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Tennis Elbow Relief: Serving up solutions for lateral epicondylitis

On By Teresa Merklin

I have never personally experienced tennis elbow. I want to attribute that statement to good stroke mechanics and diligent strength training, but it probably has more to do with luck. Previously, when people in my orbit asked me about treatment options for tennis elbow, I really didn’t have much to offer. That all changed when a copy of Tennis Elbow Relief: Serving up solutions for lateral epicondylitis by Emma Green first hit my hands.

Billie Jean King with Frank Deford

On By Teresa Merklin

Leading up to the release of ‘All In: An Autobiography’ by Billie Jean King last week, this site reviewed many of the previous books about her life. One notable omission was ‘Billie Jean King’ with Frank Deford. It was a simple matter of logistics. A copy of the Deford book did not fall into my hands until shortly after ‘All In’ was released. In retrospect that may have been a stroke of luck. The Billie Jean King biography is arguably best consumed after first reading ‘All In.’

All In: An Autobiography

On By Teresa Merklin

“All In: An Autobiography” of Billie Jean King was the most anticipated tennis book of 2021 for me. As the most impactful female in the history of athletics, there are already several biographies previously published on her life. It might be tempting to assume that the story of Billie Jean King has already been exhaustively told. However, even when revisiting events documented in previous sources, All In brings a fresh perspective and additional color to all that transpired. With All In, we finally have the definitive book about the life of Billie Jean King.

The Battle of the Sexes

On By Teresa Merklin

“All In: An AutoBiography” by Billie Jean King was released two days ago. I am in the middle of a very busy week at work and haven’t yet completed my initial reading. Last weekend, in anticipation that I would not be able to turn around a review in two days, I hedged my bets by rewatching the “Battle of the Sexes” movie starring Emma Stone as Billie Jean King and Steve Carell as Bobby Riggs. My review of “All In” will run next Thursday.

Game, Set, Match: Billie Jean King and the Revolution in Women’s Sports

On By Teresa Merklin

“All In: An Autobiography” of Billie Jean King will be released in five days on August 17. In the interim, I am passing the time by revisiting previously published books on her life. This week’s selection is positioned as a history book on the revolution in women’s sports. Interweaving the biography of Billie Jean King with the emergence of women’s athletics makes the history more accessible than when presented as a standalone topic. That story is virtually inseparable from the life of Billie Jean anyway.

Billie Jean: 1974

On By Teresa Merklin

I am counting down the days until the release of “All In: An Autobiography” of Billie Jean King which drops on August 17. In the meantime, I am revisiting previously published books on her life. First up is another autobiography, “Billie Jean” that was published in 1974. That work captures the chaos of the early days of the WTA as well as that moment when Billie Jean arrived at the realization that she was much more than “just a tennis player.”

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Passing Shots: Pam Shriver on Tour

On By Teresa Merklin

Pam Shriver’s book is a “Year in the Life” account based on her personal diary from 1985. While technically categorized as an autobiography, it is more accurately regarded as a snapshot of one year presented in sharp relief. Many of the details recorded in the book are not significant in the overall arc of Shriver’s life story. However, every day is a fascinating account of what professional tennis life was like in the mid-1980’s.

Seeing Serena

On By Teresa Merklin

‘Seeing Serena’ is an unauthorized biography of Serena Williams recently published by Gerald Marzorati, a tennis writer for the New Yorker. The book chronicles Serena’s return to tennis competition after giving birth to her daughter. Without any special access to Serena and her inner circle, Marzorati examines the player from an external perspective and through the lens of himself as a middle aged white man. He navigates those treacherous waters with skill. The result is a compelling and multi-faceted portrait of Serena.

The Master List: Tennis Doubles Books

On By Teresa Merklin

Over the past three months I have reviewed all the books in my personal collection on tennis doubles play. That is a total of nine volumes. Today’s post collects all those reviews into a convenient summary for someone who is seeking to find exactly the right book. Additionally, I have included my observations on the situations where each book excels.

On The Ball: Doubles Tennis Tactics for Recreational Players

On By Teresa Merklin

Unless another book comes tumbling off the shelf at me again, Gyata Stormon’s volume on tennis doubles is the final installment in the series of books that I happen to own on the topic. For what is likely to be a brief window in time, I can stake the claim that I have read all the tennis doubles books that I own. It is an accomplishment, no matter how fleeting the moment ultimately turns out to be.