This book is the complete guide to one of the greatest tennis players of the 21st century, winner of 22 grand slam men's singles titles, and undisputed King of the tennis court, Spain's raging bull, Rafael Nadal. This fully illustrated biography charts his journey to the top, from his early days being coached by his uncle Toni in Mallorca and dreaming of being a professional footballer, through his early tournament career, turning professional, his first senior ATP win, first grand slam win at Roland Garros, first Wimbledon win and first Olympic gold medal and record breaking 21st Grand Slam win. Written by Dominic Bliss, a veteran tennis journalist who has followed Nadal's career closely both on and off the court, this biography tracks Rafa's journey from painfully shy pin-up boy to senior statesman on the ATP Tour who continues to conquer worldwide, most recently claiming his 14th Roland Garros and 22nd Grand Slam title at the French Open in June 2022. Structured around 10 key matches in his long career, it takes readers from his first national junior championship win at age 14 (when he played with the pain of a broken finger on his racquet hand) through to his 21st Grand Slam title in January 2022, where he came back from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev in an epic 5-set match. From his need for water bottles to be arranged 'a certain way' on the court, to his charity work raising $17 million to help the Red Cross' efforts to support those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, this book examines every angle of Rafa as a human being, a model athlete, a serial winner. This definitive work on one of tennis' all time greats is not to be missed!

'What makes a great player? He's the one who brings out the best in others. When I am saying that I'm talking about Billy McNeill.' JOCK STEIN A unique tribute to Celtic's greatest ever player to mark the 60th anniversary of his first appearance for the club. Billy McNeill is the greatest Celt of all time. He spent his entire playing career at the Glasgow giants and made 790 appearances between 1958 and 1975, winning the European Cup, nine Scottish League Championships, seven Scottish Cups and six League Cups in a glittering career. And it all started on 23rd August 1958 when Billy McNeill made his Celtic debut. Billy McNeill's breathtaking journey through the beautiful game is charted here from his debut against Clyde through the momentous years as player and manager, the highs, the lows, the triumphs, the tears. Sixty years on from his debut, this unique book celebrates the astonishing life and times of one of world football's best-loved personalities with tributes from many greats of the game. Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell pays his own special tribute to the Parkhead hero along with a Who's Who of the game's royalty. They share their unforgettable experiences and wonderful memories of playing with and against Billy McNeill, one of football's most respected and well-loved men, and talk about him both as a world-renowned footballer and as a genuinely much-admired figure. Packed full of anecdotes and tributes, In Praise of Caesar is a must-read for all Billy McNeill and Celtic fans, and football supporters everywhere. Contributions from: Brendan Rodgers, Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Kenny Dalglish, Denis Law, Mike Jackson, Steve Archibald, Gordon Strachan, Danny McGrain, Roy Aitken, Paul McStay, Davie Hay, Charlie Nicholas, Frank McAvennie, Pat Bonner, Alex McLeish, Davie Provan, and not forgetting Lisbon Lions Bertie Auld, John Clark, Jim Craig, Bobby Lennox and Willie Wallace.

Wartime and the scholarship to Grammar Schools allowed access to Rugby Union, an amateur game played by gentlemen in Rugby Clubs like Liverpool and Blackheath. Since the schism with Rugby League in 1895 the antipathy between the two codes was stark. Peter Harvey's story opened the door for hundreds of boys from Lancashire to play for England Schools. However, the suggestion that he might go to Rugby League was enough to prevent selection for England. The story of how this happened, and his subsequent success as a semi-professional rugby player, reaches its climax in Championships and Challenge Cups with the great St Helens RL side of the 1960s. Running parallel to this story is the training necessary to become a teacher and head teacher, and those people who helped me on that journey. The final chapters tell of rugby stars of the 1960s who he played with or against and the subsequent joys and fellowships of past players associations. It is a unique view of social history from coalmine to classroom, 1940 to present.

Two Brothers tells the story of a great sporting family, uncovering new details, exposing myths and placing Jack and Bobby Charlton in their historical context. It's a book about two English footballers but also about English football and England itself. In later life Jack and Bobby didn't get on and barely spoke but the lives of these very different brothers from the coalfield tell the story of late twentieth-century English football: the tensions between flair and industry, between individuality and the collective, between right and left, between middle- and working-classes, between exile and home. Jack was open, charismatic, selfish and pig-headed; Bobby was guarded, shy, polite and reserved to the point of reclusiveness. They were very different footballers: Jack a gangling central defender who developed a profound tactical intelligence; Bobby an athletic attacking midfielder who disdained systems. They played for clubs who embodied two very different approaches, the familial closeness and tactical cohesion of Leeds on the one hand and the individualistic flair and clashing egos of Manchester United on the other. Both enjoyed great success as players: Jack won a league, a Cup and two Fairs Cups with Leeds; Bobby won a league title, survived the terrible disaster of the plane crash in Munich, and then at enormous emotional cost, won a Cup and two more league titles before capping it off with the European Cup. Together, for England, they won the World Cup. Their managerial careers followed predictably diverging paths, Bobby failing at Preston while Jack enjoyed success at Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday before leading Ireland to previously un-imagined heights. Both were financially very successful, but Jack remained staunchly left-wing while Bobby tended to conservatism. In the end, Jack returned to Northumberland; Bobby remained in the North-West. Two Brothers tells a story of social history as well as two of the most famous football players of their generation. Praise for Inverting the Pyramid: A History of Football Tactics 'If Jonathan Wilson's first book Behind the Curtain, marked him as the rising star of Sports literature, Inverting the Pyramid confirms his place among our very best sports writers' 'Simply one of the best books ever written about the world's game' Dominic Sandbrook Praise for Nobody Ever Says Thank You: The Biography of Brian Clough 'In separating the man from the myth, Jonathan Wilson's biography of Brian Clough is the first to do him justice' Barney Ronay The Observer 'Jonathan Wilson's mighty new biography' Harry Pearson When Saturday Comes

Love him or loathe him, Ricky Ponting is one of the biggest names in cricket, having been at the heart of so many memorable Ashes and Test encounters over the years. Coinciding with the end of Ponting's spectacular career, 'At the Close of Play' is a must-read for all cricket fans.

Six victories, two pole positions, eight fastest laps and 13 podium places - statistics that are anything but striking. In Formula 1 today, there are drivers who have won a great deal more, but Gilles Villeneuve cannot be evaluated by numbers alone - simply because there is no way of measuring the level of excitement that he brought to racing. Even though he has been dead for over 30 years, the legend of the Canadian, who was killed on 8 May 1982, is still imbued with strong emotion - Gilles the "Aviator" as Enzo Ferrari nick-named him, the driver for whom the expression "Villeneuve Fever" was coined. From his "crazy flight" at Fuji in 1977, his first GP win at home in Canada in 1978, the unforgettable 1979 season followed by a year of purgatory, his epic success at Monaco in 1981 and the in-house duel with Didier Pironi at Imola in 1982, to that last "crazy flight" at Zolder. "Gilles Villeneuve: Immagini di una vita/A life in pictures" relives the legend, with previously unpublished pictures and authoritative text by Mario Donnini.

Dennis Mortimer became Aston Villa's most famous captain when he lifted the Lions' first League Championship trophy in 71 years. That was in 1981, and he achieved a European Cup win the following year, but his time at the club ended controversially. After signing for Coventry City as a teenager in the late 1960s, Mortimer lined up against such legends as Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Franz Beckenbauer and George Best. From there he moved to Villa and became one of manager Ron Saunders' most trusted players. He was in the dressing room for the most successful period in the club's history, but was frozen out by the chairman before his eventual exit. He finished his playing career at Brighton & Hove Albion, Sheffield United and Villa's bitter rivals Birmingham City, then moved into coaching. In this tell-all autobiography, Mortimer lifts the lid on the highs and lows of his decade at Villa and shares stories galore about the many characters he met through his life in football.

Ian Thorpe's achievements in the water are nothing short of phenomenal. He has won a record-holding 11 World Championship titles and ten Commonwealth Games gold medals. He has broken 22 world records and won five gold, three silver and one bronze Olympic medals. Having been under the spotlight since he was a young teenager, he retired from competitive swimming in 2006, but after five years he mounted a comeback for London 2012, and intense media attention followed. Thorpe is one of the world's most famous sportsmen, but it is the way he has managed his success and his commitment to helping others that has earned him respect and admiration internationally. This is a man who has had highs and lows away from the pool, who has led an extraordinary life of an elite athlete that most of us will never know, and who had the courage to come back and stake his claim for the ultimate goal once more.

Addicted to Football: A Journey from Anfield to Almost Everywhere is the autobiography of former professional footballer Jon Newby. His career took him from a single Premier League appearance with Liverpool to playing for clubs all over the country in the top eight tiers of the football pyramid. There was also a spell in Scottish football and a venture into non-league management. As a young player, Jon achieved his dream as he walked out in front of a packed Kop at Anfield. But ultimately his name was better known by Bury, Morecambe and Colwyn Bay fans, rather than by Liverpool fans. His story gives a fascinating insight into the unpredictable world of the journeyman footballer, covering battles with injuries, managers and even his own mind. Jon's biggest battle, however, came when he was diagnosed with an incurable heart condition and the game he was addicted to put his life in serious danger.

This is a revealing look at the history of race relations in the United States during the first half of the twentieth century portrayed through the lives and times of the first two African-American heavyweight boxing champions, Jack Johnson and Joe Louis. Incorporating extensive research into the black press of the time, the author explores how the public careers and private lives of these two sports figures both define and explain vital national issues from the early 1900s to the late 1940s.

"[Fredston] provides armchair travelers with a vivid portrait of wilderness rowing...full of intriguing personal digressions and moments of high drama."
--John Freeman, The Wall Street Journal

Jill Fredston has traveled more than twenty thousand miles of the Arctic and sub-Arctic-backwards. With her ocean-going rowing shell and her husband, Doug Fesler, in a small boat of his own, she has disappeared every summer for years, exploring the rugged shorelines of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Spitsbergen, and Norway. Carrying what they need to be self-sufficient, the two of them have battled mountainous seas and hurricane-force winds, dragged their boats across jumbles of ice, fended off grizzlies and polar bears, been serenaded by humpback whales and scrutinized by puffins, and reveled in moments of calm.
As Fredston writes, these trips are "neither a vacation nor an escape, they are a way of life." Rowing to Latitude is a lyrical, vivid celebration of these northern journeys and the insights they inspired. It is a passionate testimonial to the extraordinary grace and fragility of wild places, the power of companionship, the harsh but liberating reality of risk, the lure of discovery, and the challenges and joys of living an unconventional life.

Award-winning writer JD Morvan and renowned photographer Abbas' stunning graphic novel masterpiece which uses iconic photos to uniquely illustrate the historical 'Rumble in the Jungle' boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. "The drawings and photos allow us to revel in the imagery and history of that unforgettable night, and the torrid pace of the storytelling, the many flashbacks allow us to see the full context of the fight" - The Ring Award-winning writer JD Morvan and renowned photographer Abbas' stunning graphic novel masterpiece which uses iconic photos to uniquely illustrate the historical 'Rumble in the Jungle' boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. On the 30 th October 1974, the most famous boxing match of the 20 th Century took place. Nicknamed the "Rumble in the Jungle", it pitted Muhammad Ali, desperate to win back his world champion belt, and George Foreman, the current holder, against each other. Foreman had just KO'd the only two boxers to have ever beaten Ali. By his own admission, Ali was terrified of facing him in the ring... Now, the photojournalist Abbas immortalises this legendary meeting, having kept his photos in his personal archives for 36 years before unveiling them to the world. In a cross between a documentary, photo report and graphic novel, this book reveals the context of the most powerful photographs taken by one of the greatest photographers of the Magnum Photos agency. Enriched by the testimony of Abbas himself, Jean-David Morvan's script is rigorously brought to life by artist Rafael Ortiz.

For five incredible years from 1976 to 1980, Bjorn Borg ruled the men's singles at Wimbledon by carrying off consecutive titles. It was a phenomenal feat, all the more so because it was achieved on the lawns of the All England Club when the young Swede was essentially a clay-court specialist. No player in tennis's modern era had ever pulled it off and only one, Roger Federer, has subsequently matched it. Featuring vivid accounts of some of his most memorable matches, The Golden Boy of Centre Court tells the story of Borg's entire Wimbledon odyssey - from his first appearance in 1972 (when he won the Junior title) to his last in 1981. It's a journey that saw him evolve from a teeny-bopper heart-throb into a hero almost unanimously loved by the British tennis-watching public, and one of the greatest champions in the tournament's long history.

From the early sixties to the late seventies, defensive end Ron McDole experienced football's golden age from inside his old-school, two-bar helmet. During an eighteen-year pro career, McDole-nicknamed "The Dancing Bear"-played in over 250 games, including two AFL Championships with the Buffalo Bills and one NFL Championship with the Washington Redskins. A cagey and deceptively agile athlete, McDole wreaked havoc on football's best offenses as part of a Bills defensive line that held opponents without a rushing touchdown for seventeen straight games. His twelve interceptions remain a pro record for defensive ends. Traded by the Bills in 1970, he was given new life in Washington as one of the most famous members of George Allen's game-smart veterans known as "The Over-the-Hill Gang." Through it all, McDole was known and loved by teammates and foes alike for his knowledge and skill on the field and his ability to have fun off it. In The Dancing Bear McDole the storyteller traces his life from his humble beginnings in Toledo, Ohio, to his four years at the University of Nebraska, his marriage to high school sweetheart Paula, and his long, accomplished professional career. He recounts the days when a pro football player needed an off-season job to pay the bills and teams had to drive around in buses to find a city park in which to practice. The old AFL and NFL blitz back to life through McDole's straightforward stories of time when the game was played more for love and glory than for money.

Let Stephen Curry, Charles Barkley, Grant Hill, Reggie Miller, and more, tell you what it was like to take the floor against one of the Greatest of All Time. With a Foreword by Jerry West, and a new tribute from the author about Kobe's tragic death. When he entered the NBA in 1996 as a high-school star from Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, Kobe Bryant faced enormous expectations. No one can deny that he rose to the challenge. Today Bryant's status as a future Hall of Fame player is assured. During his stellar career, Bryant won five NBA championships; was a seventeen-time All-Star, NBA MVP, and two-time NBA Finals MVP. He led the league in scoring in 2006 and 2007. Now for the first time, hear stories from opponents, teammates, and players about what it was like to go against Kobe in Remembering Kobe Bryant. Contributors include: Chris Webber Jeff Van Gundy Rick Barry Doc Rivers Dwayne Wade Draymond Green Giannis Antetokounmpo Russell Westbrook Carmelo Anthony And many more Kobe Bryant was the greatest basketball player of his generation-a former schoolboy prodigy whose moves are now imitated in gyms and playgrounds around the world. Remembering Kobe Bryant provides an unprecedented glimpse into what it was like to play against one of the best of all time. Skyhorse Publishing and our Sports Publishing imprint is proud to publish a range of books for readers interested in sports-baseball, pro football, college football, pro basketball, college basketball, hockey, soccer, and more, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Jimmy Greaves remains the greatest goalscorer in English football history, with a record of 357 top-flight goals that may never be surpassed. Teenage sensation at Chelsea and England debutant at 19, he became - after an unhappy spell at AC Milan - a legend at Tottenham Hotspur. But despite 44 international goals in 57 games, his England career was defined by the heartbreak of missing the 1966 World Cup Final. A shock move to West Ham brought an acrimonious end to his Spurs days and, a year later, he retired from the game, aged only 31. What followed was a desperate descent into alcoholism, followed by a remarkable battle to win back his family and self-esteem. Reinventing himself as a popular TV personality, his instincts in front of camera proved as natural as those in front of goal. Having taken his final drink in 1978, Greaves has remained sober from that day. Drawing on interviews with family, friends, colleagues and opponents, Natural: The Jimmy Greaves Story is the definitive biography of one of England's most loved footballers.

Barry Sheene is arguably the greatest British motorcycle racing rider of all time. A chancer, lovable rogue and the leading sports star of his era, adored by the public and press alike, he won two world motorcycle championships - in 1976 and 1977. He achieved iconic status by being involved in some horrifc crashes and was dubbed 'the bionic man' on account of the amount of metal used to reconstruct his legs after a particularly bad accident. He emigrated to Australia in 1987 where he became a celebrated motorsport commentator. His premature passing in 2003 robbed motorsport of one of its greatest characters. For the first time, Barry's family have agreed to open up their personal archive to give an unprecedented insight into the two- time 500cc world champion. Through more than 120 previously unpublished personal photographs, Times journalist and award-winning author Rick Broadbent tells the story of a remarkable sports star. Published to mark the 40th anniversary of his second world championship win, this is a unique pictorial account of a life lived at full throttle and is an intensely personal look at a racer, legend, husband and father.

**Winner of the William Hill 2018 Sports Book of the Year Award** A Sunday Times Book of the Year and Telegraph Best Book of 2018 'Extraordinary' Clare Balding The poignant, life-affirming story of a determined boy, a visionary coach, and how the dream of a record-breaking Channel swim became reality Eltham, South London. 1984: the hot fug of the swimming pool and the slow splashing of a boy learning to swim but not yet wanting to take his foot off the bottom. Fast-forward four years. Photographers and family wait on the shingle beach as a boy in a bright orange hat and grease-smeared goggles swims the last few metres from France to England. He has been in the water for twelve agonizing hours, encouraged at each stroke by his coach, John Bullet, who has become a second father. This is the story of a remarkable friendship between a coach and a boy, and a love letter to the intensity and freedom of childhood.