Tennis Biography

In 1973, two of the world's most famous tennis stars took part in what became known as the "Battle of the Sexes". Bobby Riggs embraced the idea that men were superior to women in every way and claimed that he would defeat any woman on the tennis court. Meanwhile, Billie Jean King was determined to beat him. She knew she could win and prove that women were as just good as men.

Zibby Owens has become a well-known personality in the publishing world. Her infectious energy, tasteful authenticity, and smart, steadfast support of authors started in childhood, a precedent set by the profound effect books and libraries had on her own family. But after losing her closest friend on 9/11 and later becoming utterly stressed out and overwhelmed by motherhood, Zibby was forgetting what made her her. She turned to books and writing for help.

Enjoy a courtside seat as Brian Cox swings his tennis racket from hazardous war zones to the ashram of a Himalayan guru, and eventually to Mount Shasta, an area known for its occult legends. In Tennis with God, Brian, a globetrotting Foreign Service brat, travels with his family through hardship posts in Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East.

Tennis from the Heart: Pursuing the Dream is a story about an individual Sam, who reaches the finals of Wimbledon after having been a professional with limited success for over 10 years. His journey through life is a lesson in the differences between supportive transformational coaches that inspired love for the game and dictatorial coaches who turned him off.

Chris Jackson's new thoughtful and brilliantly written study of Federer as a man, player and aesthetic and moral figure of our times outplays even Foster Wallace's magisterial writing on this greatest of all tennis champions. Updated for its audio release, here is the most profound, insightful and elegant book ever written about the greatest sportsman of our time.

More than a biography, Serena Williams: Tennis Champion, Sports Legend, and Cultural Heroine not only tells the story of her upbringing and remarkable career but also looks at Williams as a sports pioneer. Merlisa Lawrence Corbett explores Williams’ influence on cultural and political issues such as body shaming, gender equality, and racism in sports and society. Corbett also analyzes Williams’ impact on discussions of feminism, the sports celebrity, and the marketing of female athletes.

Zum Wunderkind erkoren, zum Tennis getrieben, wurde aus Andre Agassi der rebellische Superstar auf dem Centre Court, eine Pop-Ikone der Achtziger...

There has never been a period in history where tennis has been so rich in iconic personalities, and recent times have seen more astonishing, history-making stories than ever before. Small wonder, then, that Neil Harman, who this season celebrates a decade at the helm of The Times tennis coverage, should want to share the tales he has lived through in a book that drips personality, excitement, drama and intrigue from first page to last.

In Rafael Nadal: The Inspiring Story of One of Tennis' Greatest Legends, you will learn the incredible story of one of tennis' best players, Rafael Nadal. For the last two decades, three men have dominated the game of tennis: Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal. Nadal will likely go down as the greatest clay-court player to ever grace the court.

In celebration of the Women’s Tennis Association’s 50th anniversary, this updated and expanded edition—based on the 1988 original We Have Come a Long Way: The Story of Women's Tennis—includes more than 33 years’ worth of stories about inspiring women and their achievements. The book arrives 53 years after King and eight other women players broke with the male tennis establishment and launched their own professional tour.

In 1950, three years after Jackie Robinson first walked onto the diamond at Ebbets Field, the all-white, upper-crust US Lawn Tennis Association opened its door just a crack to receive a powerhouse player who would integrate "the game of royalty." The player was a street-savvy young Black woman from Harlem named Althea Gibson who was about as out-of-place in that rarefied and intolerant world as any aspiring tennis champion could be.

In Tennis with God, Brian, a globetrotting Foreign Service brat, travels with his family through hardship posts in Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. Along the way, high-level tennis and table tennis are his faithful companions, as Brian perfects his game and aims to earn the respect and acceptance of his overbearing father.

I’m only in my mid-twenties, and some might think that’s young to write a memoir. Who does that, right? But for me and my team it’s always been important to reflect on every part of the journey, especially the end. In that context, the timing is perfect to share my story, from the first time I picked up a racquet as a 5-year-old girl to the night I packed up my tennis bag after winning the 2022 Australian Open.

Sam found potential he never thought he had, got better at table tennis than most people thought possible, and discovered what it feels like when 1.5 million people watch you fail. Here is their story, including all the ridiculous training methods and unreachable goals and the surprising lessons they learned from playing table tennis every day for a year.

In Novak Djokovic: The Inspiring Story of One of Tennis' Greatest Legends, you will learn the inspirational story of one of tennis' premier legends, Novak Djokovic. Novak Djokovic has come a long way since reaching his first Grand Slam final in the 2007 US Open. There was little doubt that even in his defeat to fellow legend, Roger Federer, that Djokovic was going to be embarking on an illustrious tennis career.

In Serena Williams: The Inspiring Story of One of Tennis' Greatest Legends, you will learn the inspirational story of one of tennis' premier legends, Serena Williams. Williams is arguably the greatest women's tennis player of all-time. At the time of this writing, she holds the most Grand Slam singles titles in the Open Era with 23. Fans from across the world adore Williams and with good reason: she serves as an exemplary role model for how to behave on and off the tennis court. She is not only elite in skill, but also in her sportsmanship. In this unauthorized biography, we'll explore Williams' journey to becoming one of the greatest, and learn what it has taken her to reach where she is today.

From her start playing paddle tennis on the streets of Harlem as a young teenager to her eleven Grand Slam tennis wins to her professional golf career, Althea Gibson became the most famous Black sportswoman of the mid-twentieth century. In her unprecedented athletic career, she was the first African American to win titles at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. In this first full-scale biography, Ashley Brown narrates the public career and private struggles of Althea Gibson (1927–2003).

In 1930, at the age of twenty-seven, Liesl Herbst was the Austrian National Tennis Champion, a celebrity in Vienna. Liesl, her husband David and their daughter Dorli came to Britain after escaping the Nazis. In London, though initially stripped of their Austrian passports and rendered stateless aliens, both Liesl and her daughter Dorli competed at Wimbledon. They remain the only mother and daughter ever to have played doubles together at Wimbledon.

Who was Alice Marble? In her public life, she was the biggest tennis star of the pre-war era, a household name like Joe DiMaggio and Joe Louis. She was famous for overcoming serious illness to win the biggest tournaments, including Wimbledon. She was also a fashion designer and trendsetter, a contributor to a pioneering new comic called Wonder Woman - and friend to the biggest names in Hollywood and society, like Carole Lombard and Clark Gable, William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies, and members of families named Bloomingdale, Loew, and du Pont.

In the mid-20th century, the Heldmans were tennis royalty. Julie was a volatile and gutsy tennis star, twice ranked number five in the world. Her mother Gladys was broadly admired for her unique magazine, World Tennis, and for engineering the women’s tennis revolution. No one guessed that Gladys’s hidden emotional abuse was the source of Julie’s powerful drive. Driven is a highly listenable insider’s account of a pivotal time in women’s tennis history; an in-depth look at Gladys’s complex character; and the revealing story of Julie’s interior journey.