Product Description

Ace your tennis game with all the tips, tricks, tactics, and techniques of professional tennis players awaiting discovery in Tennis For Dummies, written by veteran tour player and ESPN sports commentator Patrick McEnroe (with a foreword by brother John). This is your grand slam guide to tennis, whether you're a player or a spectator. You'll find courtside coverage of everything from equipment and etiquette to scoring and strategies packed inside this friendly and fun primer.

Whatever your level of play, you'll find what you need -- and what you want to know -- in this insider's guide to great tennis. Conquer the courtside vernacular, improve your basic strokes, learn a little strategy, bounce back from common injuries like shin splints and tennis elbow, and even make the move up to the big leagues and competitive tennis matches. With Tennis For Dummies, take a sneak peek behind the scenes at pro matches or peruse Mac's lists of the top ten male tennis players, female tennis players, and matches of the Open era.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53283 in Books
• Published on: 1998-08-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 408 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780764550874
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
Written for tennis newcomers but with enough detail to satisfy seasoned players, Tennis for Dummies offers practical, substantive, and perceptive advice on a subject that the United States Tennis Association describes as a "sport for a lifetime." Patrick McEnroe--little brother of John McEnroe--collaborates with Peter Bodo to provide a wealth of tennis tips, such as the difference between a ball's pace on slick grass courts and the slow, high bounce experienced on clay courts. Useful advice includes such things as how to find a good coach, which Web sites offer the most comprehensive tennis news, and how to respond when your opponent questions a close call: "I'm sorry, but I never had a moment of doubt. That ball was clearly out." Sprinkled throughout the book are interesting anecdotes about McEnroe's career, including an amusing exchange with his fiancée during a match, in which she eagerly and innocently advised him to just "get it over the net, Pat!" Those keen to take up a new hobby or to simply learn more about the sport they already love will appreciate everything this book has to offer--game, set, and match. --Jeremy Storey

From the Back Cover
"Tennis For Dummies is an invaluable guide for anyone looking to improve their game." —Pete Sampras "Patrick McEnroe guides you through the tactics and strategies that will make you play like a pro." —Monica Seles

Features Photos, Illustrations, and Court Diagrams!

Tennis … Everyone?

• Find out why "Love" means nothing — how the game is scored
• Equip yourself with the right apparel, racket, and other accessories
• Polish your skills — from your serve to overhead shots and lobs
• Shape up with expert advice on physical conditioning
• Bounce back from common injuries like shin splints and tennis elbow
• Sharpen your ‘mental game’ and keep the edge on the competition
• Exercise the finer points of tennis etiquette — on the court and in the stands
• Discover how to find the best tennis instructor for you

Ace the fundamental strokes — with step-by-step instructions and illustrations

About the Author

Patrick McEnroe graduated from Stanford University in 1988 after earning All-American honors for four years and leading his team to two NCAA Championships. He turned professional later in 1988, and he has steadily improved his ATP Tour singles and doubles rankings each year. In 1995, he finished the year with an ATP Tour ranking of Number 35 in the world in singles and Number 13 in the world in doubles.

Patrick has reached the finals of four ATP Tour tournaments, winning his first career ATP Tour singles title in Sydney in early 1995. He has reached the semifinals of the Australian Open (1981) and the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open (1995). Patrick has recorded singles wins over top-ten ranked professionals Boris Becker and Goran Ivanisevic. He has earned over $3,000,000 in career prize money.

In addition to his singles accomplishments, Patrick is an outstanding doubles player, having won 16 ATP Tour doubles titles, including two with his brother, John McEnroe. Patrick is a 1989 French Open Doubles champion and a 1989 year-ending ATP Tour Masters Doubles champion, both with his Stanford teammate, Jim Grabb. Patrick was an Australian Open doubles finalist with David Wheaton in 1991. He achieved an ATP Tour doubles ranking of Number 3 in the world in 1993.

Patrick also played on the United States Davis Cup teams in 1993, 1994, and 1996.

Patrick resides in New York City, where he was born and raised. He is currently a tennis commentator for both the CBS and ESPN networks. When he is away from the courts, Patrick works on behalf of a number of charitable causes, including the Arthur Ashe Endowment for the Defeat of AIDS.

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Customer Reviews

Excellent introduction to the world of tennis
Actually i'm fourteen but I bought this book entering my freshman year of high school to get acquainted with the game. It really does a thorough job of introducing one to the tennis world, covering everything from gear, tennis racquets, grips, strings, and the different types of strokes (forehand, backhand, volley, lob, serve, spins), and what the strokes ARE, but does not focus on how they should be implemented during matches. Advanced tennis players will probably already know most of the info in the book, but absolutely superb for beginners. It really helped me get started with tennis and reduced a LOT of beginner's confusion (eg. what stroke is that again... which is my forehand/which is my backhand, and what they should look like, how do i score, what in the world is a volley?? really detailed information on gear, how to score, what the grand slams are, short bios on historical players, and a lot more) really, really helpful and a must read for all beginners, a good reference book for intermediate players. After attending 6 weeks of tennis camp and hard work outside of tennis camp, I got into my school's JV team, muchly thanks to this book but also thanks to the fact that we didn't have cuts this year because too many people dropped out of tryouts.

Perfect for a beginner
I am an advanced player who has been training everyday for several years. This is an excellent overview of tennis. It does not get very detailed into anything, but it covers everything. What do I mean? For example, when it talks about forehand, it shows you basically how to hit it but doesnt include much more information like about open stance, semi-open stance, hip rotation, etc. It does include the very basic information. It also gives you information about the pro tour, how the tournaments work, and grand slams. I also like a few creative pages of information like "a day in the life of a pro" and "mommy, where do pros come from?" I recommend it for any beginner to intermediate player and it could even add one or two tips to the knowledge of the advanced player (afterall, no one knows everything!).

A very good tennis book for a beginner
I think it's a good and well-written book for a beginner. I wish it had more detailed pictures when authors are explaining techniques of the game . It has some, but the majority of techniques described in words rather then pictures. However, I wasn't able to find much better book with regard to visual explanations. On the other hand, when it comes to keeping in mind a novice, you can't beat the Dummies books.