Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My LifeHarper Collins, 2009 M03 17 - 288 pages James Blake's life was getting better every day. A rising tennis star and People magazine's Sexiest Male Athlete of 2002, he was leading a charmed life and loving every minute of it. But all that ended in May 2004, when Blake fractured his neck in an on-court freak accident. As he recovered, his father—who had been the inspiration for his tennis career—lost his battle with stomach cancer. Shortly after his father's death, Blake was dealt a third blow when he contracted zoster, a rare virus that paralyzed half of his face and threatened to end his already jeopardized career. In Breaking Back, Blake provides a remarkable account of how he came back from this terrible heartbreak and self-doubt to become one of the top tennis players in the world. A story of strength, passion, courage, and the unbreakable bonds between a father and son, Breaking Back is a celebration of one extraordinary athlete's indomitable spirit and his inspiring ability to find hope in the bleakest of times. |
From inside the book
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... couldn't contain his smile anymore, brightening like a Christmas tree as he turned over his cards—a straight flush. We all laughed. Hard. It was such a superior hand that he had us all beat by a mile. “Fire it up one time! Bam!” shouted ...
... . The last set was as much of a blur as my win over Agassi, only it wasn't all my winners I couldn't remember; it was all my unforced errors and squandered opportunities that came together into a highlight reel from 19 THE STATEMENT.
... couldn't be better, since a hodgepodge of schoolmates and people I played with in junior tennis tournaments still live and work in the area. So between the actual holidays and the personal ones, it always makes for a very social few ...
... couldn't lose that idea that something needed to change, but my hair was just the beginning. I found myself living a double life. I'd spend hours hanging with friends and visiting my parents' house, giving off the air that I was fine ...
Contents
1 | |
7 | |
It Could Be Worse | 35 |
Requiem for a Superman | 63 |
Five Minutes of Hitting | 115 |
Plan B | 147 |
If You Can Win One Set | 175 |
You Can Win Two 175 7 Fire It Up One Time Bam 203 8 Getting Better 241 Epilogue 257 Glossary | 265 |