This weekend sees the finals of the Wimbledon championships. Whether you’ll be glued to the TV or trying to avoid it, you don’t need to be a tennis fan to enjoy these great reads which all feature the game.
Celebrated picture book biographer Jeanette Winter shares the story of champion tennis players—and sisters—Venus and Serena Williams.
Before they were famous tennis stars, Venus and Serena Williams were sisters with big dreams growing up in Compton, California. In the early mornings, they head to the tennis courts, clean up debris, and practice.
They compete in their first tournament and they both win. From there, the girls’ trophy collection grows and grows. Despite adversity and health challenges, the sisters become two of the greatest tennis players of all time. This inspiring story of sisterhood, hard work, and determination is perfect for budding athletes or any young reader with a big dream.
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Carrie Soto is the greatest player the world has ever seen.
But six years after her last match, she watches a young British tennis player steal her world record – and Carrie knows she has to go back and reclaim her rightful place at the top.
Even if the world doesn’t believe in her.
Even if it almost breaks her.
This is a story about the cost of greatness and the burden of fame.
The fight for a place in history is about to begin . .
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
The Delaney family love one another dearly – it’s just that sometimes they want to murder each other . . .
Joy Delaney and husband Stan have done well. Four wonderful grown-up children. A family business to envy. The golden years of retirement ahead of them.
So when Joy Delaney vanishes – no note, no calls, her bike missing – it’s natural that tongues will wag.
How did Stan scratch his face? And who was the stranger who entered and suddenly left their lives? What are they all hiding?
But for the Delaney children there is a much more terrifying question: did they ever know their parents at all?
The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey
Described by Billie Jean King as her ‘tennis bible’, Timothy Gallwey’s multi-million bestseller, including an introduction from acclaimed sports psychologist Geoff Beattie, has been a phenomenon for players of all abilities since it was first published in 1972.
Instead of concentrating on how to improve your technique, it starts from the understanding that ‘every game is composed of two parts, an outer game and an inner game’. The former is played against opponents on the court, but the latter is a battle within ourselves as we try and overcome self-doubt and anxiety. It is often won or lost before a ball has been hit.
Gallwey’s revolutionary approach, built on a foundation of Zen thinking and humanistic psychology, will teach you how to develop your concentration, work on your gamesmanship and help you break bad habits. You will also learn how to trust yourself on the court and how to maintain clarity of mind throughout the match, giving you a clear psychological advantage over your opponent.
Whether you are an amateur or a pro, The Inner Game of Tennis is essential reading for overcoming the self-doubt, nervousness, and lapses of concentration that can keep a player from winning. It is guaranteed to change the way you play tennis forever.
The Singles Game by Lauren Weisberger
From the global bestselling author of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA: it’s a match made in hell.
Sweeping from Wimbledon to the Caribbean, from LA to mega yachts in the Med, The Singles Game is a brilliantly entertaining romp through a world where the stakes are high – and no-one plays by the rules.
When Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Silver makes a pact with the devil, infamously brutal tennis coach Todd Feltner, she finds herself catapulted into a world of stylists, private parties and secret dates with Hollywood royalty.
Under Todd it’s no more good-girl attitude: he wants warrior princess Charlie all the way. After all, no-one ever won by being nice.
Celebrity mags and gossip blogs go wild for Charlie, chasing scandal as she jets around the globe. But as the warrior princess’s star rises, both on and off the court, it comes at a high price. Is the real Charlie Silver still inside?
Knowing the Score by Judy Murray
Judy Murray provides the ultimate insight into life with her tennis champion sons Andy and Jamie.
What happens when you find you have exceptional children?
Do you panic? Put your head in the sand? Or risk everything and jump in head first?
As mother to tennis champions Jamie and Andy Murray, Scottish National Coach, coach of the Fed Cup, and general all-round can-do woman of wonder, Judy Murray is the ultimate role model for believing in yourself and reaching out to ambition. As a parent, coach, leader, she is an inspiration who has revolutionised British tennis.
From the soggy community courts of Dunblane to the white heat of Centre Court at Wimbledon, Judy Murray’s extraordinary memoir charts the challenges she has faced, from desperate finances and growing pains to entrenched sexism.
We all need a story of ‘yes we can’ to make us believe great things are possible. This is that story.