Herbert Warren Wind was a sportswriter for The New Yorker from 1941 until his retirement in 1990. While his primary sport was golf, he also wrote about other sports, including tennis, squash, basketball, and football. Wind’s most iconic column coined the phrase ‘Amen Corner’ to describe the 11th, 12th, and 13th holes at Augusta National Golf Club. He was known for his eloquence, deep knowledge of the sports he covered, and ability to vividly capture the essence of sporting events.
Consequently, I had high hopes for Game, Set, and Match: The Tennis Boom of the 1960s and 1970s. The book is a collection of Wind’s tennis columns that previously ran in The New Yorker during that era. As such, the book fails to live up to the promise implied by the title. It does not construct a cohesive narrative that explains the tennis boom that occurred during this time period.
However, each original column is a beautiful postcard from those times. Consuming each chapter is extraordinarily satisfying. Wind’s observations about the storylines and themes in tennis live up to his reputation for eloquence, deep knowledge, and vivid accounts of the times. Even the most ardent tennis historians and enthusiasts will learn something new from this collection.
The great thing about this book is that it is possible to consume individual chapters based on your current interests and the tennis calendar. In fact, that is arguably the best way to approach it. It is a thoughtfully curated collection of columns from a great sportswriter covering the sport.
Game, Set, and Match: The Tennis Boom of the 1960s and 1970s is not currently in print. If you encounter it in a used bookstore, don’t pass on the opportunity to add it to your collection.
Fiend At Court participates in the Amazon associates program and receives a paid commission on any purchases made via the links in this article. Details on the disposition of proceeds are available on the “About Fiend at Court” page.
