The Golden Boy of Centre Court
Bjorn Borg is inextricably linked with the Wimbledon Championships. The love affair started in 1972, when the 16 year old won the Junior title atRead More
Wimbledon Confidential
In case it isn’t obvious by now, I am fascinated with the organizational dynamics of the tennis industry. When I recently stumbled across a bookRead More
Title IX: Game, Set, Match
50 years ago today, Richard Nixon signed Title IX of the Civil Rights Act into law. In celebration of that fact I am using this “Tennis Hits the Books” Thursday to run a revised review of the best tennis related book on Title IX. While the law had a seismic impact on educational and athletic opportunities for women, there is still significant opportunity to improve compliance and enforcement.
Dear John: The John Lloyd Autobiography
Before reading this book, if I had been asked to write a wikipedia-style biography of John Lloyd, it would start out something like this: “John Lloyd is a former professional tennis player who is best known for once being married to Chris Evert.” When Lloyd recently released this autobiography, my first thought was concern that it might be filled with sordid and salacious assertions about Chrissie in an attempt to cash in and sell more copies. As it turns out, those worries were completely unfounded.
2 responsesBoris Becker – The Player
Following his recent conviction for hiding assets during bankruptcy proceedings, a British tabloid reported that Boris Becker will be writing a book to stave off boredom during his 30 month incarceration. Additionally, a source claims that “It’ll be a warts-and-all diary on how he got himself in such a troubling position and then what life is like in jail.” The apparent forthcoming book will not be the first authored by Becker. He originally published an autobiography in 2004.
René Lacoste
René Lacoste is one of the most iconic tennis players in the history of the sport. His tenacity on the court earned him the nickname “The Crocodile” and that image became logo of the brand that still bears his name. He was one of the French “Four Musketeers” players that dominated international tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Lacoste was also a prolific inventor of tennis related technology.
Roland Garros
While Roland Garros played tennis… very poorly by all accounts… the stadium of the French Open bears his name for panache and heroics unrelated to tennis.
2 responsesTranscendance: Alize Cornet
I have been an under the radar fan of Alize Cornet for a very long time. Her passion for tennis competition is always discernible by the expression on her face. Cornet is also currently on an amazing streak of longevity that seems to have escaped widespread attention by most of the tennis world. When Cornet steps onto the court at Roland Garros at the French Open next week, it will mark her 61st consecutive appearance at a Grand Slam. To underscore the achievement, she has appeared in every single Grand Slam draw for over 15 years.
3 responsesThe Quest
In 2016, Novak Djokovic entered the clay court season with the three previous major championships under his belt. However, he had never hoisted the trophy at Roland Garros. French tennis journalist Carole Bouchard was there to chronicle his quest to achieve the “career slam.” At that time, Djokovic was on the outside looking in as the tennis world enthusiastically debated whether Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal would emerge as the greatest player of all time. Winning the French Open changed the narrative and inserted Djokovic into the conversation.
Reading the Fine Print
Sometimes a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Information gleaned from books on tennis can be used to make you a better player. Alternatively it can be used to highlight deficiencies in your game that will never be corrected. Sometimes you just have to be who you are.
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