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Professional tennis sometimes seems to be the ultimate life. Where else could you travel the world, earn gobs of money, get in great shape, and have groupies from the opposite sex chasing you all the time? And you get all your equipment free to boot (which may explain why players smash racquets without remorse). Quite a glamorous life, isn’t it?
Well, it certainly can be but usually isn’t. The pro tour is a chance to see the world but for most players it’s from the back of a bus. For all the million dollar winners at the grand slam events (Australia, French, Wimbledon, U.S. Open) there are literally hundreds of players struggling through the professional tour dreaming of someday hitting the jackpot.
Even for those that have it ``made’’ success doesn’t necessarily bring happiness. Andre Agasse’s recent book, ``Open,’’ is a testament to that fact.
Despite winning all four grand slams, owning a private jet, and marrying a glamorous movie star (Brooke Shields) he was miserable and hated the sport.
Only his public confession seems to have cleansed him of his demons. He is finally happy now that he is retired, married to fellow ex-pro Steffi Graf, and the father of two.
He actually enjoys the game now that the pressure to win is gone.
Unlike Agassi, John McEnroe at least looked miserable when he was winning and whining his way through all his championships in the 1970s and 80s. But his life was even more of a soap opera.
During his heyday McEnroe married actress Tatum O’Neal, had three children with her, and then went through the divorce from hell.
You can find all the titillating details to their dysfunctional relationship in their competing autobiographies. McEnroe came first with ``You Cannot Be Serious.’’ O’Neal answered with ``A Paper Life.’’
That title is apt only because ``My Turn’’ was already taken by Nancy Reagan.
McEnroe comes out looking better only because he didn’t have O’Neal’s drug habit. Today he’s a popular announcer, happily married to singer Patti Smythe, and has six kids.
Unfortunately he still argues with umpires when he plays tennis on the senior circuit.
Although all three of the aforementioned books are entertaining reads, a recently published title is just as fascinating without the titillation. Patrick McEnroe, John’s younger brother, has written ``Hardcourt Confidential,’’ covering his own 20 years in the professional game.
Compared to John, Patrick’s antics seem pretty dull in comparison.
He never berated umpires or cursed his opponents but he never won any major singles titles either. In fact his most famous match was blowing a two set lead to 39-year-old Jimmy Connors at the 1991 U.S. Open, a match that still haunts him to this day. In other words, he was the typical journeyman.
Fortunately this journeyman has a lot of good stories to tell. Patrick provides an understanding of what it’s like to struggle on the tour, stay in cheap abodes, and rush from one venue to another in search of that elusive paycheck. But he has a lot more to add.
He is currently the U.S. Davis Cup captain as well as a commentator for ESPN. The Davis Cup is tennis’s version of soccer’s World Cup but it’s held every year. Every country longs to win it (although a few top players could care less). Both Patrick and John have had a loyalty to Davis Cup that is second to none.
Patrick explains in detail what is involved in Davis Cup and why it is so important to tennis and the world.
As an ESPN commentator he knows all about the players today and provides insights into their personalities and playing abilities. You certainly learn who are the truly likable personalities, and the ones who are just full of themselves. Patrick also discusses the different international venues and what the different court surfaces are like.
From the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon to the unbearable heat of Melbourne he describes all the conditions that tennis players must deal with.
In one sense this book has something over other tennis biographies. Most of them cover the superstars and their globe-trotting paths toward multiple grand-slam titles.
Patrick McEnroe was never a superstar but he probably knows more about the game than any of them. That quality alone puts this book in a league of its own.
