An engineer overthinks tennis in a daily journal.
Strokes of Genius: Federer, Nadal, and the Greatest Match Ever Played is a book by Jon Wertheim about the 2008 Wimbledon Final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. It would be weird if it were about a match between two other players. While Strokes of Genius is ostensibly about the match, in reality it is a portrait of the rivalry between the Federer and Nadal as it stood at that time.
I finally completed my reading of Levels of the Game by John McPhee. The book is a detailed account of the 1968 semi-final match between by Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner play at Forest Hills and is widely regarded as a literary masterpiece. The match is the foreground of for a much deeper cultural and societal examination. The backgrounds and attitudes which shaped each player are interwoven with the match play.
Levels of the Game is a detailed account of the 1968 semi-final match between by Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner play at Forest Hills. The match is the foreground of for a much deeper cultural and societal examination. The backgrounds and attitudes which shaped each player are interwoven with the match play.
When I was in school, I never failed to complete required reading assignments. I simply loved books too much to not manage to find the time to read them. Especially when an essay or a test was in the offing. Consequently, on the eve of the publication of today’s content, I had the completely new experience that I had failed to complete my planned reading. I basically owe a book report on material that I have not read. I did what any self-respecting student would do in that situation: I watched the movie.
I regularly consult list of the best selling tennis books on amazon. Rafa, an autobiography of Rafael Nadal with John Carlin, currently sits at #8 on that list. It’s really #6 because The Inner Game of Tennis and Andre Agassi’s Open each appear twice above that spot.
Tis the season for recommending thoughtful gifts for tennis players. Today we will consider the three books that every tennis player should own, rather than read. A book that is a “must read” can usually be cast aside after initial consumption. The books that should be owned are those which get re-read and consulted over time. They are enduring.
Tennis Hits the Books With all the craziness of 2020, Thanksgiving is the perfect time to remember all the things that we have to beRead More
I have been reading Warren F. Kimball’s book The United States Tennis Association: Raising the Game almost all year. It has been an invaluable resource for me as I have explored the purpose and culture of the USTA. This book has frequently been listed in my resources/citations section of my posts. It is a fabulous account of the early history of the USTA and the development of tennis in the United States.
I have to confess that Late to the Ball: A Journey into Tennis and Aging was undoubtedly an influence on my conscious thought when this site was launched. I first read this book back in 2017, shortly after it was initially published. My initial journey through Late to the Ball at that time invoked a mixture of awe, annoyance, and jealously.
The fact that I am writing about Loving the Battle by Mark Tjia this week is an unanticipated side effect of the review I posted last week. Last week’s selection remains a mystery, and I continue to decline to name either the book or the author since my comments were less than flattering. That omission triggered a couple of guesses as to the identity of the book. One of the guesses started “Surely you don’t mean Loving the Battle…”
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