Venus Envy: Power Games, Teenage Vixens, and Million-Dollar Egos on the Women's Tennis Tour [Paperback]

L. Jon Wertheim (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 18, 2002

Sports Illustrated investigative reporter and tennis columnist L Jon Wertheim draws back the curtain on the athletic soap opera of women's tennis to reveal its primal plotlines driven by ambition, sex, and revenge. However, by far the biggest story in sports today is Venus Williams. Forced to the sidelines for the early months of the 2000 season by injuries to both her wrists and her psyche, she stormed back to win Wimbledon, the US Open and Two Olympic gold medals. By the time Venus signed the biggest endorsement deal ever for a female athlete, her opponents sentiments could be described in just two words: Venus Envy. Containing a wealth of inside-the-locker room anecdotes about the marquee names in women's tennis, here are the real stories behind the news stories.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Explosive...Jon Wertheim has done the game a good service.” (Tennis Week )

“Lively and...fresh” (New York Times Book Review )

“Fascinating...inside scoops...Plenty of off-the-court gossip.” (San Francisco Chronicle )

About the Author

L Jon Wertheim is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and CNN/SI.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (June 18, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060957492
• ISBN-13: 978-0060957490
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,116,629 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

L. JON WERTHEIM is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and the author of five books, including Blood in the Cage, a chronicle of the rise of mixed martial arts, and Running the Table, about a bipolar pool hustler named Kid Delicious, which has been optioned for film by Tom Hanks's Playtone and is currently in development. His work has been featured in The Best American Sports Writing numerous times.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good overview of the women's tour, January 29, 2006

By 

A. Klein - See all my reviews

This review is from: Venus Envy: Power Games, Teenage Vixens, and Million-Dollar Egos on the Women's Tennis Tour (Paperback)

This book is good to learn about the tennis tour in general and how the business is changing. However when it comes to the actual players, you only get a glimpse of them. Since it is not a bio of any of the players, that may be too much to ask. Tennis fans who follow the writer's online column may not get much more insight into the game. However newcomers may find it informative. I liked the book but it didn't go into the hard issues on the tour such as coaches who have affairs with the players and what should be done. Burn out, parent/coach abuse, public pressure, big money, girls supporting their families, etc. You get a small overview of these problems. At the very least parents should read it if they want their kids to become pro atheletes.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable quick read for tennis fans, April 14, 2004

By 

Boraxo "Boraxo" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Venus Envy: Power Games, Teenage Vixens, and Million-Dollar Egos on the Women's Tennis Tour (Paperback)

A must read for anyone who wants to learn more about the players and personalities in the women's tennis world. I also learned a great deal about the women's tennis circuit. Very quick read and quite enjoyable.

Do not buy this book if you are looking for something deep or substantive. This is popular-pulp people-magazine style reporting. And I loved it!

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ultimately a little disappointing, October 1, 2003

By 

Your librarian (St Louis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Venus Envy: Power Games, Teenage Vixens, and Million-Dollar Egos on the Women's Tennis Tour (Paperback)

The glamour girls of women's tennis get the elongated Sports Illustrated treatment. Given the racy racy title of this book, a reader might expect juicy gossip about the private lives of these star athletes. Otherwise, one might expect a deeper look at the Women's tennis tour and exciting blow-by-blow action.

What the reader gets is a recap of the major tournaments during the 2000 season (Wimbledon, French, Open, US Open, Indian Wells mostly)with some background on the more prominent of the racket stars. SI Tennis columnist Jon Wertheim gives us some acquaintance with Lindsay Davenport, Martina Hingis, Monica Seles, some minor stars and, of course, the Williams Sisters Venus and Serena.

Wertheim chronicles the influence of meddlesome parents. He explains the shortcomings of the World Tennis Association. And he even quotes outrageous allegations of lesbianism and widespread promiscuity among the women players. But he sheds no light on those allegations and lets the allegations fall flat. They would have been better unmentioned.

The tennis itself would have had more punch had the author described the mastery these players possess. Instead, his focus was on the athletes' dislike of other athletes and the petty bickerings that these emotions caused. He colors those bickerings with unspoken racism against the Williams sisters.

These women are world class athletes. And 2000 was the year that Venus Williams blossomed into the power she is today. More effort could have been spent on what caused her dominance aside from her size and musculature.

This book is not necessarily a bad book. It merely misses its potential. There are some good, yet shallow portrayals of some of tennis' top women. But that isn't enough to pull this book over the hump.