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
... head and moping around the court. To many observers, this was evidence that I had a tendency to give up on a match that wasn't going my way, an appraisal that annoyed me because, if anything, I wanted to win too much. I always had a ...
... head. This would be a big decision for any twenty-three-yearold, but in my case it was especially significant because a lot of fans knew me for my hair. I was a very recognizable presence on the ATP tour—not just because I was one of ...
... head would be a real way of telling myself to put up or shut up. When I got to Fairfield for Christmas, I couldn't lose that idea that something needed to change, but my hair was just the beginning. I found myself living a double life ...
... head—I think he believed that I was just messing around and wasn't really serious about such a drastic image change. The other person I confided in was my agent, Carlos Fleming, a former tennis professional who operated out of ...
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 |