Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My LifeJames 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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How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life James Blake. / & 8 : 0 3 , 5 * . & 4 #
& 4 5 4 & - - & 3 “A rarity among sports autobiographies: an emotionally
forthcoming page-turner.” —Los Angeles Times Praise for Breaking Back “Blake
serves ...
“Blake serves up the rare sports memoir that actually has a heart. He cries, he
mourns, he grows, he triumphs—and we cheer him on the entire way.” —People “
We all encounter adversity in our lives. The real reflection of character is how we
...
In tennis, especially men's tennis, holding serve is paramount. The serve is the
shot over which a player has the most control, and because it starts each point,
the server has a tremendous advantage and is expected to win the game.
(It also happened that my mother worked part-time at the desk.) Each morning,
upon arrival, I couldn't wait to start. I did everything with heightened intensity—
serves, ground strokes, whatever. I wasn't just hitting the ball; I was hacking away
all ...
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User Review - sugarhill203 - Overstock.comI found the book interesting and easy to read due to the content and good writting. Being a tennis fan I found the book to show the reasons the commentators use very positive words describing James Blake. James his mother and brother are always shown respect when referring to them. Read full review
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 |
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Bibliographic information
| Title | Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life |
| Author | James Blake |
| Publisher | Harper Collins, 2009 |
| ISBN | 0061739650, 9780061739651 |
| Length | 288 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |