It's very complete, it ranges from the very first steps to the greatest tennis matches ever, from injury prevention to strength building. It doesn't matter if you are an absolute beginner or a veteran: it's so involving that after reading it, you'll certainly become addicted to tennis !

Ace the Competition!, April 22, 2000
This book is an excellent source for beginners. It will show you everything from why love means nothing to a backhand overhead and everything in between! It is easy to read and helpful hints and interesting bits of information (not to mention humor) are provided along the way. I would recommend it for any beginner.

Beginners Beware! Great Introduction to Tennis!, August 9, 2000
Patrick has produced an excellent book which caters for the beginners, covering from tennis strokes to injuries prevention/treatment, how the pro competition events are played etc. Overall, it's a wonderful introductory book which basically covers everything i.e. how to play and to enjoy watching tennis! Also featured are some great anecdotes such as greatest 10 matches/players etc. A tennis beginner's dreams come true.

Excellent for Beginners, July 18, 2000
This is definitely one of the better "Dummies" books. It will teach you all the basic tennis rules and fundamentals a beginner needs to know and, with a little practice, help propel you to the next level. The book also helps show how beginners can really particpate in and appreciate the great sport of tennis.

Tennis for Dummies, September 24, 2001
This is a great book for people who know little or nothing about Tennis. It is complete and very explanable. I understand things, a lot more with the help of this book.

Tennis for ANYONE and EVERYONE, July 20, 2010
This book has a lot of useful information and it is very easy to read and understand. Good pictures and description on various tennis topics/instructions. Well written by a former tennis player.

Great book for anyone interested in Tennis, January 18, 2008
This is the first book I bought about Tennis when I got into the sport over a year ago. Its not fancy with a lot of glossy photos of pro players, BUT it is one of the most useful and fun to read Tennis books I have found. If you are an absolute beginner, its a fun, interesting and non-scary introduction to the game. For more advanced players, its still great for refreshing basic details and rules, learning tennis-related exercise routines, etc. McEnroe's sense of humor is great and it makes the otherwise dull task of describing in writing a dynamic game much more intereseting. Lots of fun for anyone with any interest in Tennis. Like most of the "Dummies" books, sometimes you have to flip around sequentially for information, but thats not a big deal in the end. ... Read more