Arthur Ashe explains how this iconic African American tennis player overcame racial and class barriers to reach the top of the tennis world in the 1960s and 1970s. But more important, it follows Ashe's evolution as an activist who had to contend with the shift from civil rights to Black Power. Off the court, and in the arena of international politics, Ashe positioned himself at the center of the black freedom movement, negotiating the poles of black nationalism and assimilation into white society. Fiercely independent and protective of his public image, he navigated the thin line between conservatives and liberals, reactionaries and radicals, the sports establishment and the black cause. Eric Allen Hall's work examines Ashe's life as a struggle against adversity but also a negotiation between the comforts-perhaps requirements-of tennis-star status and the felt obligation to protest the discriminatory barriers the white world constructed to keep black people "in their place." Drawing on coverage of Ashe's athletic career and social activism in domestic and international publications, archives including the Ashe Papers, and a variety of published memoirs and interviews, Hall has created an intimate, nuanced portrait of a great athlete who stood at the crossroads of sports and equal justice.

A very comprehensive and well-written book about the most common tennis injuries. I certainly wish something like this had been available 25 years ago.--Fred Stolle, member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
""Maintaining fitness is a high priority for people of all ages, especially those of us addicted to tennis. This book can help you improve not only your game but your quality of life as well.""--David N. Dinkins, USTA and USPTR Board Member and former mayor of New York City.
""It would be hard to find a more comprehensive or comprehensible guide to preparing for tennis play, not to mention preventing and treating tennis injuries. Every tennis player--beginning, intermediate, and advanced--could benefit from Dr. Levy's and Mark Fuerst's efforts.""--Shimon-Craig Van Collie, author of Tennis: The Lifetime Sport.
From the authors of the classic Sports Injury Handbook, this top-notch manual of easy-to-follow tennis do's and don'ts is all you need to prevent injuries, treat common symptoms, and improve your conditioning, flexibility, and strength, so you can pick up the pace on your serve or unload a return that won't come back. Dr. Allan Levy's practical knowledge of tennis fitness is indispensable for players at every skill level--from absolute beginners to club champions.
Developed from his own experience treating recreational and professional tennis players, Dr. Levy's program features refreshingly simple stretches and exercises you can do on or off the court. For ease of use, the main part of the book is organized by area of the body. You'll learn how to recognize and treat injuries and determine when it is safe to play again. Packed with clear illustrations and practical advice, the Tennis Injury Handbook features:
* Specific training ideas to improve your game and prevent injuries.
* Easy-to-follow techniques for stretching, conditioning, and rehabilitation.
* Expert advice on what foods to eat before, during, and after playing.
* The pluses and minuses of a variety of tennis gadgets on the market.
* A complete guide to tennis injuries from head to toe--how to recognize them and how to heal them.

From forehands to fashions, this book covers the careers of 35 champions who made significant contributions to the sport both on and off the court. Suzanne Lenglen, Helen Wills Moody, Maureen Connolly, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Venus and Serena Williams, and others are listed chronologically. The book features photographs, statistics and records of each player, as well as results of all the Grand Slams and the Fed Cup, Olympic Games, Wightman Cup, and Hopman Cup competitions. The author is donating all royalties to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the grassroots network dedicated to the fight against breast cancer.

Roger Federer is the global star who emerged from our very midst. Mad about ball sports from a young age, his playfulness and passion pushed him further and further - and on to dizzying heights. His sporting exploits are well-known, but who is the man behind them? For the last twenty years, Zurich-based journalist Simon Graf has followed Federer's triumphant journey through the great tennis arenas of the world for the Swiss press. Here, he answers the key questions: how did a hot-tempered teenager become a Zen master on the courts? What part did his parents and his wife Mirka have to play? How did he maintain his joy for all these years? Why does he owe eternal thanks to his rival, Rafael Nadal? Why did he stay so normal? And what can we learn from him? Over the years, the author held countless interviews with Federer and people from his family and sporting life and now shows him from all of his many sides - as a hot-headed teenager, a tennis genius, son, husband and father, an inspiration, strategist, manager of his own talent, victor and loser, businessman, exceptional athlete, philanthropist and more. The Federer phenomenon is captured over fifteen thematically arranged chapters. And there's no shortage of anecdotes: the book is as entertaining as Federer's game.

Analyzing how tennis turned pro The arrival of the Open era in 1968 was a watershed in the history of tennis--the year that marked its advent as a professionalized sport. Merging wide-angle history with individual stories of players and off-the-court figures, Greg Ruth charts tennis’s evolution into the game we watch today. His vivid account moves from the cloistered world of nineteenth-century lawn tennis through the longtime amateur-professional divide and the battles over commercialization that raged from the 1920s until 1968. From there, Ruth details the post-1968 expansion of the game as it was transformed by bankable superstars, a popular women’s tour, rival governing bodies, and sponsorship money. What emerges is a fascinating history of the economics and politics that made tennis a decisive, if unlikely, force in the creation of modern-day sports entertainment. Comprehensive and engaging, Tennis tells the interlocking stories of the figures and factors that birthed the professional game.

Standing in Line is a humorous memoir, based on a variety of experiences in The Queue, one of sport's most fascinating traditions. Told through the eyes of a ten-year-old boy becoming a 39-year-old man, it is a love letter both to Wimbledon and to the wonder of British summertime. Watching the Championships is a national pastime, and this book is full of the ups and downs out on court, as well as the memorable pop-cultural moments off it. It is set against the desperate wait for a British Gentlemen's champion, viewed against the global reality show Wimbledon has become - transcending sport and class, yet still embracing tradition. Illustrated with drawings from renowned artist and author Zebedee Helm, the book observes both the changing world around us and the behaviour of the half-million fans who cram themselves into this leafy corner of London for two weeks every year. Standing in Line is a joyful, gently nostalgic read for anyone who has found themselves gazing for hours on end at coverage of Wimbledon.

Serena Williams: tennis player, sports icon, champion. Get your head in the game with one of the greatest athletes of all time, Serena Williams. A Life Story: This gripping series throws the reader directly into the lives of modern society's most influential figures. With striking black-and-white illustration along with timelines and fun facts. Also in the series: Katherine Johnson: A Life Story Stephen Hawking: A Life Story Alan Turing: A Life Story Rosalind Franklin: A Life Story David Attenborough: A Life Story

#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.

Tennis is one of the world's most popular sports, as levels of participation and spectatorship demonstrate. Moreover, tennis has always been one of the world's most significant sports, expressing crucial fractures of social class, gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity - both on and off court. This is the first book to undertake a survey of the historical and socio-cultural sweep of tennis, exploring key themes from governance, development and social inclusion to national identity and the role of the media. It is presented in three parts: historical developments; culture and representations; and politics and social issues, and features contributions by leading tennis scholars from North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The most authoritative book published to date on the history, culture and politics of tennis, this is an essential reference for any course or program examining the history, sociology, politics or culture of sport.

A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR, GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR AND INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE YEAR A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'A constant role model in my life, Billie Jean King is a leading example of integrity in the face of adversity. The book's powerfully honest and unapologetic candor is a reflection of King's brilliant mark on the world and the glass ceilings she shattered' Serena Williams An inspiring and intimate self-portrait of the champion of equality that encompasses her brilliant tennis career, unwavering activism, and an ongoing commitment to fairness and social justice. In this spirited account, Billie Jean King details her life's journey to find her true self. She recounts her groundbreaking tennis career -- six years as the top-ranked woman in the world, twenty Wimbledon championships, thirty-nine grand-slam titles, and her watershed defeat of Bobby Riggs in the famous "Battle of the Sexes." She poignantly recalls the cultural backdrop of those years and the profound impact on her worldview from the women's movement, the assassinations and anti-war protests of the 1960s, the civil rights movement, and, eventually, the LGBTQ+ rights movement. She describes the myriad challenges she's hurdled -- entrenched sexism, an eating disorder, near financial ruin after being outed -- on her path to publicly and unequivocally acknowledging her sexual identity at the age of fifty-one. And she talks about how her life today remains one of indefatigable service. She offers insights and advice on leadership, business, activism, sports, politics, marriage equality, parenting, sexuality, and love. She shows how living honestly and openly has had a transformative effect on her relationships and happiness. Hers is the story of a pathbreaking feminist, a world-class athlete, and an indomitable spirit whose impact has transcended even her spectacular achievements in sports. __________________________ 'Compelling... a brave and moving book, a must-read for tennis fans and a vivid slice of social history' Melanie Reid, The Times 'A terrific read' Constance Craig Smith, Daily Mail 'A vivid and detailed account of her rise to sporting greatness and her struggles to attain equal treatment for women in a shockingly discriminatory sport... All In describes a life comprising one epic struggle after another, both on and off court' Fiona Sturges, Guardian '[She] writes candidly about a career that led the way for women's sports as we know them . . . thoughtful, soul-searching' Tim Adams, Observer 'This is a fascinating, energising, inspirational book from a woman who continues to set the standard for making a positive difference in the world' Clare Balding

Learn the ins and outs of the sport that is taking the world by storm in Play Pickleball, a handsomely designed guide for beginner to seasoned players. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to combine tennis and Ping-Pong with a dash of badminton, pickleball is for you! Whether you’ve been playing racquet sports for ages or have never so much as set foot on a court, as soon as you pick up a pickleball paddle, you’re sure to be hooked! Pickleball insider Sydney Steinaker travels all over the country playing the sport, and in this guide, she’ll take you on a journey through the pickle-dome, from the amateur scene and casual play, to leagues and pro-level tournaments. In Play Pickleball, you’ll learn everything you need to get your game on or improve it, including: The different types of paddles and equipment The rules of play Pickle terminology and etiquette Game strategies and techniques Advice from some of the biggest pros on the scene And so much more! If you’re ready to see what all the hype is about, this fun and informative pickleball guide is for you!

From the former President and CEO of the United States Tennis Association-the first black woman and youngest person ever to hold the position-comes a behind-the-scenes look at the leadership skills involved in hosting the U.S. Open, the largest and most lucrative sports event in the world-lessons that can be applied across business and to any life challenge. One of professional tennis's Grand Slam Tournaments, the U.S. Open has been described as a fourteen-day Superbowl. This single tennis championship, held annually in New York City, attracts top professionals from around the globe, generates more money than any other sporting event-or any other sport over an entire season-and attracts more than 700,000 attendees and millions of television viewers. In Own the Arena, Katrina Adams offers a privileged, singular inside look at this sensational global event, while elaborating on what makes tennis the only sport of a lifetime. She opens with the women's 2018 championship match between Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams that ended in boos. This was Adams's last year as president and the whole world was watching. How would she respond? How should the press be handled? What needs to be said to Osaka? Serena? What does this break from decorum mean for the Open and the sport? As Adams shares a wealth of stories from her career and personal life, as well as insights from top tennis professionals, she provides invaluable information on meeting life's tests both on the tennis court and off. Own the Arena offers fresh perspectives on having presence, being remembered, directing a conversation, and moving boldly in spaces where "you are the only one." It also covers good sportsmanship-treating others with respect and by being inclusive and open to diverse perspectives. Tennis is said to be 90 percent mental; this book shows how to take the elements of mental fortitude and use them to achieve greatness. By embracing and expressing one's inner grace and humanity, Adams shows, you can own the arena.

The People's Wimbledon brings you the magic of SW19 in words and pictures. Take a trip down memory lane as you rekindle memories of colourful characters, breathtaking matches, intense rivalries and rare upsets from days gone by. Relive the exploits of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, plus Steffi Graf, Rod Laver, Billie Jean King, Ken Rosewall, Lew Hoad and Maria Bueno. You'll also learn about the history of Wimbledon from the first championship in 1877 through to the modern day. The book combines hundreds of stunning illustrations - including tennis memorabilia and rare archival photos - with memories and anecdotes from players, journalists, broadcasters and fans to tell the Wimbledon story from a fresh new angle. Whether you travel to SW19 or spend two weeks each summer glued to your TV set, The People's Wimbledon is a 'must' if you've been bitten by the Wimbledon bug.

The days of tennis as a country club sport for the aristocracy have long passed, as have the pre-Open era days when Black players faced long odds just to be invited to the four Grand Slam events. An entire generation of sports fans has grown up seeing Venus and Serena Williams as the gold standard in American professional tennis. Although the Williams sisters have done more than any other players to make tennis accessible to a diverse population, it's not as if the tennis revolution is over. When you watch tennis next, take a close look at the umpire, the person sitting in the high chair of authority at courtside. Look at the tournament referee and the tournament director, the officials who run the tournament. In those seats of power and influence, Blacks are still woefully underrepresented. Different Strokes chronicles the rise of the Williams sisters, as well as other champions of color, closely examining how Black Americans are collectively faring in tennis, on the court and off. Despite the success of the Williams sisters and the election of former pro player Katrina Adams as the U.S. Tennis Association's first Black president, top Black players still receive racist messages via social media and sometimes in public. The reality is that while significant progress has been made in the sport, much work remains before anything resembling equality is achieved. Watch a book trailer.

Wimbledon 2015: The Official Story of The Championships is the evocative and beautifully illustrated re-telling of another glorious fortnight of tennis at the All England Club. Written by The Independent's tennis correspondent, Paul Newman, and put together by a team based at Wimbledon for the duration of The Championships, Wimbledon 2015 grants the reader exclusive insider access to the tournament with interviews and analysis, opinion and quotes from the stars of the show. In addition, the book is packed with stunning photography taken by some of the world's best tennis photographers.

Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2021 One of The Times 50 Best Sports Books of 2021 Little Wonder tells the epic, and until now largely unchronicled, story of Lottie Dod, the first great heroine in women's sports. Dod was a champion tennis player, golfer, hockey player, tobogganist, skater, mountaineer, and archer. She was also a first-rate musician, performing numerous choral concerts in London in the 1920s and 1930s, including in a private performance before the King and Queen. In the late 19th century, Dod was almost certainly the second most famous woman in the British Isles, bested only by the fame of Queen Victoria. She was fawned over by the press, and loved by a huge fan base - which composed poems and songs in her honor, followed her from one tournament to the next, voraciously read every profile published on her and every report on her sporting triumphs. Yet, within a decade or two of her retirement from sports, Dod was largely a forgotten figure. She lived, unmarried and childless, until 1960, and for the last half of her life she was shrouded in obscurity. In this new book, Sasha Abramsky brings Lottie's remarkable achievements back into the public eye in a fascinating story of resilience and determination.

Winner of the Lord Aberdare Literary Prize 2015- from the British Society for Sports History. From its advent in the mid-late nineteenth century as a garden-party pastime to its development into a highly commercialised and professionalised high-performance sport, the history of tennis in Britain reflects important themes in Britain's social history. In the first comprehensive and critical account of the history of tennis in Britain, Robert Lake explains how the game's historical roots have shaped its contemporary structure, and how the history of tennis can tell us much about the history of wider British society. Since its emergence as a spare-time diversion for landed elites, the dominant culture in British tennis has been one of amateurism and exclusion, with tennis sitting alongside cricket and golf as a vehicle for the reproduction of middle-class values throughout wider British society in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Consequently, the Lawn Tennis Association has been accused of a failure to promote inclusion or widen participation, despite steadfast efforts to develop talent and improve coaching practices and structures. Robert Lake examines these themes in the context of the global development of tennis and important processes of commercialisation and professional and social development that have shaped both tennis and wider society. The social history of tennis in Britain is a microcosm of late-nineteenth and twentieth-century British social history: sustained class power and class conflict; struggles for female emancipation and racial integration; the decline of empire; and, Britain's shifting relationship with America, continental Europe, and Commonwealth nations. This book is important and fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in the history of sport or British social history.

The game of tennis raises many questions that are of interest to a statistician. Is it true that beginning to serve in a set gives an advantage? Are new balls an advantage? Is the seventh game in a set particularly important? Are top players more stable than other players? Do real champions win the big points? These and many other questions are formulated as "hypotheses" and tested statistically. Analyzing Wimbledon also discusses how the outcome of a match can be predicted (even while the match is in progress), which points are important and which are not, how to choose an optimal service strategy, and whether "winning mood" actually exists in tennis. Aimed at readers with some knowledge of mathematics and statistics, the book uses tennis (Wimbledon in particular) as a vehicle to illustrate the power and beauty of statistical reasoning.

Written by Mats Holm and Ulf Roosvald, Bjoern Borg and the Super-Swedes explains how a small country with eight million inhabitants like Sweden could become the leading nation in tennis and an example to imitate worldwide. It starts with the legend of Bjoern Borg, the taciturn and mysterious Swede who became an icon of the '70s and turned tennis into a global sport, and ends with the Kings of Tennis, the nostalgic senior event part of the Champions Tour held each year in Stockholm. The 1985 Australian Open final, the first (and only, so far) all-Swedish Grand Slam final in the history of tennis, between Stefan Edberg and Mats Wilander, is a prominent focus of the book. The classic Davis Cup encounters between USA and Sweden in 1982 and 1984 and the Borg-John McEnroe rivalry are also key story lines. The book also includes off-the-court details about the players, painting a well-rounded picture of their personalities, as well as context on the politics of Sweden at the time, including the impact of the Social Democratic Party. The perfect gift for tennis aficionados and history buffs alike! "My experience working with Skyhorse is always a positive collaboration. The editors are first-rate professionals, and my books receive top-shelf treatment. I truly appreciate our working relationship and hope it continues for years to come." -David Fischer, author

Patrick Mouratoglou; Serena Williams' coach; host of his own daily TV Show for Eurosport International, sports commentator on ESPN, founder and President of the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy and Resort and Philanthropist is the most followed coach on the "Tennisphere".The Coach is Patrick Mouratoglou's hugely motivational and inspirational story. As a child, he was full of suffering, enduring anxiety attacks at night. In his own words "puny and very timid, paralysed by the shame of not being able to do better".Now, as one of the world's leading tennis coaches he is responsible for transforming the career of Serena Williams and helping her become the greatest of all times. His story is a great example of trial over adversity.

The ultimate keepsake for every pickleball fan-from a dink shot to the kitchen, everything a pickleballer needs to know in this fully illustrated guide to the world's greatest recreational sport, packed with lots of joy, good humor, and even a little bit of wisdom. Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America. Easy to learn, but impossible to master, it's no wonder that nearly 5 million people nationwide have picked up their paddles and taken to the court. But people aren't just dabbling in this up-and-coming activity, they are obsessed; some hit the court as many as five, six, even seven times a week. As Vanity Fair put it, pickleball has "won over everyone, from Leonardo DiCaprio to your grandparents." Pickleball Is Life is the first book of its kind celebrating the weird and wonderful world of pickleball. It will take readers on a journey from the sport's quirky origins to its modern-day cult following. Along the way, visual info graphs and illustrations will share even more pickleball knowledge, including etiquette tips, a DIY court, obscure rules, and pointers for (good-natured) trash talk. Also included are interviews with members of the three founding families from Bainbridge Island who are still very much involved in the sport and its growth. People of all ages, athletic abilities, and backgrounds have fallen in love with pickleball. Sure, it's a good workout, but it's also a cheerful way to interact with others-something folks crave now more than ever. So, whether they're uninitiated or obsessed, this book will help readers find even more to love about the world's greatest sport.

Timed to coincide with the US Open's 50th anniversary, this exquisitely produced book celebrates the most electrifying event in tennis. All of the key moments and unforgettable personalities from the competition's 50-year history are brought to life by vibrant, exclusive photography. This book provides a comprehensive look at the tournament, from the early years of tennis legends such as Billie Jean King and Arthur Ashe to iconic players such as Roger Federer and Serena Williams. Original contributions from journalists, players, coaches, and notable fans stand alongside gorgeous photography of the many household names who have made their mark competing on the game's biggest stage. A perfect gift for any tennis fan, this book is a richly visual tribute to the sport, its fans, and its champions.