Open Tennis

An account of the last 25 years of international tennis. This book looks at the back-room politics, the rivalry at the top, the new standard of women's tennis set by Graf and Seles, and the stress among young players who are often manipulated and pushed by agents and parents.

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Richard Evans is among the select few who have followed and fully understood the inside story of open tennis since it exploded on an unsuspecting public 25 years ago. As professional tennis has defied every economic downturn, Evans has followed the action of each tournament closely, observing a continual growth in prize money, spectator interest and international television coverage. This book analyses the phenomenal impact that John McEnroe and other superstars have had on sporting conduct, charts their greatest matches, and reveals the very latest insider politics that helped create the new ATP tour. As well as examining the heady early days of open tennis and such greats as Laver, Newcombe and Rosewall, this book comes right up-to-date and tackles such topical issues as the bizarre behaviour of Monica Seles, the increase of bigger rackets wielded by bigger players and the shortcomings of power tennis.