Pete Sampras is arguably the greatest tennis player ever, a man whose hard-nosed work ethic led to an unprecedented number one world ranking for 286 weeks, and whose prodigious talent made possible a record-setting fourteen Grand Slam titles. While his more vocal rivals sometimes grabbed the headlines, Pete always preferred to let his racket do the talking.
Until now.
In "A Champion’s Mind," the tennis great who so often exhibited visible discomfort with letting people “inside his head” finally opens up. An athletic prodigy, Pete resolved from his earliest playing days never to let anything get in the way of his love for the game. But while this single-minded determination led to tennis domination, success didn’t come without a price. The constant pressure of competing on the world’s biggest stage—in the unblinking eye of a media machine hungry for more than mere athletic greatness—took its toll.
Here for the first time Pete speaks freely about what it was like to possess what he calls “the Gift.” He writes about the personal trials he faced—including the death of a longtime coach and confidant—and the struggles he gutted his way through while being seemingly on top of the world. Among the book’s most riveting scenes are an early devastating loss to Stefan Edberg that led Pete to make a monastic commitment to delivering on his natural talent; a grueling, four-hour-plus match against Alex Corretja during which Pete became seriously ill; fierce on-court battles with rival and friend Andre Agassi; and the triumphant last match of Pete’s career at the finals of the 2002 U.S. Open.
In "A Champion’s Mind," one of the most revered, successful, and intensely private players in the history of tennis offers an intimate look at the life of an elite athlete.

"From the Hardcover edition."

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

This revised and updated biography intertwines the incredible playing career of one of the best and most popular tennis players of all time with a history of how he came to rescue the image of a young, war-torn country on the world stage. It describes Djokovic's modest upbringing, revealing how he met the woman who taught him both to play tennis and how to deal with life as a high-profile icon. It charts Djokovic's battle with illness, his relationship with a volatile father, and how his on-court deeds have made his country proud. It also tells the story of Serbia, offering a nuanced portrait of a people with a troubled past, and offers an unrivaled assessment of the player's recent drop in form--and the untold reasons behind it.

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

Read all about superstar tennis champion, Emma Raducanu! The incredible winner of the 2021 US Open has shot to fame and straight into the hearts of the world. Emerging as one of the most influential young sports stars not just for her own generation, but for decades, her rise has been meteoric. This former Wimbledon wildcard has the whole planet talking about her as the first British female player to win a Grand Slam title in over 40 years - all without dropping a single set. Emma Raducanu, A Life Story is the perfect way to discover the fascinating facts and inspirational moments from the life of this young star. 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 Serena Williams: A Life Story Captain Tom Moore: A Life Story

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.

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.

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.

***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.

This is the second edition of the highly acclaimed and bestselling comprehensive history of tennis which was the first truly scholarly history of any individual sport. Supported by a startling wealth of linguistic and documentary research, Gillmeister charts the global evolution of tennis from its origins in 12th century France where it emerged as a more peaceful variety of ribald football played in monasteries. By the 16th century, it had become the favourite pastime of the European aristocracy and had, in the wake of the Spanish conquistadors, even reached the Americas. The prestige of the game also led to its popularity among Renaissance poets and playwrights. After a gradual decline in the 18th and 19th centuries the medieval game revived in the 1870s in the form of lawn tennis. The new game dispensed with the expensive walled courts, discarded the complicated rules of the old game and was played in a natural setting. From England with its famous Wimbledon tournament it spread to the European continent and to the United States where the Davis Cup was born.Gillmeister debunks several firmly established myths about the history of the game and rare colour photographs and medieval and renaissance drawings generously adorn the text. A delight for the sports fan and the scholar alike, Tennis is the authoritative text on the 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

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.