"The game with yourself is often tougher than the battle against any opponent. Smart Tennis shows you how to win the inner match while having fun along the way."--Lindsay Davenport, world's #1 ranked player for 1998

Become a More Competent-and Confident-Tennis Player

Smart Tennis is the secret weapon that tucks right into your tennis bag. Apply these proven principles of sport psychology to your game and gain a winning advantage both on and off the courts.

"Smart Tennis is a must for players at all levels-from beginners to Wimbledon champions! An outstanding book for understanding and improving your mental game."--Vic Braden, tennis telecaster and researcher

"If you ever want to use the title of this book to describe how you played your last match, then Smart Tennis is for you."--David Higdon, senior writer,Tennis Magazine

"This is an excellent book of psychological skills that can be immediately applied on the tennis court."--E. Paul Roetert, Ph.D., Administration of Sports Science, United States Tennis Association

The essential book from online tennis coaching sensation Ian Westermann, founder of EssentialTennis.com What's the number one thing stopping you from playing your best tennis? Ian Westermann, founder of the world's #1 online tennis instruction portal, Essentialtennis.com, will confidently say it's an obstacle you probably never thought of: The ball. You might think this sounds ridiculous. The whole point of tennis is to hit the ball over the net and in, so how can the ball be the thing that's standing in the way? In fact, this is why the ball is such an impediment: your desire to hit a good shot, with the right mix of power and spin, to a specific spot on the court, prevents you from striking the ball the way you should. In Essential Tennis, readers - players and coaches, alike - will learn how improving at tennis actually happens and how to easily implement these lessons and integrate them into better play on the court. Players will hit stronger shots, make fewer errors, and beat players who are currently beating them. Coaches will look differently at what it means to provide a student with a holistic learning experience. Essential Tennis contains technique-based instruction for executing groundstrokes, volleys, and serves, as well as progressions, drills, and mindsets players should incorporate. Westermann illuminates strokes, movement, strategy, and mental toughness - all proven to be successful over 20 years with clients of all ages and skill levels.

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

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.

The Roger Federer Effect tells the story of the world's most famous tennis player in a fresh, innovative way - through the eyes of his friends, rivals, coaches, fans and many others who have been drawn to him as he blazed a trail and transcended the sport. In a glorious career spanning more than two decades, Federer won 20 Grand Slam titles - including eight at Wimbledon - and more than 100 tournaments worldwide, taking the game to a new level and becoming the most popular player the sport has ever seen. As he enters retirement, more than 40 personalities from inside and outside tennis reveal the special place Federer holds in their lives. Through exclusive interviews, they explain the Roger Federer phenomenon. As much as his deeds are important, it is also the intimate details that really make a person who they are. The Roger Federer Effect reveals them in fascinating and often previously untold anecdotes.

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.

What makes a champion? What does it take to be the best in the world at your sport? Rafael Nadal has the answers. In his memoir, written with award-winning journalist John Carlin, he reveals the secrets of his game and shares the inspiring personal story behind his success. It begins in Mallorca, where the tight-knit Nadal family has lived for generations. Coached by his uncle Toni from the age of four and taught humility and respect by his parents, Nadal has managed the uncommon feat of becoming an acclaimed global celebrity while remaining a gracious, hardworking role model for people in all walks of life. Now he takes us behind the scenes, from winning the Wimbledon 2008 final-described by John McEnroe as "the greatest game of tennis" he had ever seen-to the family problems that brought him low in 2009 and the numerous injuries that have threatened his career. With candor and intelligence, Nadal brings readers on his dramatic and triumphant journey, never losing sight of the prize he values above all others: the unity and love of his family. From RAFA: "During a match, you are in a permanent battle to fight back your everyday vulnerabilities, bottle up your human feelings. The more bottled up they are, the greater your chances of winning, so long as you've trained as hard as you play and the gap in talent is not too wide between you and your rival. The gap in talent with Federer existed, but it was not impossibly wide. It was narrow enough, even on his favorite surface in the tournament he played best, for me to know that if I silenced the doubts and fears, and exaggerated hopes, inside my head better than he did, I could beat him. You have to cage yourself in protective armor, turn yourself into a bloodless warrior. It's a kind of self-hypnosis, a game you play, with deadly seriousness, to disguise your own weaknesses from yourself, as well as from your rival."

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.

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.

***Longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2020*** ***Financial Times, Best Sports Books of 2020*** Pristine lawns, tennis whites, strawberries and cream, tennis is synonymous with the upper echelons of society, but scratch beneath the surface and you'll quickly discover a different history, one of untold struggles on and off the courts. From the birth of modern tennis in Victorian Britain to the present day, we bear witness to struggles around sexuality, gender, race and class that have transformed the nature of tennis and sport itself. A People's History of Tennis is populated by diverse voices, recounting the sport's gay origins, 'Workers' Wimbledon', battles for gender equality and more. Going beyond centre court, this book reveals the hidden history of the game, providing a rich account of the challenges faced and victories won.

Fred Perry, three-time Wimbledon champion in the 1930s, was one of Britain's greatest sportsmen of the 20th century. His success on the hallowed Wimbledon turf went unmatched by a British man for a remarkable 77 years, until Andy Murray's triumph in 2013. Perry was the first player to hold all four Grand Slam titles, and he also played a pivotal role in Great Britain's domination of the Davis Cup in the mid-1930s. Despite his status as a global sports celebrity, Perry was criticised for his ruthless desire to win and was frequently at odds with the amateur tennis authorities of the day. In this revealing biography, award-winning historian Kevin Jefferys examines afresh the life and career of Britain's most successful tennis star. The author shows how good fortune as well as tremendous talent aided Perry's meteoric rise to the top; traces his frosty relationship with the British tennis establishment, which continued after he turned professional in 1936; and considers Perry's place among the true legends of the sport.

A Different Kind of Daughter is a powerful memoir about a young Pakistani girl who, until the age of twelve, was disguised as a boy so she could compete in sports. 'Maria Toorpakai has risen from the turmoil of tribal life in Pakistan to become not only a world-class athlete, but a true inspiration, a pioneer for millions of other women struggling to pave their own paths to autonomy, fulfilment and genuine personhood' - Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner Maria Toorpakai Wazir has lived her life disguised as a boy, defying the Taliban, in order to pursue her love of sport. Coming second in a national junior weightlifting event for boys, Maria decided to put her future in her own hands by going in disguise. When she discovered squash and was easily beating all the boys, life became more dangerous. Heart-stopping and profoundly moving, Maria shares the story of her long road and eventual triumph, pursuing the sport she loved, defying death threats and following her dream.

Players clocking shuttlecocks at speeds of 200 miles per hour, new scoring rules, and nonstop action make badminton one of the fastest racket sports in the world. With "Badminton: Steps to Success" you will learn the skills and tactics to excel at the highest level.

Through detailed, fully illustrated instruction, you will develop precision, power, and finesse as you use this step-by-step guide to master serves, forehands, backhands, clears, drop shots, smashes, drives, and more.

"Badminton: Steps to Success" also breaks down common errors players make and provides corrective techniques to pinpoint problems and improve execution. Over 100 drills will further enforce correct technique, with designated drills for tactical practice, conditioning, and teamwork for doubles play.

If you're ready to master today's game, rely on the one resource proven to make a difference. "Badminton: Steps to Success"----part of the popular Steps to Success Sports Series with more than 1.5 million copies sold----is your ticket to winning play.

Firsts, Lasts & Onlys is a tennis fan's delight, chock-full of astonishing events, time-honoured anecdotes and extraordinary facts. The book takes a light-hearted but authoritative look at every major tennis tournament in the world, including the Wimbledon Championships. Discover how the first championships - held in 1877, the same year as the first cricket Test match - were almost an afterthought. Did you know that no women were allowed in the first tournament? Or that the All England Club was actually founded to promote croquet? The book is packed with fascinating trivia that will tantalise and enthral. When did strawberries and cream become a Wimbledon staple? Who was the first man to win all four major titles in the same year? Who is or was Roland Garros? Filled with bizarre curiosities from the sport's past - from the heir to the throne whose death was caused by tennis, to the vicar who won Wimbledon, to the murderer who reached a final - this is a book every tennis fan should own.

Chris Jackson has written a thoughtful and brilliant study of Federer as a man, player, and aesthetic and moral figure of our times. It outplays even Foster Wallace's magisterial writing on this greatest of all tennis champions. Here is the one of the most profound, insightful and elegant books ever written about sports.

With the help of friends who recognized her extraordinary talent, Althea Gibson rose from a childhood of playing stickball on Harlem streets to claim victory at Wimbledon. It is widely recognized that her sacrifices along the way paved the road for the successes of Venus and Serena Williams. But Althea's was a victory hard fought and painfully won.

She had no idea the turn her life would take when she met Angela Buxton at the French Indoor Championships. Despite her athletic prowess, Althea was shunned by the other female players. Her failing was her skin color. Angela, the granddaughter of Russian Jews, was also shunned. Her failing was her religion. Finding themselves without doubles partners, the pair decided to join forces, and together they triumphed, going on to win the 1956 championship at Wimbledon. The two women would become lifelong friends, and Angela would prove to be among Althea's greatest supports during her darkest times.

Gibson died in 2003, but her life and her contributions to tennis and race relations in the United States are well preserved in this valuable book. Bruce Schoenfeld delivers not only the true story of Gibson's life but also an inspiring account of two underdogs who refused to let bigotry win -- both on and off the courts.

The most detailed and in-depth biography of Andy Murray yet published. When Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal both exited in the first few days of Wimbledon 2013, the level of expectation on Andy Murray to become the first British champion of the men's competition since 1936 rose to new heights. Two sets down in the quarter-final, he recovered to keep alive the hopes of a nation. Then, on a boiling hot Sunday afternoon, Murray faced up to the world's best player, Novak Djokovic, with the title almost within his grasp. After three hours of tension, drama and sheer brilliance, Murray was Wimbledon champion and 17.3 million viewers, glued to the action, celebrated with him after his straight-sets victory. But how had the man from Dunblane, Scotland, a country once characterised as the worst tennis nation in the world, risen to the top? In this fascinating and revealing biography, Mark Hodgkinson, who first interviewed Murray when he was just 17, looks into the people who have influenced the Scot's career - his family, his coaches and his girlfriend among them - and assesses how he has won over a dubious and critical public. Murray's story is extraordinary, and this book gets to the heart of that remarkable drama.

Bahrami also talks about his friendships with some of the great tennis players - Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Ilie Nastase, Henri Leconte - and many others. Inspirational, funny and truly original, this is much more than a sports autobiography. It is the story of one man's success against all the odds, set against the backdrop of a country in the midst of revolution and war. But, above all, it is Mansour Bahrami's undiminished passion for tennis and his amazing adventures on and off the court which make this book an exceptional read.

'BRILLIANT' - Daily Mail 'Is there any expectation? I'm a qualifier, so there's no pressure on me!' In 2021, Emma Raducanu shocked and charmed the tennis world as she raced to the US Open title with a smile on her face. But how did a little-known 18-year-old from Kent become the first ever qualifier to win a Major? Now Mike Dickson, who as Tennis Correspondent of the Daily Mail was one of the few journalists present in New York to see her lift the trophy, reveals what it took to become Britain's first woman Grand Slam champion since Virginia Wade in 1977. Drawing on interviews with key figures in Raducanu's development, he has written a fascinating account of a remarkable journey. From her early days falling in love with the game as a young girl in Bromley and the years of hard work and dedication that followed, he traces the ups and downs of a junior career that took her to the furthest reaches of the international circuit. But it was her breakthrough on home turf at Wimbledon, just weeks after sitting her A-levels, that really grabbed the attention of the public. It led to her first prolonged spell on the full professional tour - a life-changing trip around the hard-court tournaments of America which culminated in her unexpected triumph at Flushing Meadows. Full of authoritative insights and eye-opening details, Emma Raducanu: When Tennis Came Home paints an inspiring and compelling picture of one of the brightest new stars in British sport.

Miss Truman to Serve Christine Truman, now Dr Christine Truman Janes MBE, was born in 194 and brought up in Woodford Green Essex. Her first ambition was to be as good at tennis as her older siblings, hoping to join their mixed doubles. It never happened. Instead she achieved some of her dreams, including a ranking of No.2 in the world, aged 18, in 1959. She won the Grand Slam title in Paris at 18, the youngest Brit since the war. She holds the record at 16 of being the youngest British semi finalist at Wimbledon since Lottie Dod in 1887. 135 years ago! Also US finalist 1959 and Wimbledon finalist 1961. 'If tennis was easy, why aren't all the people walking up and down Oxford Street playing at Wimbledon?' Billie Jean King 'Work lasts longer than you do...' Mother 'Talent will out.' Father 'Champions know they will win!' 'Play the ball, not opponents!' Coach Norman Kitovitz 'It's the tennis girl, dear!' Clementine to Winston Churchill, 1959

The wildly entertaining Sunday Times bestseller 'This book deserves to be seeded No. 1' Daily Mail Fifteen years after his massive bestseller Serious, John McEnroe is back and ready to talk. Who are the game's winners and losers? What's it like playing guitar onstage with the Rolling Stones, hitting balls with today's greats, breaking bread with his former on-court nemeses, getting scammed by an international art dealer, and raising a big family while balancing McEnroe-sized expectations? But Seriously is a richly personal account, blending anecdote and reflection with razor sharp and brutally honest opinions. This is the sports book of the year: brilliantly funny, surprisingly touching, and 100% McEnroe.