Strokes of Genius, L. Jon Wertheim
Strokes of Genius, L. Jon Wertheim
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

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

Author: L. Jon Wertheim

Narrator: Edward Bauer

Unabridged: 7 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/30/2019


Synopsis

In the 2008 Wimbledon men's final, Center Court was a stage set worthy of Shakespearean drama. Five-time champion Roger Federer was on track to take his rightful place as the most dominant player in the history of the game. He just needed to cling to his trajectory. So in the last few moments of daylight, Center Court witnessed a coronation. Only it wasn't a crowning for the Swiss heir apparent but for a swashbuckling Spaniard. Twenty-two-year-old Rafael Nadal prevailed, in five sets, in what was, according to the author, "essentially a four-hour, forty-eight-minute infomercial for everything that is right about tennis—a festival of skill, accuracy, grace, strength, speed, endurance, determination, and sportsmanship." It was also the encapsulation of a fascinating rivalry, hard fought and of historic proportions.

Strokes of Genius deconstructs this defining moment in sport, using that match as the backbone of a provocative, thoughtful, and entertaining look at the science, art, psychology, technology, strategy, and personality that go into a single tennis match. With vivid, intimate detail, Wertheim re-creates this epic battle in a book that is both a study of the mechanics and art of the game and the portrait of a rivalry as dramatic as that of Ali–Frazier, Palmer–Nicklaus, and McEnroe–Borg.

About L. Jon Wertheim

L. Jon Wertheim is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and the author of several books, including Blood in the Cage, a chronicle of the rise of mixed martial arts, and Running the Table, about a bipolar pool hustler named Kid Delicious. His work has been featured in The Best American Sports Writing numerous times.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Saksham on December 02, 2020

Describing the greatest tennis match ever played, even in 200 odd pages, seemed implausible to me. But this is, if there can be any, the perfect recounting of the event. Although, what actually makes this book elite, is not the narration of the match itself, but the invaluable context provided to th......more

Goodreads review by Jasonto on January 31, 2013

A competent, if not entirely inspiring, recounting of The Greatest Tennis Match Ever Played. Wertheim here is let down by his subject matter. At the end of day, neither Nadal nor Federer make for compelling personas off the court. Their stable upbringings - both emotionally and financially - are not......more

Goodreads review by Jovi on October 08, 2016

Două sunt meciurile de tenis care m-au enervat cel mai mult: meciul Simonei cu Sharapova în finala Roland Garros; meciul pierdut de Federer în 2008 cu Nadal, în finala Wimbledon 2008. Despre cel din urmă meci este vorba în cartea pe care am devorat-o în ultimele două zile, acesta fiind analizat în am......more

Goodreads review by Karen on July 18, 2009

A must read for tennis fans. Inspired by what some consider the greatest tennis match ever: Wimbledon 2008 between Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal. Great background information on both players. Having watched the match, this was like reliving it but this time having a tennis expert sitting next to me d......more

Goodreads review by Alina on July 25, 2018

Strokes of genius indeed! I enjoyed remembering the 2008 Wimbledon final between Federer and Nadal. I was hoping for a rematch this year, but it didn't happen. Nonetheless, these guys are incredible! 🎾😍......more