My Take on the Town & Country Tennis Book List

Emily Burack, a writer for Town & Country who covers entertainment and culture for the magazine, recently produced a recommended reading list of 20 tennis-related books for “this summer.” She claims that each of these books delivers the heart-pounding drama of a fantastic match.

Burack’s list did not include any books relating to tennis performance. However, she did not confine herself to the “beach read” fare I have reviewed lately. Her list was punctuated with quite a few memoirs and tennis history books, some of which I regard as fairly serious reading. Many of those titles have been previously reviewed on this site.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover eight books I have not read and reviewed on Burack’s list. To be fair, one of those is already on the calendar once it is actually published later this summer. A second title is already slated for inclusion shortly after the US Open. However, the fact that I had overlooked a book on the “Battle of the Sexes” that is on her list simply astonished me.

Here is my own breakdown on the books that appeared on Emily Burack’s Town & Country magazine recommended reading list.

Fictional Novels about Tennis (aka “Tennis Beach Reads”)

Carrie Soto Is Back: A Novel This was the first book in the T&C list, which I regarded as an ominous sign. The tennis was so wrong that I cannot recommend this book to fans in good conscience. If you have read every other book on the list, then knock yourself out. My full review ran May 18, 2023. I would have ranked “Game Set Murder: A Stan Powell Thriller,” “Apples Never Fall,” “Drop Shot: A Myron Bolitar Novel,” “Red Dirt: A Tennis Novel,” and even the YA book “Vanishing Act: John Feinstein” much higher than Carrie Soto is Back.

Non-Fiction Books about Tennis

	The Tennis Partner This book is a story about addiction. What is published in this genre frequently follows that description with the words “and recovery.” The dedication at the front of the book precludes this as a spoiler: There is no recovery in this story. Somehow Verghese cuts through the sadness to memorialize his friend and creates a sense of familiarity and, thus, empathy for how addiction can ravage and ultimately claim a life. My full review ran December 8, 2022.
	41-Love: A Memoir This is another book about addiction, but I almost missed it. As it turns out, the addiction was tennis. The author started regarding the sport as a spiritual journey filled with endurance, patience, and striving to be your best. That is healthy… until it isn’t. My full review ran November 3, 2022.
	The Master: The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer New York Times sports writer Christopher Clarey enjoyed frequent and unparalleled access to Federer throughout his career. His book is a thorough and comprehensive examination of Federer’s life and career. I am guessing that most tennis fans don’t need a book list to know that this title exists. My full review ran November 4, 2021
	Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi presents two compelling portraits. One is Andre Agassi as a sensitive and tortured soul. The other is the beast that is tennis. Together it is a potent combination. My full review ran July 30, 2020.
	String Theory: David Foster Wallace on Tennis This book is a near-perfect metaphor for the concept of tennis books in general. Almost all players have heard of it, and there is universal agreement that it is very good. At the same time, it is pretty rare actually to come across someone who has read it. It is a shame because it is really good. My full review ran July 9, 2020.
	Seeing Serena An unauthorized biography of Serena Williams 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. My full review ran July 22, 2021. I also recommend “Late to the Ball: A Journey into Tennis and Aging” by Marzorati, which has been influential on my journey as well as this site.
	A Terrible Splendor: Three Extraordinary Men, a World Poised for War, and the Greatest Tennis Match Ever Played The match in A Terrible Splendor is from a time when international sports and politics were inextricably linked. In the natural ebb and flow of history, those domains have had a higher degree of separation in the recent past. The world is on an upward trend where politics and sports are once again converging.  My full review ran January 28, 2021.
	Arthur Ashe: A Life Ashe himself wrote several books, one of which Days of Grace, was previously reviewed on this site. Citizen Ashe, the recently released documentary of his life, featured a tour of his extensive personal library by his wife. Books were important to Ashe. In Arthur Ashe: A Life, biographer Raymond Arsenault observes that after his mother’s death when Ashe was only six years old, books were his refuge that filled the void she left in his life.  My initial review ran February 24, 2022.
	All In: An Autobiography Billie Jean King’s life was the manifestation of an implicit challenge to do more. That work portrayed her life as an unfinished agenda. This book is an attempt to bring closure to her story on her own terms. The book culminates with a powerful appeal for others to carry on her legacy. It is uplifting, inspiring, and a mandatory read for all tennis fans. My full review ran August 26, 2021.
	Federer and Me: A Story of Obsession William Skidelsky is a literary editor for the Observer who stepped away from junior tennis before returning to the sport as an adult. This book is a memoir of his life framed out against his super fandom of Roger Federer. It is a brilliant literary tactic that makes his own story relatable while simultaneously drawing in Federer super-fans who similarly obsess over the player. My full review ran September 16, 2021.
	Levels of the Game I highly recommend Levels of the Game for people serious about learning about the sport’s history. It is also wonderful for developing a more nuanced view of the evolution of diversity and inclusion in tennis. My full review ran January 7, 2021.

Tennis Books that I have not read/reviewed.

	Racquet: The Book Racquet magazine was a quarterly independent publication highlighting the art, culture, and style adjacent to the sport–and (allegedly) just enough of the pro game to satisfy the diehards. The magazine is no longer in publication, so the book is a last-gasp attempt to monetize the content. I would not be unhappy if someone gave me this book as a Christmas gift.
	Sudden Death: A Novel  This one isn’t super high on my list. In the words of the publisher, “A daring, kaleidoscopic novel about the clash of empires and ideas, told through a tennis match in the sixteenth century between the radical Italian artist Caravaggio and the Spanish poet Francisco de Quevedo, played with a ball made from the hair of the beheaded Anne Boleyn. ” This… isn’t exactly my genre.
	Althea: The Life of Tennis Champion Althea Gibson I had a mild panic attack when I saw this book on the list because I couldn’t believe that I missed a book on Althea Gibson. You know what? I didn’t. This book won’t be released until August 15. In the meantime, for readers who really want to read a book on this tennis icon, I recommend Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson, The Match: Althea Gibson and Angela Buxton, or I Always Wanted to Be Somebody (Althea Gibson).
	40 Love: A Novel From the publisher: “Both the author and reader win this game of literary tennis, a comedy of manners in which British first-novelist Wickham aces the shallow rich, displaying a wicked backhand along the way.” This one looks pretty good.
	A Necessary Spectacle: Billie Jean King, Bobby Riggs, and the Tennis Match That Leveled the Game I am simply astonished to discover that I never reviewed this book. That will be corrected soon. In the meantime, I would recommend Game, Set, Match: Billie Jean King and the Revolution in Women’s Sports.
	Sudden Death: A Novel  From the publisher: “A behind-the-scenes tale of women’s  professional tennis that dramatically intertwines  the heart-stopping excitement of competition and  the lingering heartache of intimate human bonds.”
	The Singles Game From the publisher: “A dishy tell-all about a beautiful tennis prodigy who, after changing coaches, suddenly makes headlines on and off the court.”
	The Circuit: A Tennis Odyssey This book was already slated for review on this site later this summer, shortly before the US Open. From the publisher “In The Circuit: A Tennis Odyssey, the award-winning poet―and Paris Review sports columnist―Rowan Ricardo Phillips chronicles 2017 as seen through the unique prism of its pivotal, revelatory, and historic tennis season. The annual tennis schedule is a rarity in professional sports in that it encapsulates the calendar year. And like the year, it’s divided into four seasons, each marked by a final tournament: the Grand Slams.”

1. 20 Best Tennis Books to Read This Summer, Emily Burack, Town & Country, June 3, 2023.