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Hardcourt Confidential: Tales from Twenty Years in the Pro Tennis Trenches [Hardcover]

Patrick McEnroe (Author)
2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Patrick McEnroe was never the tennis stud his brother, John, was, but he has made a nice career out of the game. As a player, he was a Grand Slam doubles champ, advanced to the singles semis in another Grand Slam, and is currently the U.S. Davis cup captain. He's also ESPN's lead tennis analyst. But can he write? Yes, he can. His inspiration sprang from his storytelling ability over dinner and drinks; people kept urging him to gather his tennis stories and put them in a book. The result is a mischievously entertaining and wholly informative, anecdote-heavy look at the relatively insular world of professional tennis. The PG-rated anecdotes are never malicious and usually chuckle-worthy; the analysis of the game and its global growth owes its acuity to McEnroe's unique vantage point as a former athlete, current administrator, and professional observer. Serious tennis fans will find information and perspective here that will add depth to their knowledge of the sport; casual observers will delight in McEnroe's wry wit and sense of the absurd. --Wes Lukowsky

Product Description

An entertaining and unfiltered look at professional tennis as only Patrick McEnroe can offer.

Patrick McEnroe has been in the world of professional tennis in one way or another for most of his life. As a player, coach, and ESPN commentator, he's seen it all. The significant tennis books of recent years have all been autobiographies--famous players burnishing their image or attempting to set the record straight within carefully controlled memoirs. No one has been willing to do a book that pulls back the curtain and presents an honest, no-holds-barred look into the ultimate gentleman's sport and the larger-than-life personalities that inhabit it. Patrick McEnroe does just that.

Curious to know which marquee player threw a tantrum and bailed early on a tournament? Why Roger Federer, presumably the greatest player of all time, has a losing head-to-head record with Rafael Nadal? Why certain tennis prodigies burned out early? The real role of coaches like Nick Bollettieri? Which player is as much of a diva off the court as on? The greatest match ever played? In Hardcourt Confidential, McEnroe uses his twenty-five-plus years in the trenches of the game to tell true tales and wild stories about the players you think you know (from Sampras to Agassi to Roddick to the Williams sisters), how and why the game has changed since he first swung a racket, and what the future holds in store for American tennis. McEnroe takes an unapologetic look at the men, women, and events of the past three decades, right up to the epic Federer vs. Nadal rivalry that dominates the game today. He's got a lot to say and he's not afraid to say it.

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Hyperion; 1 edition (June 8, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1401323812
  • ISBN-13: 978-1401323813
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #24,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
    #12 in  Books > Sports > Racket Sports
    #12 in  Books > Sports > Individual Sports > Tennis

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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
2.8 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Total Disappointment!, June 14, 2010
This review is from: Hardcourt Confidential: Tales from Twenty Years in the Pro Tennis Trenches (Hardcover)
I was so underwhelmed by this book, that for the first time since using Amazon.com, I felt obligated to write a review to warn other potential readers that this book is a total waste of time. I was really looking forward to reading this book because Patrick McEnroe seemed like a decent tennis commentator and the title, "Hardcourt Confidential" lead me to believe that the book would contain a behind the scenes look at the pro tour. No such luck. The author reveals little or nothing that even a casual fan doesn't already know. His great insights into the game are that Federer and Nadal are "special" players. Really??? That's your big reveal about the modern pro tour! Worse yet, the stories are just boring, and poorly written. Maybe the author is hamstrung to be any more revealing because he has Davis Cup responsibilities or a commitment to the USTA, but if that's the case, just don't write a book, or don't write a jacket cover for your book promising interesting tales from the tennis tour. I feel burned.
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10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Turgid & tired, June 11, 2010
This review is from: Hardcourt Confidential: Tales from Twenty Years in the Pro Tennis Trenches (Hardcover)
I didn't know what to expect from this book except that Patrick McEnroe might have an exaggerated sense of how interested people might be in a book from him and his publishers likely are trying to jump on a possible tennis publishing bandwagon realted to the the phenomenal Agassi book sales.
Alas here we have turgid writing - hard to describe how dull the prose is - and no insight. Instead a lot of recycling of old material, and strange unevenness of attitude (eg Sampras is cheap, as demonstrated in various ways, but when the Bryan brothers want the UTA to pay their girlfriends' cab fares, the USTA is doing wrong to its stars to refuse to pay). McEnroe seems quick to blame other people but gives no sense that his own career post tennis is owed almost entirely to his being John's brother whose coattails he has ridden a long way.
Nothing to recommend it even for the most ardent tennis fan, much less a more casual reader.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Is this a memoir or is it not?, July 23, 2010
This review is from: Hardcourt Confidential: Tales from Twenty Years in the Pro Tennis Trenches (Hardcover)
I am given this book a mixed review. I find it interesting when author discusses other tennis players, their games and off the court personality, the atmosphere at the grand slam events especially the Wimbledon, speed control at the hard court and to some extent the author's experience as the captain of David Cup. Yet at the same time, I find it boring and totally irrelevant when author writes about his personal life such as the plane crash in Long Island, his family members, his former girl friends and his wife.

I am reading this book to learn about tennis-related events, stories or even gossip, but not on Patrick McEnroe the person. If this was his memoir, his stories/anecdotes would be relevant, yet I would then have no interest in reading such a book. I also find the writing about David Cup a little bit too lengthy and self serving. In addition, I would expect to learn more about his brother, John McEnroe ("the bad boy"), yet he is often described simply as a "genius" and no further insider scoop.

I like Patrick McEnroe as the ESPN tennis commentator, and that was the reason I decided to read this book. After reading this book, I am disappointed. This book is just too off topic.

I do learn and appreciate the hard work, athleticism and the solitude life of the players. Only the elite few can make a good living on playing the game.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars This Mc doesn't deliver
I was disappointed in this book. Hardcourt Confidential connotes really behind the scenes looks at players, matches, etc. Davis Cup is covered ad nauseum. Read more
Published 6 days ago by bjb

1.0 out of 5 stars Hardcourt Confidential, Patrick McEnroe
I would not recommend this book to young tennis players because of the continued use of the "F" word. Read more
Published 1 month ago by pickle

1.0 out of 5 stars Who is this book for?
Seeing as Patrick McEnroe is an astute commentator, I was looking forward to some insider insight into pro tennis. Boy, was I disappointed. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Luke Malone

4.0 out of 5 stars Hardcourt Not So Confidential
This book undersells its title. The title Hardcourt Confidential suggests gossip and page 6 re velations. Read more
Published 1 month ago by howard

5.0 out of 5 stars It's not about the Tennis Racquet
A very entertaining book about tennis from a different perspective. Pmac attempts to take tennis stories built around when they happened in a year, ie, all Austrailian Open... Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. Spell

1.0 out of 5 stars Who is Patrick McEnroe?
Buy this book? I won't even read it! I can't imagine that Patrick McEnroe has anything important to say about the world of tennis. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jacquelyn Perry

5.0 out of 5 stars Learned a lot
A great read if you are interested in learning more about the inner workings of the professional tennis scene. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Roger R. Burrington

4.0 out of 5 stars Patrick McEnroe Interview/Review of Hardcourt Confidential
Full write up and interview with Patrick McEnroe in full audio and text at:

[...].

Imagine being at the center of a major sport and the brother of a... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Christopher Yandek

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
I thorouhly enjoyed the book and finished it in a day. Loved Patrick's insider perspective on the tour in in late 80s / early 90s and Davis Cup in particular. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Tennis Fan

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't Bother!
Patrick McEnroe is a sell out. For the sake of a payday and fifteen minutes in the literary headlines, he has squandered the respect and trust we give to commentators and... Read more
Published 2 months ago by MRich

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