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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... living room of my house in Fairfield, Connecticut. The music was blaring on the stereo, beer, chicken wings, and burgers from nearby Archie Moore's restaurant on the kitchen counter, and friends from every era of my life hanging out—the ...
... living among the clouds. In some ways, I think that the experience has been stranger for me than it has for most of my peers because I was never supposed to make my living as a jock. If most adolescent athletes have “sports parents ...
... living. My parents' optimism also carried over into tennis, a sport they both loved. They were excellent club players, and when we were teenagers, Thomas and I excelled at it as well, with each of us opting to play for the local high ...
... living, all while chasing the sun around the globe to play wherever it happened to be summer, or at the very least, where it was hot. Being where I was, it was easy to adopt an aw-shucks attitude about my career. After struggling for my ...
... living up to my potential. In December 2003, my parents were still living in the house where I grew up—a modest but cozy two-story home in the Stratfield section of Fairfield, Connecticut, near where the town line separates it from ...
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 |