This New York Times bestselling biography tells the life story of the most iconic men's tennis player of the modern era.
There have been other biographies of Roger Federer, but never one with this kind of access to the man himself, his support team, and the most prominent figures in the game, including such rivals as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Roddick. In The Master, New York Times correspondent Christopher Clarey sits down with Federer and those closest to him to tell the story of the greatest player in men's tennis.
Roger Federer has often made it look astonishingly easy through the decades: carving backhands, gliding to forehands, leaping for overheads and, in his most gravity-defying act, remaining high on a pedestal in a world of sports rightfully flooded with cynicism. But his path from temperamental, bleach-blond teenager with dubious style sense to one of the greatest, most self-possessed and elegant of competitors has been a long-running act of will, not destiny. He not only had a great gift. He had grit. Christopher Clarey, one of the top international sportswriters working today, has covered Federer since the beginning of his professional career. He was in Paris on the Suzanne Lenglen Court for Federer's first Grand Slam match and has interviewed him exclusively more than any other journalist since his rise to prominence. Here, Clarey focuses on the pivotal people, places, and moments in Federer's long and rich career: reporting from South Africa, South America, the Middle East, four Grand Slam tournaments, and Federer's native Switzerland. It has been a journey like no other player's, rife with victories and a few crushing defeats, one that has redefined enduring excellence and made Federer a sentimental favorite worldwide. The Master tells the story of Federer's life and career on both an intimate and grand scale, in a way no one else could possibly do.From the New York Times bestselling author of The Master comes an intimate, original biography of tennis's enduring champion Rafael Nadal.
After his award-winning look at Roger Federer, Christopher Clarey, one of the world's preeminent tennis writers, focuses his lens on Nadal, the indomitable and inspiring force of nature from Spain who has been one of the most relentless competitors in any sport. The Warrior, the first major book to explore the full arc of Nadal's now-completed career, examines his philosophy and most mind-blowing achievement: 14 French Open titles.Nadal won big on tennis's other surfaces en route to becoming one of the greatest players of all time: securing two Wimbledon titles on grass and six Grand Slam titles on hardcourts. But clay, the grittiest of the game's playgrounds, is where it all came together best for his whipping forehand and gladiatorial mindset.
Clay is to Nadal what water is to Michael Phelps, which helps explain one of the most impressive sports achievements of the 21st century. Clarey, who has covered Nadal since he was 17, draws on interviews over 20 years with Nadal, his team and rivals like Federer and Novak Djokovic. But like The Master, this is not just a book about tennis. The Warrior finds much wider lessons, interlacing man and place in a unique, compelling work.
This New York Times bestselling biography tells the life story of the most iconic men's tennis player of the modern era.
There have been other biographies of Roger Federer, but never one with this kind of access to the man himself, his support team, and the most prominent figures in the game, including such rivals as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Roddick. In The Master, New York Times correspondent Christopher Clarey sits down with Federer and those closest to him to tell the story of the greatest player in men's tennis.
Roger Federer has often made it look astonishingly easy through the decades: carving backhands, gliding to forehands, leaping for overheads and, in his most gravity-defying act, remaining high on a pedestal in a world of sports rightfully flooded with cynicism. But his path from temperamental, bleach-blond teenager with dubious style sense to one of the greatest, most self-possessed and elegant of competitors has been a long-running act of will, not destiny. He not only had a great gift. He had grit. Christopher Clarey, one of the top international sportswriters working today, has covered Federer since the beginning of his professional career. He was in Paris on the Suzanne Lenglen Court for Federer's first Grand Slam match and has interviewed him exclusively more than any other journalist since his rise to prominence. Here, Clarey focuses on the pivotal people, places, and moments in Federer's long and rich career: reporting from South Africa, South America, the Middle East, four Grand Slam tournaments, and Federer's native Switzerland. It has been a journey like no other player's, rife with victories and a few crushing defeats, one that has redefined enduring excellence and made Federer a sentimental favorite worldwide. The Master tells the story of Federer's life and career on both an intimate and grand scale, in a way no one else could possibly do.This New York Times bestselling biography tells the life story of the most iconic men's tennis player of the modern era.
There have been other biographies of Roger Federer, but never one with this kind of access to the man himself, his support team, and the most prominent figures in the game, including such rivals as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Roddick. In The Master, New York Times correspondent Christopher Clarey sits down with Federer and those closest to him to tell the story of the greatest player in men's tennis.
Roger Federer has often made it look astonishingly easy through the decades: carving backhands, gliding to forehands, leaping for overheads and, in his most gravity-defying act, remaining high on a pedestal in a world of sports rightfully flooded with cynicism. But his path from temperamental, bleach-blond teenager with dubious style sense to one of the greatest, most self-possessed and elegant of competitors has been a long-running act of will, not destiny. He not only had a great gift. He had grit. Christopher Clarey, one of the top international sportswriters working today, has covered Federer since the beginning of his professional career. He was in Paris on the Suzanne Lenglen Court for Federer's first Grand Slam match and has interviewed him exclusively more than any other journalist since his rise to prominence. Here, Clarey focuses on the pivotal people, places, and moments in Federer's long and rich career: reporting from South Africa, South America, the Middle East, four Grand Slam tournaments, and Federer's native Switzerland. It has been a journey like no other player's, rife with victories and a few crushing defeats, one that has redefined enduring excellence and made Federer a sentimental favorite worldwide. The Master tells the story of Federer's life and career on both an intimate and grand scale, in a way no one else could possibly do.