Tennis Hits the Books
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.
First the “awe” part. The author, Gerald Marzorati, is an actual writer with other nonfiction book titles under his belt and years of editing experience at The New York Times Magazine, Harper’s, and The New Yorker. Just in case anyone still needs my opinion after that rundown of street cred, Marzorati is an extremely talented writer. The storytelling and the prose is some of the best on tennis you will ever find.
What Marzorati is not — or at least was not at the onset of his project that is the subject of Late to the Ball — is a tennis player. While he was a fan of tennis, he had never actually played the sport until he decided to take it up at age 54. At that point he went “all in” on tennis by deciding not only to start playing, but also to compete at the highest levels of Senior Tennis.
The “annoyance” factor for me was centered in the fact that through some combination of guile, hubris, and insider connections, Marzorati was able to immerse himself in the tennis culture in a way that most people will never have the chance to experience. As an example, early on in his journey he arranged a practice match with Bob Litwin, author of Live The Best Story of Your Life. Most players in a similar position would probably never even make the calls that turned that idea into reality.
Marzorati also attended something known as “Tennis Congress,” a semi-annual convention for rabid adult tennis players. In fact, the first time I ever even heard of that event was in my initial reading of Late to the Ball. It is now firmly ensconced my bucket list.
The “jealously” factor comes in because Marzorati has played the Cat 1 National Grass Court Championships in Forest Hills. Since he lives in New York, he doesn’t have the logistical challenges associated with playing that tournament previously described on this site. So in addition to adding Tennis Congress to my bucket list, he also managed to tick off another item that was already on it.
During my re-read of the book last week, I realized that I need to add one more word to describe my emotional reaction to Late to the Ball. Inspiring. Picking up tennis at age 54 and giving oneself so completely to the game is kind of amazing. Ultimately, the book is evidence that it is never too late to take up the sport and strive to compete at the highest competitive levels. Anyone can do it.
I regard Late to the Ball as one of the best books ever written about playing tennis. Spoiler alert — that also makes it one of the best books about Senior Tennis as well. Marzorati captures the spirit of competition and the psychological roller coaster of playing tennis in a vivid and entertaining portrait that makes the reader want to play. The tennis world needs more of that.
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