Read Anywhere and on Any Device!

Subscribe to Read | $0.00

Join today and start reading your favorite books for Free!

Create Free Account

Venus Envy: A Sensational Season Inside the Women's Tennis Tour

L. Jon Wertheim

3.8/5 ( ratings)

Venus.

Serena.

Anna.

Martina.

Lindsay.

Like other modern-day heroines -- Madonna, Hillary, Mia -- they need only one name. They are the stars of professional tennis -- the young, brash, and often reckless women who hold court, and serve.

The last several years have seen such a seismic explosion in women's tennis that you might be surprised to learn there's still a men's game. Fans flock to the high-voltage matches, which come packaged with tales of infighting, family squabbles, and, of course, Anna Kournikova's micro-miniskirts. In Venus Envy, Sports Illustrated investigative reporter and tennis columnist L. Jon Wertheim draws back the curtain on the soap opera that is the women's professional tennis tour, with its primal plotlines driven by ambition, sex, and revenge.

Here are the stories behind the stories: the tragic Garbo-like star who whiles away hours in a midwestern hotel room because she's afraid to go outdoors; the teenager who tries to cope with the pressure of the big time as well as an abusive father; the brilliant number one who plays out her adolescent tantrums on the public stage; the coquette who launched a thousand Web sites; and a little-understood African-American family who proved that they could play by their own rules and still win the game -- not to mention the endorsements.

The biggest story in sports in 2000 was Venus Williams. Forced to the sidelines for the early months by injuries to both her wrists and her psyche, she stormed back to win Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and two Olympic gold medals. Not since the glory days of Martina Navratilova -- and the historic days of Althea Gibson -- has women's tennis seen such a dominant champion with the rare combination of athleticism, intelligence, and competitive fire. By the time Venus signed the biggest endorsement deal ever for a female athlete, her opponents' sentiments could be described in just two words: Venus Envy.

Language: English

Pages: 240

Format: Hardcover

Publisher: Harper

Release: August 07, 2001

ISBN: 0060197749

ISBN 13: 9780060197742

Venus Envy: A Sensational Season Inside the Women's Tennis Tour

L. Jon Wertheim

3.8/5 ( ratings)

Venus.

Serena.

Anna.

Martina.

Lindsay.

Like other modern-day heroines -- Madonna, Hillary, Mia -- they need only one name. They are the stars of professional tennis -- the young, brash, and often reckless women who hold court, and serve.

The last several years have seen such a seismic explosion in women's tennis that you might be surprised to learn there's still a men's game. Fans flock to the high-voltage matches, which come packaged with tales of infighting, family squabbles, and, of course, Anna Kournikova's micro-miniskirts. In Venus Envy, Sports Illustrated investigative reporter and tennis columnist L. Jon Wertheim draws back the curtain on the soap opera that is the women's professional tennis tour, with its primal plotlines driven by ambition, sex, and revenge.

Here are the stories behind the stories: the tragic Garbo-like star who whiles away hours in a midwestern hotel room because she's afraid to go outdoors; the teenager who tries to cope with the pressure of the big time as well as an abusive father; the brilliant number one who plays out her adolescent tantrums on the public stage; the coquette who launched a thousand Web sites; and a little-understood African-American family who proved that they could play by their own rules and still win the game -- not to mention the endorsements.

The biggest story in sports in 2000 was Venus Williams. Forced to the sidelines for the early months by injuries to both her wrists and her psyche, she stormed back to win Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and two Olympic gold medals. Not since the glory days of Martina Navratilova -- and the historic days of Althea Gibson -- has women's tennis seen such a dominant champion with the rare combination of athleticism, intelligence, and competitive fire. By the time Venus signed the biggest endorsement deal ever for a female athlete, her opponents' sentiments could be described in just two words: Venus Envy.

Language: English

Pages: 240

Format: Hardcover

Publisher: Harper

Release: August 07, 2001

ISBN: 0060197749

ISBN 13: 9780060197742

More books from L. Jon Wertheim

Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won

3.8/5 ( ratings)

You Can't Make This Up: Miracles, Memories, and the Perfect Marriage of Sports and Television

3.8/5 ( ratings)

Strokes of Genius: Federer, Nadal, and the Greatest Match Ever Played

4.1/5 ( ratings)

This Is Your Brain on Sports: The Science of Underdogs, the Value of Rivalry, and What We Can Learn from the T-Shirt Cannon

3.8/5 ( ratings)

Blood in the Cage: Mixed Martial Arts, Pat Miletich, and the Furious Rise of the UFC

3.8/5 ( ratings)

Glory Days: The Summer of 1984 and the 90 Days That Changed Sports and Culture Forever

The Rookie Bookie

3.9/5 ( ratings)

Running the Table: The Legend of Kid Delicious, the Last Great American Pool Hustler

3.8/5 ( ratings)

4-Minute Fit: The Metabolism Accelerator for the Time Crunched, Deskbound, and Stressed-Out

3.3/5 ( ratings)

Transition Game: How Hoosiers Went Hip-Hoop

3.5/5 ( ratings)

The Rookie Bookie - FREE PREVIEW (The First 5 Chapters)

4.5/5 ( ratings)

4-Minute Fit: The Weight Loss Solution for the Time-Crunched, Deskbound, and Stressed Out

Foul Lines: A Pro Basketball Novel

Rate this book!

Write a review?