Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My LifeHarperCollins, 2007 M07 5 - 275 pages In 2004, James Blake's life was getting more perfect by the day. A rising tennis star, with each passing year his game seemed to improve. In 2002, he was named Sexiest Male Athlete by People, and along the way he continued to gain in the rankings and earn respect on the court. Each day seemed to offer a new milestone, a new achievement; he was leading a charmed life and loving every minute of the ride. But that life came to an abrupt halt in May 2004 when Blake broke his back in a freak accident on the court. A few months later, as Blake was recovering from his injury, he suffered another tremendous setback when his father–the man who had raised him and provided the inspiration for his tennis career–lost his battle with stomach cancer. Shortly after his father's death, Blake's situation was further complicated when he contracted Zoster, a rare virus that paralyzed half of his face and threatened to end his already jeopardized tennis career. Breaking Back tells the story of the tumultous year that followed these three devastating events, detailing how Blake persevered through hardship to become one of the best tennis players in the world. Here Blake explains how the wisdom and words that his father imparted to him over the years gave him the ability to succeed in the face of these seemingly insurmountable odds. Though these trials proved the most difficult of his life, ultimately this trifecta of tragedy became the culmination of all his father's lessons, showing Blake that even in death, his father was still teaching him how to be a man. In the spirit of Lance Armstrong's It's Not About the Bike and Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking comes this remarkable tale of strength and determination from one of tennis's biggest stars. A story of passion, willpower, and the unbreakable bonds between a father and a son, Breaking Back is one athlete's account of finding hope in the bleakest of times. |
From inside the book
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... ball back over to his side . As I raced for it , the ball hit the net cord , rolled over to my side of the court , and bounced right on the sideline . I began to slide toward the ball , but my feet caught in the damp clay , and then on ...
... ball on the run , but I was profoundly aware of them now . " It's okay , " Brian called out , supportive even though I had already confirmed that his hesitancy was well justified . “ Here's another . " He hit another tennis ball and I ...
... ball in play with relative ease VOLLEY : A shot , most often executed near the net , that takes the ball before the bounce and traditionally doesn't involve a swing but rather a firm wrist and a blocking of the ball by the racket ...
Contents
It Could Be Worse | 35 |
Requiem for a Superman | 63 |
Five Minutes of Hitting | 115 |
Copyright | |
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