On My Radar (Tennis Edition)

My favorite sport to watch is NFL football.  But my favorite sport to play is tennis.  My formative tennis years happened to coincide with the emergence of John McEnroe on the world stage.  While may people loathe Johnny Mac for his antics on the court, I always understood.  Any temper I have lies dormant for the most part but has been known to erupt from time-to-time usually with a connection to the aforementioned two sports.

I won't back down. I admire John McEnroe.  He is anti-authority.  His politics are liberal.  He is known as a good famiy man and father.  He expects a lot of himself and others.  He often oversteps the bounds of proper public behavior, but only on the tennis court.  I won't defend him when he's wrong, but at least he's himself.

There are two recent books celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the tennis season where the rivalry of John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg was born.

First up is EPIC: John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, and the Greatest Tennis Season Ever by Matthew Cronin, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.  I finished this book recently and it brought back a lot of memories for me from (sigh) 30 years ago.  In addition to rekindling good thoughts of great times, the book provided a wealth of inside information about the rivalries and friendships as well as the personalities of the tennis professionals and coaches of that era.

If you or someone you love is into tennis this is a great addition to their Summer reads.  It serves as  mini biographies of the great Borg and Mcenroe and clearly describes the difference in the two men which ultimately resulted in mutual respect and admiration between them. Sadly, the Borg/McEnroe rivalry ended too soon, leaving fans with feelings of what could have been.

I am still reading HIGH STRUNG:  Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, and the Untold Story of Tennis's Fiercest Rivalry, written by Stephen Tignor and published by Harper/Harper Collins.  While the two books share subject matter, they both come from different angles.  The Cronin book focuses primarily on the revolution the two men were part of for the sport of tennis, while Tignor seems to aim his attention on the two men themselves.

I will write more about HIGH STRUNG after I have finished it, but there is nothing so far to keep me from recommending it to any sports fan looking to complete their education about two of the most enigmatic tennis players ever.

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St. Martins Press has graciously provided a First Edition hardcover copy of Gilbert Gottfried's "memoir" RUBBER BALLS AND LIQUOR.  And, it comes with an autographed bookplate.

To be entered to win all you have to do is add me on twitter (@book_dude) or tweet the following:


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