OH I say
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This book is the story of the two players who dominated the ladies' game as it emerged from its humble origins to become the world's richest female sport.
The contrasts between them existed on so many levels - their origins, their style of play, their on-court demeanour, their love lives - that the rivalry could have hardly been better scripted to have grabbed the public's attention.
All this is superbly brought to life by the author's crisp prose which is chock-a-block with insider tales and quotes from those who were really there.
This is an essential volume for tennis fans with much to enjoy for the general reader too.
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Gives a rounded picture of both ladies
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A well written account of the rivalry and friendship between these giants of 70s/80s tennis. It brings both subjects across as three dimensional human beings, not the stereotypical images that were linked to both of them for so long. The author has some interesting and quite shocking things to say about male attitudes towards the early Open era women's tennis tour as well.
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couldn't put it down
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This is a very well-written account not just of the extraordinary lives of Navratilova and Evert, but of the great changes happening in professional tennis in the 1970's. Martina's story is more exciting and turbulent - her defection during the Cold War, discovery of her homosexuality when society was less tolerant, and her physical transformation to maximise her natural talent. Chrissie's story is more of a coming of age, she started out as a naive 16-year-old phenom who grew up on the tour. The book emphasizes her legendary mental toughness, she had early success and had to change her game in response to the arrival of Austin and Navratilova. But the book also talks about their personal lives, the relationships they've had, their emotional strengths and weaknesses. What I enjoyed most are the background stories, Billie Jean King's fight for a women's tour, the camarederie that existed among players back then, Howard tells these stories so well and it sounds like an amazing atmosphere to have been part of. In a way it was the golden age of tennis, the game has changed so much (more money, more competitive players with their own entourages and seem more isolated from each other) that I cannot imagine that atmosphere being possible today. Overall, a very enjoyable read!
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A great sporting read
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I only caught the end of the Navratilova-Evert rivalry, by which time it was definitely Martina who was out ahead but it was fascinating to read the full story. It is pretty amazing to think how many times, particularly in finals, they faced each other. Especially in such a tough mental sport like tennis, it's impressive that they remain friends. Where have rivalries like this gone? It makes me wonder whether the Seles-Graf rivalry could have been a smaller version of this if it wasn't for the stabbing incident.
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A good idea poor execution
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I waiting with bated breath for this book having grown up during this era of women's tennis, but I was really disappointed. The book is a very dry read which is a shame as it had the potential to be as exciting as the matches it describes. It was so turgid to read that I wasn't able to finish it.
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