| Best Books on Tennis I've Read This Year |
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A Terrible Splendor by Marshall Jon Fisher. This book is one of the best I've read this year. 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; he brings home the magnitude of their achievements, on court and in their lives.
Murder is My Racquet by Otto Penzler. A wonderful collection illustrating the joys of tennis along with the trials of the game, including a realistic portrayal of the competition and corruption that exists at all levels, from local courts to international events. Anger management plays a big part in many of the stories, and other themes include vengeance from umpire and line officials, consequences of a pro trying to help a player with his game, ball boy angst at Wimbledon, and the dangers of unhappily married couples playing as a doubles team. A great collection for tennis fans and crime fiction aficionados.
Pressure is a Privilege by Billie Jean King. Billie Jean King's Pressure is a Privilege is a genuine and heartfelt sharing of her philosophies on life, all set within the framework of her 1973 match against Bobby Riggs, the battle of the sexes that set the record straight for the hundreds of thousands who watched the game: women play sports as seriously and with as much entertainment value as men. Her recollections of that match, including being carried in on a golden litter held aloft by athletic young men, the rigorous training schedule she worked out with coaches, her mental preparation, and why she took on the challenge in the first place, was great stuff to read. The advice she gives is good stuff too, based on her own challenges in tennis and life, and infused with her warmth and kindness.
The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey. This wonderful artifact of the seventies is completely lacking in irony and chock-full of zen insight; it is also refreshingly optimistic about the possibilities for all of us to play better tennis and enjoy a better life. Gallwey gives good tennis technique and training advice but he also has much to say about the more important game of life. Gallwey offers that if we stop trying to measure up to others and prove ourselves as better than someone else, we can achieve more of our own goals. Gallwey says, and I paraphrase, relax, chill out, define what you want and then go for it, for your own satisfaction and fulfillment. Visualize your own game, Gallwey says, and then live it, enjoying yourself all the way.
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