Ladies of the Court : Grace and Disgrace on the Women's Tennis Tour
By Michael MewshawThe stars of the women's tennis tour are the richest, most famous, and most conspicuous female athletes in the world, and yet the public's perception of them is often limited to the little that can be gleaned from press conferences and photo opportunities. Eager to get beyond the cosmetic image, Michael Mewshaw followed the circuit from Rome to Paris, London, New York and points in between. Along the way he met teenage millionaires such as Monica Seles, Jennifer Capriati, and Mary Joe Fernandez. Then he talked to their opponents, obscure girls struggling to stay on the tour and continuing to pursue a dream. He spoke with adolescents, anxious about their emerging sexuality, and veterans trying to balance love affairs, marriages, and motherhood with the demands of a tennis career. He had bristly encounters with ferociously ambitious fathers who live through, and off of, their daughters.
An acclaimed novelist, Mewshaw captures the essence of characters as complex as Martina Navratilova and as image conscious as Chris Evert and Pam Shriver. A celebrated sportswriter, he analyzes matches, discusses strategy, and describes the practice sessions and conditioning programs of the top stars. He interviews the most renowned coaches, trainers, and sports agents, and he serves as a sympathetic listener as the women candidly assess their lives. Most important, as an award-winning investigative journalist, Mewshaw is in a position to subject the women's tennis tour to the sort of scrutiny it rarely receives. Delving into police files and court documents, he uncovers the painful price that players often pay for success. From sociologists and sports psychiatrists, he learns about teenagers sexually abused by middle-age men, coaches who consider sex just another perk of the job, and the groupies, gofers, and hangers-on who have their own troubling agendas.
Ladies of the Court is an in-depth, behind-the-scenes report on women's tennis that ranges from profiles of Grand Slam champions to appalling snapshots of players whose ambitions have landed them on a therapist's couch instead of in a penthouse. Simultaneously an affectionate portrait of those who play the game and a condemnation of those who exploit the players, this is a book that transcends sport and defines the difficulties confronted by women who seek excellence in any arena.
Buy Ladies of the Court : Grace and Disgrace on the Women's Tennis Tour at Attic books in Nairobi Kenya.
Book details
- Hardcover
- 327 pages
- English
- 0517587580
- 9780517587584
About Michael Mewshaw
michael mewshaw was Read More about Michael Mewshaw
More Books By Michael Mewshaw
People who bought this also bought
Mo'ne Davis : Remember My Name: My Story from First Pitch to Game Changer
Used Book
Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went from Street Corner to Corner Office
New Book
Martin Luther King Jr. on Leadership : Inspiration and Wisdo
New Book
Heart, Smarts, Guts, and Luck: What It Takes to Be an Entrepreneur and Build a Great Business
Used Book
Public Enemies : Dueling Writers Take On Each Other and the World
Used Book
Travel Historic Winconsin : A Guide to Wisconsin's Historical Markers
Used Book
What Color is Your Parachute? 1995 : A Practical Manual for Job-hunters and Career-changers
Used Book
The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership by Richard Branson
New Book
I Can Make You Thin: The Revolutionary System Used by More Than 3 Million People
Used Book
Fundamentalism and American Culture: The Shaping of Twentieth-Century Evangelicalism 1870-1925
Used Book
Issues in American Protestantism: A Documentary History from the Puritans to the Present
Used Book
Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Used Book