A Champion's Mind: Lessons from a Life in Tennis - Softcover

Sampras, Pete; Bodo, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 030738330X ISBN 13: 9780307383303

Publisher: Crown, 2009

Synopsis

In A Champion’s Mind, the tennis great who so often exhibited visible discomfort with letting people “inside his head” finally opens up. An athletic prodigy, Pete resolved from his earliest playing days never to let anything get in the way of his love for the game. But while this determination led to tennis domination, success didn’t come without a price.

Here for the first time Pete speaks freely about the personal trials he faced—including the death of a longtime coach and confidant—and the struggles he gutted his way through while being seemingly on top of the world. Among the book’s most riveting scenes are the devastating early loss that led Pete to make a monastic commitment to the game; fierce on-court battles with Andre Agassi; and the triumphant last match of Pete’s career at the finals of the 2002 U.S. Open.

"A thoroughly compelling read that really probes the hard drive of a champion...All the emotion and insight that Sampras seemes reluctant to express during his playing days come spilling forth." —Jon Wertheim, senior writer, Sports Illustrated

About this title

About the Author:

PETE SAMPRAS holds the distinction of being the youngest male player to win the U.S. Open. During his career he won sixty-four top-level singles titles (including fourteen Grand Slams, eleven ATP Masters Series titles, and five Tennis Masters Cup titles).

From AudioFile:

Handsome and talented tennis champion Pete Sampras always preferred to let his racket do the talking. His memoir finally allows tennis fans into the life of this elite athlete. Written in a strictly chronological order, the material includes some stories that belie the calm that Sampras always tried to show on the court. His first meetings with his wife are rather humorous. The descriptions of his matches against Andre Agassi remain as compelling to hear as they were to watch. Narrator Mark Deakins delivers a straightforward narration with no vocal characterizations and tightly controlled energy. Listeners may get the feeling this audio presentation is exactly like watching a Pete Sampras tennis match: perfectly executed, occasionally exciting, sometimes interesting, but rather unemotional. M.R.E. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Crown
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 030738330X
• ISBN 13: 9780307383303
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 306