Heading into my December training block, it would be natural for my reading interests to gravitate toward strategy, drills, and conditioning titles. Indeed, that is happening. However, the “off-season” is also a good time to consume tennis books that qualify as legitimate literature. Along those lines, this week I decided to delve into The Tennis Partner by Abraham Verghese.
This memoir was a New York Times notable book and best seller when it was originally published in 2011. Despite that, I was somewhat worried that the subject matter might turn out to be a slog. However, it turned out to be an absolute page-turner. I never wanted to put it down.
The Tennis Partner chronicles an unlikely friendship that grew out of an offhand invitation to play tennis by a doctor at a university hospital to a fourth-year medical student. It was an impertinent suggestion from a recreational player to a former collegiate and ATP professional.
Verghese applies his clinical eye for detail which enabled him to make dispassionate observations about his close friend. At the same time, he exposes his own depth of emotions, vulnerability, and fallibility in a way that makes the inevitable conclusion of the book all the more heartbreaking.
The friendship chronicled in The Tennis Partner is very much a story about addiction. Frequently what is published in this genre 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 ravaged and ultimately claimed his life.
As the book nears its tragic climax, Verghese observes that his childhood belief about tennis has been shattered. Specifically, he previously thought that mastering the art of tennis, as his much more talented and skilled friend had done, would serve to soothe the psyche. While tennis is certainly an escape, reality is tough to outrun.
The Tennis Partner is one of those books that can transform your life. In this case, it provides a glimpse into addiction that can inspire a greater understanding of those demons. Not all stories have happy endings.
 | The Tennis Partner |
