The Right Set: the Faber Book of Tennis

The game of tennis, genteel and volatile by turns, has attracted the attention of some of the finest writers - perhaps because, more than in most sports, there are always other considerations present on court: politics, class, sex, money, gender and race. At a time when the game is changing, with more money on offer, with players like Tim Henman and Venus Williams assuming the status of pop stars, and with an ever-increasing world-wide audience, The Right Set explores the past, present and future of tennis, with a wide-ranging selection of pieces from novelists, journalists and, more importantly, the players themselves.Included here are Martin Amis in praise of current Wimbeldon title-holder Pete Sampras, Alistair Cooke on 'Why I love Gabriela Sabatini', and Fred Perry describing his first Wimbledon win, when the crowds backed his Australian opponent, considering Perry too working-class.