Alright, so you wanna hear about them tennis player books, huh? Well, lemme tell ya, I ain’t no scholar, but I know a thing or two ’bout folks writin’ down their stories. Seen a few of them books at the library, ya know, the ones with the pictures on the cover. Big muscles and fancy shorts, them tennis fellas.
One book, I think it was called “Open” or somethin’ like that, this fella Andre Agassi, he wrote it. Now, this fella, he was a big deal in tennis, everyone said so. But in the book, he says right off the bat, he hates tennis! Can you believe that? Hates it! Spent his whole life hittin’ that little fuzzy ball and he hated it. Goes to show ya, money and fame ain’t everything, I guess.
He talked about his daddy, too. Said his daddy was real hard on him, always pushin’ him to play better, be the best. Sounds like my old man with the chickens, always wantin’ more eggs, bigger eggs. Never satisfied, them fellas.
This Agassi fella, he also said his body was givin’ out. All that runnin’ and jumpin’, I reckon it takes a toll. Just like my knees after a day in the garden. Aches and pains, they get ya sooner or later.
- So, this “Open” book, it’s about a fella who hated tennis but was real good at it.
- And it’s about how his daddy pushed him hard.
- And about how his body started to hurt.
Then there was this other thing, somethin’ called “Break Point.” Sounded like a fight, ya know? Like when your tractor breaks down in the middle of the field and you gotta fix it right then and there, or you lose your crop. But this “Break Point” was about a bunch of tennis players, followin’ them around for a whole season.
They talked about winnin’ and losin’, and all the travelin’ they do. Always goin’ from one place to another, fancy hotels and big cities. Nothin’ like my life, that’s for sure. I ain’t never been further than the county fair.
I heard tell of another book, this one about a lady tennis player, Billie Jean King her name was. Now, she was somethin’ else. After she stopped playin’, she went and done somethin’ real brave. She told everyone she was gay, ya know, liked other ladies. Back then, folks weren’t so open about that kinda thing. But she stood up and said it loud and proud.
She even became a big shot in the sports world, tellin’ other folks what to do. First woman to do it, they said. Good for her, I say. Shows ya, women can do anything men can do, and sometimes even better.
So, these tennis player books, they ain’t just about hittin’ a ball over a net. They’re about life, ya know? About family and struggles and standin’ up for what you believe in. Just like regular folks, only with more cameras and bigger paychecks.
Tennis players, they ain’t so different from us after all. They got their problems and their joys, just like everyone else. And sometimes, they write it all down for us to read, so we can see that even the famous folks ain’t perfect.
I reckon that’s why folks like to read these books. Makes ’em feel a little less alone, maybe. Like, “Hey, if that tennis fella can go through all that and still come out on top, maybe I can too.” That’s a good thing, I think. Gives ya hope, ya know?
Tags: Tennis, Books, Autobiography, Andre Agassi, Billie Jean King, Sports, Break Point, Athlete, Memoir
