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 1-5 of 7
... tennis fans and not-yet-fans as well. Thanks for reading. PROLOGUE During the summer and fall of 2004, I had.
... tennis was irresistible. When I first left college, as much as anything, it ... fans, and earning a pretty good living, all while chasing the sun around the ... tennis player in the world according to the computer rankings, and by the end ...
... tennis fans in August like the sight of Andre Agassi plying his trade. I could feel the anticipation building in the air from the corridor that leads to center court, and when we walked out into the arena, and the announcer called out ...
... fans. Tennis is an individual sport, so being a player at some level means being an entertainer, and having that time to connect with the crowd before you turn your focus to your opponent has always been very special to me. On this ...
... tennis is to believe your ranking. You don't win matches because you're number whatever; you get to your number ... fans, sportscasters, and journalists thought I had talent, but the prevailing feeling was that I didn't want to win badly ...
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 |