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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... designated wise guy; Matt Daly, another old friend, his camouflage baseball cap turned backward, as it always is; J. P. Johnson; Andy Jorgensen; and my brother, Thomas, who often crashes at the house when he's Author's note ix Prologue.
... turned over his cards—a straight flush. We all laughed. Hard. It was such a superior hand that he had us all beat by a mile. “Fire it up one time! Bam!” shouted Andy, employing our group's catchphrase, which he himself coined years ago ...
... turned my life around, managing to achieve a level of success that I never could have dreamed of when I was wobbling my way through my house that summer and fall. Play tennis long enough, you realize—much as I did—that your relationship ...
... turning pro. To be fair, being among the top thirty or so players in the world is nothing to be ashamed of, unless you're capable of doing better, and I knew I was capable of doing ... turned pro, I always loved that moment 14 BREAKING BACK.
How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life James Blake. the time I turned pro, I always loved that moment when you walk out on the court, your name is announced, and you wave up to the fans. Tennis is an individual sport, so being 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 |