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Books > Biography > Sport
The compelling biography of Novak Djokovic, the greatest male tennis
player of all time - looking at past events, his beliefs and what has
made him one of the most enigmatic and successful sportsmen throughout
history.
No man or woman has won more Grand Slam singles titles than Novak
Djokovic, who took his 24th major at the 2023 US Open. Based on fresh
interviews with people close to Djokovic - including his friends and
mentors, along with his former coaches and his rivals - this is an
in-depth exploration of the psyche of one of the most fascinating and
controversial sporting characters ever. From a bomb shelter in Belgrade
to an immigration detention centre in Melbourne, and everywhere in
between, this book uncovers his relentless pursuit of perfection and
the unconventional beliefs that have propelled him to greatness.
Rage. Forgiveness. Shame. Pride. Love. Searching for Novak examines the
psychological and emotional side of rewriting tennis history.
'A tragic age and a tragic character, both seemingly compelled to
destroy themselves...a chilling reminder of how little control we
have over our fates' Damon Hill 'One of the greatest motor racing
stories' Nick Mason 'Timely, vivid and enthralling ... it's
unputdownable' Miranda Seymour, author of The Bugatti Queen Dick
Seaman was the archetypal dashing motorsport hero of the 1930s, the
first Englishman to win a race for Mercedes-Benz and the last Grand
Prix driver to die at the wheel before the outbreak of the Second
World War. Award-winning author Richard Williams reveals the
remarkable but now forgotten story of a driver whose battles
against the leading figures of motor racing's golden age inspired
the post-war generation of British champions. The son of wealthy
parents, educated at Rugby and Cambridge, Seaman grew up in a
privileged world of house parties, jazz and fast cars. But motor
racing was no mere hobby: it became such an obsession that he
dropped out of university to pursue his ambitions, squeezing money
out of his parents to buy better cars. When he was offered a
contract with the world-beating, state-sponsored Mercedes team in
1937, he signed up despite the growing political tensions between
Britain and Germany. A year later, he celebrated victory in the
German Grand Prix with the beautiful 18-year-old daughter of the
founder of BMW. Their wedding that summer would force a split with
his family, a costly rift that had not been closed six months later
when he crashed in the rain while leading at Spa, dying with his
divided loyalties seemingly unresolved. He was just 26 years old. A
Race with Love and Death is a gripping tale of speed, romance and
tragedy. Set in an era of rising tensions, where the urge to live
each moment to the full never seemed more important, it is a richly
evocative story that grips from first to last.
'One day you'll write a book about this club. Or, more to the
point, about me. So you may as well know what I'm thinking and save
it up for later when it won't do any harm to anyone.' Brian
Clough's twenty years as Nottingham Forest manager were an
unpredictable mixture of success, failure, fall-outs and
alcoholism. Duncan Hamilton, initiated as a young journalist into
the Brian Clough empire, was there to see it all. In this
strikingly intimate biography - William Hill Sports Book of the
Year 2007 - Hamilton paints a vivid portrait of one of football's
greatest managers: from Nottingham Forest's double European Cup
triumph to the torturous breakdown of relations at the club and
Clough's descent into alcoholism. Sad, joyous and personal,
Hamilton's account of life with Brian Clough is a touching tribute
to a brilliant man.
The inspirational and powerful memoir from double world heptathlon
champion and Team GB Olympian Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson has never had it easy. Born a child of two
worlds - her mum’s working-class Liverpool, and her dad’s idyllic
Bahamas - she was never supposed to be a world champion. Her early
childhood wasn’t easy. She was raised by a single mother, and at times
it was a struggle for her to keep up with other athletes who had more
funding around them. But she persevered.
Now, in her intimate, heartfelt autobiography, she tells her story as
she never has before. She opens up about the pressures of representing
Britain at the London Olympics while just sixteen years of age, and
about her complex relationship with mentor-turned-rival Jessica
Ennis-Hill. Unbroken is a rare insight into the inner workings of a
champion's mind: the rigorous discipline, the undying passion for
sport, and the unshakable belief in one's self despite the odds.
Johnson-Thompson’s journey has been a remarkable one. Her upbringing
and her career, both rich with challenges overcome and dreams pursued
with relentless determination, serve as a powerful reminder that the
human spirit is capable of extraordinary feats. But this is more than a
story of triumph-against-the-odds. It’s a testament to the sweat, tears
and laughter that pave the road to success, and to the unyielding
spirit of a true champion.
DescriptionA unique combination of history, biography,
bibliography, and statistics, the widely acclaimed first edition of
"Outstanding Women Athletes" has now been updated to reflect the
many significant changes that have taken place in women's sports in
America in recent years. Now added are the biographies of 26 sports
figures who have recently emerged as role models in traditional
women's sports such as tennis and figure skating as well as in
sports that historically excluded women such as mountain climbing,
bullfighting, and boxing. Also new is a chapter profiling 10
women's championship teams, including each organization's history,
brief biographies of 200 selected team members, and major team
achievements.
A Sunday Times Book of the Year 'Rahaman has, at last, written the
definitive biography on his late brother, which tells the real Ali
story' - Mike Tyson 'The real life of the Great One' - George
Foreman More words have been written about Muhammad Ali than almost
anyone else. He was, without doubt, the world's most-loved
sportsman. At the height of his celebrity he was the most famous
person in the world. And yet, until now, the one voice missing
belonged to the man who knew him best - his only sibling, and best
friend, Rahaman Ali. No one was closer to Ali than Rahaman. Born
Cassius and Rudolph Arnett Clay, the two brothers grew up together,
lived together, trained together, travelled together, and fought
together in the street and in the ring. A constant fixture in his
sibling's company, Rahaman saw Ali at both his best and his worst:
the relentless prankster and the jealous older brother, the
outspoken advocate, the husband and father. In My Brother, Muhammad
Ali, he is able to offer a surprising insider's perspective on the
well-known stories, as well as never-before-told tales, painting a
rich portrait of a proud, relentlessly polarizing, yet often
vulnerable man. In this extraordinary, poignant memoir, Rahaman
tells a much bigger and more personal story than in any other book
on the great man - that of two brothers, almost inseparable from
birth to death. It is the final and most important perspective on
one of the most iconic figures of the last century.
How did Tiger Woods become the greatest of all time?
And how did he fall so spectacularly?
Tiger Woods is unrivalled as an athlete. He made the ultimate
commitment to his chosen sport - and transformed it.
Before the age of twenty-five, he rose to phenomenon status: twice
named 'Sportsman of the Year' by Sports Illustrated, champion of more
than thirty professional tournaments and the youngest player to win all
four Grand Slam tournaments.
Tiger, Tiger taps into the transformative moments of Woods's life,
revealing in vivid, dramatic scenes what he saw and felt on the course
and in his inner life - from his only 'perfect' shot to his missed
first putt at the 1995 Masters through his recent comeback tours.
Through a compelling series of original interviews, passionate golfer
James Patterson and golf reporter Peter de Jonge get inside the
impossible mystery of a global star.
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Long Shot
(Paperback)
Mike Piazza; As told to Lonnie Wheeler
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In this remarkably candid autobiography, superstar Mike Piazza
takes readers inside his life and career to show what it takes to
make it to the major leagues and to stay on top.
Piazza was drafted in the sixty-second round of the 1988 MLB draft,
a courtesy pick because of a family connection to Los Angeles
Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. No one expected Mike Piazza to play
in the major leagues except Mike and his dad--not even the Dodgers.
But with talent, determination, and a formidable work ethic, long
shot Piazza learned the demanding position of catcher and not only
made it to the majors, he became one of the great players in the
history of the game.
With resolute honesty Piazza addresses the issues that swirled
about him during his career: the rumor that he was gay, the
infamous bat-throwing incident with Roger Clemens, and the
accusations of steroid use that plagued nearly every power hitter
of his era. But above all, "Long Shot" is the story of a superstar
who rose to the top through his talent and his deep drive to
succeed.
During the 1940s and 50s, the author, a country boy, simply wanted
to go fishing. This is how he succeeded, despite opposition, and
experienced a glorious boyhood.
Ed Cowan, opening left-hand batsman for Tasmania, has always been a
bit of a scribbler. It started with to-do lists and notes to self,
but then he started keeping a cricket diary - a 'batting bible'
with thoughts on the game, other players, motivational philosophies
and records of performances. The diary has become so much a part of
his routine that he admits to being a little upset if he can't see
it in his cricket bag. Other cricketers have found the habit a
little odd. But for Cowan it's been a way of keeping an uncluttered
head and making sense of the game. In the Firing Line, based on the
diary Cowan kept while playing his second season for Tasmania over
the summer of 2010-11, reveals with intelligence and a touch of
humour the excruciatingly shaky position of the domestic cricket
player. It's far from the glamour of playing for Australia and
uncomfortably close to the long drop to amateurism, yet every match
is rife with the possibility of being discovered and propelled into
international stardom in the baggy green.
A legendary NBA player and beloved teammate shares his hard-earned
wisdom about finding your true purpose and mastering your inner
game, whatever that game might be. Chris Bosh is on any list of the
Top 100 NBA players of all time--an eleven-time All Star, two-time
Finals winner, Olympic gold medalist, and currently the league's
Global Ambassador. Always an uncommonly philosophical NBA star, he
found himself needing all the mindfulness he could muster in 2017,
when his career was cut short at its prime by a freak medical
condition. Suddenly, he was thrown out of the work that had given
so much more than just a livelihood, and had to think deeply about
his identity in the world. This game had taught him so much; what
could he make of it all? Out of that place of deep reflection has
emerged an uncommon book for a retired superstar to write. While it
has the best elements of a memoir--the portraits of the great
players and coaches, from LeBron and Kobe to Pat Riley and Coach K,
and the accounts of extraordinary competitive moments--it is really
a wisdom book, a blend of The Inner Game of Tennis, Wynton
Marsalis's To a Young Jazz Musician, and Rilke's Letters to a Young
Poet. It is rich with insight about basketball, but even richer
with insight about life. It's a book about finding a purpose that
is deep and real, not shallow and external, and about navigating
success and failure as the twin mirages they are--pushing past
fear, past ego, past fatigue to the pure flow of sustained
accomplishment in a mesh with teammates who have given themselves
to the same thing. Chris Bosh found that flow, and sustained it at
the highest level. He misses basketball keenly still, but he has no
regrets. Deep, honest, unflinching, this book is his friend's hand
up to those coming up behind, whatever their pursuit might be.
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