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
Results 1-4 of 4
... final. Instead, I thought about my semifinal match, in which I found myself standing on a Saturday night across the net from one of my mentors, Andre Agassi, who was well into his legendary comeback and ranked number six in the world ...
... finals, where I beat Paradorn Srichaphan from Thailand. Your first tournament victory is a milestone, a sign that you've arrived, that you're capable of being the last one standing come Sunday night. Once you've notched that first big ...
... final set 0–6 to Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten in the quarterfinals, and standing there dumbfounded, wondering what had happened. I had beaten Carlos Moya, who at the time was number five in the world, to get to that round, and although ...
... final, or being, say, number five in the world. In time, I absorbed this philosophy and really took it to heart.Throughout my career, I had made it a point not to set any specific goals, and rather than being hung up about my ranking, a ...
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 |