Tennis For Dummies

by Patrick McEnroe

Written for tennis newcomers but with enough detail to satisfy seasoned players, Tennis for Dummies offers practical, substantive, and perceptive advice on a subject that the United States Tennis Association describes as a "sport for a lifetime." Patrick McEnroe--little brother of John McEnroe--collaborates with Peter Bodo to provide a wealth of tennis tips, such as the difference between a ball's pace on slick grass courts and the slow, high bounce experienced on clay courts. Useful advice includes such things as how to find a good coach, which Web sites offer the most comprehensive tennis news, and how to respond when your opponent questions a close "I'm sorry, but I never had a moment of doubt. That ball was clearly out." Sprinkled throughout the book are interesting anecdotes about McEnroe's career, including an amusing exchange with his fiancée during a match, in which she eagerly and innocently advised him to just "get it over the net, Pat!" Those keen to take up a new hobby or to simply learn more about the sport they already love will appreciate everything this book has to offer--game, set, and match. --Jeremy Storey

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction

416 pages, Paperback

First published August 11, 1998

About the author

Patrick McEnroe, also known as "P-Mac", is a former professional tennis player and the present Captain of the United States Davis Cup team and Head of Pro-Player development.

- Career-high singles ranking was World No. 28 in 1995.
- Career-high doubles ranking was World No. 3 in 1993.
- Patrick served as captain of the U.S. men's tennis team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
- Patrick is a part owner of the New York Sportimes of World TeamTennis.
- Patrick serves as a TV commentator for CBS Sports and ESPN.
- Patrick is an analyst for the "1st and 10" segment on ESPN First Take.
- Patrick is a guest hosts for the ESPN program Pardon The Interruption (PTI).
- Patrick is a frequent guest sports commentator on the "Imus in the Morning" show.

Reviews

[Sudhanshu · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a middle schooler, I used to play a lot of tennis w/ my Dad.
Wanted to refresh some of my tennis knowledge.

Sidenote: This book is about as old as I am.
The photos in this are hilariously low-res.

The best photo in this looks like
a Xerox copy
of a low-res snapshot
from a Walmart parking lot CCTV camera.

LMAO.

Jokes aside, I liked the book's simplicity.
Cool that it's written by a tennis pro - who also is the brother of tennis legend John "you can NOT be serious" McEnroe.

[robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had this book sitting on my shelf a long time and finally got around to it. A bit dated. But provided some interesting tidbits. I play tennis but don't follow it much. So the info about the various tournaments was interesting. But trying to learn from as book is a joke. Videos or a class are the only way IMHO.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty approachable and useful. It fills in the gaps in the haphazard way I’ve been learning tennis. It’s actually decently enjoyable as well.

[Kathleen Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, dated in its content

[Michael Boitel · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Dutch version] Vooral de geschiedenishoofdstukken waren om van te genieten als je die generatie gemist hebt, maar die rubriek verdient een broodnodige update!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a guide on how to play tennis. It is the genre of sports and sports stories. My mom and dad started playing on a tennis team and they needed some help, so they bought this book. They eventually signed me up on the team too so I thought might as well read the book as well. It is an informational text with pictures, stories, rules and directions on how to play the best tennis you can.

The authors used the writing craft of description. The authors describe every aspect of tennis from the rules to playing just for fun. They describe the game of tennis with pictures, personal experience, expert advices, rules and step by step diagrams. I think they did really good job using the writer craft of description because you can truly learn from this book. I know I have seen my parents improve tremendously. How the book describes where to place your feet on the court and how you hold racket has help my parents from becoming injured.

I would use this for teaching writing. I’m sure all students have heard of tennis and it is a very unisex sport, where both females and males would be interested. I would show the students how descripted the text is, with the pictures, personal stories and directions. Explain how detailed every section with involves tennis is. I would also explain this doesn’t have to only be with writing about sports this could happen with any subject, even writing a story about a fantasy. Also this text could be incorporated with different subjects like social studies, science and math. Sports are a great topic for many subjects especially writing.

[Ryan]

Usually I'm not a big fan of "for Dummies" books. I find them too simplistic, and a little condescending in a backhanded manner. This one was good, though. Full of photos and diagrams to show me (at least partially) what I've been doing wrong out on the court. Haven't had too much of a chance to get out and play any tennis since reading it, but did a few solo practice sessions and found I had improved by leaps and bounds since reading this.

[Edith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Si j'ai bien compris c'est une réédition mise à jour d'un livre de 1998. C'est très bien fait et il y a plein de détails intéressants.
Question : mais c'est quoi cette vieille photo de Wimbledon??? Le court 1 n'est même pas construit. Et il est là depuis 1997! Toutes les données ont été mises à jour, ils auraient pu trouver une photo plus récente!

[Joey Justice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply everything I wanted it to be.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good explanation for novice parents trying to learn the basics so when their high school kid makes the team, they can at least keep score!