About the Author

Mike Ryan is a journalist, lifelong sports fan and lover of tennis. Tennis' Greatest Stars is his second book.

Reviews

Tennis offers a litany of great players: Tilden, Connolly, Connors, Evert, McEnroe, Nadal, and the Williams sisters, to name a few. This work profiles 50 of the greats, covering three eras in tennis: "Pioneers and Personalities: Sensational Stars from the 1920s to the 1970s," "The Open Era: Tennis Greats from 1968 to the 2000s," and "The 21st Century: Modern Era Champions." The biographies are two to four pages long and include a mix of color and black-and-white photographs. In addition to the tennis accomplishments and career highlights, each entry gives the reader a glimpse of the player's personality. For greats like Arthur Ashe and Evonne Goolagong, whose accomplishments go beyond the tennis courts, it's interesting to see some nontennis exploits are highlighted. Along with the biographies are a brief history of tennis and an overview of major tournaments. There is also a chapter called "Passing Shots," which explores the finer points of the game. An index rounds out the volume. This is a good purchase for any tennis collection and is recommended for the circulating collections of public libraries.--Abbie Landry "Booklist" (12/15/2014 12:00:00 AM)