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The Wild Card
It's never too late to follow your dreams...
Twenty years ago, Abigail Patterson put her promising tennis career on hold to have her baby son, Robbie. But after a wild card entry to Wimbledon, she suddenly finds herself swept up in a world she thought she'd left behind - and against all odds, she's winning!
Yet as those long-buried dreams of lifting the sparkling silver trophy on centre court inch closer, Abi knows that it's only a matter of time before the press start digging into her past and uncover the secret she's kept hidden for so long.
The stakes are raised, but this time nothing - and no one - is going to stand in her way. But could the greatest comeback of all time destroy everything she's sacrificed to protect?
Twenty years ago, Abigail Patterson put her promising tennis career on hold to have her baby son, Robbie. But after a wild card entry to Wimbledon, she suddenly finds herself swept up in a world she thought she'd left behind - and against all odds, she's winning!
Yet as those long-buried dreams of lifting the sparkling silver trophy on centre court inch closer, Abi knows that it's only a matter of time before the press start digging into her past and uncover the secret she's kept hidden for so long.
The stakes are raised, but this time nothing - and no one - is going to stand in her way. But could the greatest comeback of all time destroy everything she's sacrificed to protect?
336 pages, Paperback
First published June 8, 2023
63 people are currently reading
274 people want to read
About the author
Judy Murray
9 books9 followersLibrarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See also Judy L. Murray and Judy Murray.
Judy Murray is a Scottish tennis coach and former tennis player. She was the first coach of her sons, professional tennis players Jamie Murray and Andy Murray.
Judy Murray is a Scottish tennis coach and former tennis player. She was the first coach of her sons, professional tennis players Jamie Murray and Andy Murray.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
October 4, 2023
I had high hopes for this debut novel from Judy Murray especially with all the hype that went with it. This wasn't as good as I'd hoped, the story was as you expect more about tennis and the Wimbledon championship. That was ok but it did get tiresome, then there was the backstory which went back and forwards throughout the whole book. The story was predictable and just not I thought.
August 6, 2025
3.5⭐️ A nice straightforward and entertaining tennis tale, with a good moral in there for good measure.
January 27, 2025
Pros: I liked the dual narrative. It felt like getting a behind the scenes glimpse at Wimbledon. I didn’t anticipate the twist at the end!
Cons: Young Abi sounds like she’s 14 rather than 17 (though I understand why she’s written as being 17 👀). It was a bit slow and felt like a drag to read at times. Plot was somewhat predictable (other than the twist at the end 😂)
Cons: Young Abi sounds like she’s 14 rather than 17 (though I understand why she’s written as being 17 👀). It was a bit slow and felt like a drag to read at times. Plot was somewhat predictable (other than the twist at the end 😂)
July 24, 2023
I really enjoyed reading this book which considering I don't like books that go backwards and forwards is saying something. It is well written and covers a topic that is very important to highlight in this day and age. The characters were great and you felt like you were there with them. My only regret is that I have finished the book.
January 16, 2025
Looooved it. Tennis and romance. What more do I need
November 25, 2025
Was a slow starter and got about 48% in before I got stuck into the book!!
July 15, 2023
I really wanted to love this book. It was perfectly timed to read alongside Wimbledon fortnight and I admire Judy Murray for her foray into something different by writing, but sadly it fell really flat for me. It was predictable from beginning to end, which can be okay in a book like this if the writing is great - unfortunately, it’s not. There’s so much ‘tell’ rather than ‘show’. It felt like the end was written in a rush, three really obvious typos - the plural of a word in error, completely wrong spelling of another and a sentence which had been repeated within itself. Again, these wee things are easy to overlook when the story has you completely immersed. I felt I was skim reading this in the end just to get it finished. Positives - a lovely insight to behind the scenes of the Wimbledon location itself, the changing rooms and players spaces, Abi as the main character was ‘nice’ and you did root for her yet I couldn’t help feel she could’ve been more impactful. Downsides? It felt like a half hearted attempt to show the dark side of coaching in sports, but didn’t really hit the mark. Predictable, lazy bits of the story to tie things up, it just felt meh.
Shame.
Shame.
January 23, 2024
Judy Murray knows a lot about the tennis world; no doubt there. As a young player, as a coach for many years, through her 2 brilliant sons, and as Fed Cup captain, there is little she doesn't know about tennis, the players and the competitions. She proves it in this novel and entertains us with her own spin on what might have happened to a promising club player. There are parts that reminded me of Carrie Soto is Back, but there is also a lot of originality in Judy's writing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2024
I was so excited to read this book when I first heard of it. It’s so rare for a novel to be set in the tennis world. And as much as I loved the drama in Taylor Jenkins Reid’s “Carrie Soto is Back”, there were just way too many tennis errors that it affected my overall appreciation of the book. So when Judy Murray, mother of tennis champions Andy and Jamie Murray, was going to pen a fictional tennis novel, I was certain that at least that one would not contain tennis inaccuracies. Unfortunately, “The Wild Card” actually does contain some tennis faults (hic). But it’s not all bad.
Murray’s descriptions of playing tennis and training with a childhood best friend brought me back to my formative tennis years in my hometown, when a child’s imagination and sporting dreams were limitless. She truly captured that magical time of my life that I don’t think about as often as I should!
But this novel seems to have some storyline flaws or gaps. For example, given how and why Abi’s coach and the club pro Cole was so dishonorably dismissed, wouldn’t the club’s executive or even Barb (Georgie’s mom!) had specifically asked Abi how Cole was with her and if he had tried anything or if she had seen/heard anything? I know Barb gave Abi a stern warning on a car ride to a tournament well before Cole’s future firing, but given what later transpired, the fact this was never more direct questioning never occurred or was never mentioned is a major omission.
If you are going to go into describing the details of walking onto center court at Wimbledon for a semi-final match, then you can’t skip the coin toss for serve which is your first interaction with your opponent, and not to pre-match warmup!
The tennis match descriptions could have used some editing for order of action, accuracy, and even for chronology of points and match events. Just one example is after the first point of the semi-final, it took me three re-reads to realize we were then immediately into the change of sides and a change in servers.
All said and sone, it was a fairly good story. The tennis description unforced errors from the previous Wimbledon rounds were rectified in the final. However, as much as I was looking forward to reading a fiction story about tennis written by Judy Murray, I was disappointed with its Harlequin-esque story arc and rapid denouement of the emotional turmoil that lingered most of the book.
While I was not expecting literary perfection, I did not expect such a predictable outcome and rapid resolve. Judy Murray’s “The Wild Card” is difficult to rate overall. I will give it a 3/5, but had half stars existed, I may have stretched it to a 3.5/5, but no more.
Murray’s descriptions of playing tennis and training with a childhood best friend brought me back to my formative tennis years in my hometown, when a child’s imagination and sporting dreams were limitless. She truly captured that magical time of my life that I don’t think about as often as I should!
But this novel seems to have some storyline flaws or gaps. For example, given how and why Abi’s coach and the club pro Cole was so dishonorably dismissed, wouldn’t the club’s executive or even Barb (Georgie’s mom!) had specifically asked Abi how Cole was with her and if he had tried anything or if she had seen/heard anything? I know Barb gave Abi a stern warning on a car ride to a tournament well before Cole’s future firing, but given what later transpired, the fact this was never more direct questioning never occurred or was never mentioned is a major omission.
If you are going to go into describing the details of walking onto center court at Wimbledon for a semi-final match, then you can’t skip the coin toss for serve which is your first interaction with your opponent, and not to pre-match warmup!
The tennis match descriptions could have used some editing for order of action, accuracy, and even for chronology of points and match events. Just one example is after the first point of the semi-final, it took me three re-reads to realize we were then immediately into the change of sides and a change in servers.
All said and sone, it was a fairly good story. The tennis description unforced errors from the previous Wimbledon rounds were rectified in the final. However, as much as I was looking forward to reading a fiction story about tennis written by Judy Murray, I was disappointed with its Harlequin-esque story arc and rapid denouement of the emotional turmoil that lingered most of the book.
While I was not expecting literary perfection, I did not expect such a predictable outcome and rapid resolve. Judy Murray’s “The Wild Card” is difficult to rate overall. I will give it a 3/5, but had half stars existed, I may have stretched it to a 3.5/5, but no more.
June 13, 2023
This is the tennis book I have been wanting to read all my tennis-obsessed bookworm life - and it was absolutely worth the wait.
It's the comeback to end all comebacks, Abigail Patterson is on Centre Court at Wimbledon eighteen years after walking away from a promising tennis career - and the world is desperate to know more about the thirty six year old single mother. But Abby has been concealing secrets her whole adult life and the last thing she wants is to be under such scrutiny, or for her past to be probed into quite so ruthlessly.
Judy Murray whisks us back stage at Wimbledon into the dressing rooms, the secret tunnels, showcasing the drive, the determination and the support needed to propel talent to the very top - and the dark underbelly of a world where hungry, vulnerable teens are desperate to make it no matter what. Abby is a great heroine, strong, flawed and likeable and very real, and the two timeline story zips along like a perfect serve (couldn't resist!) straight and true. Highly recommended.
It's the comeback to end all comebacks, Abigail Patterson is on Centre Court at Wimbledon eighteen years after walking away from a promising tennis career - and the world is desperate to know more about the thirty six year old single mother. But Abby has been concealing secrets her whole adult life and the last thing she wants is to be under such scrutiny, or for her past to be probed into quite so ruthlessly.
Judy Murray whisks us back stage at Wimbledon into the dressing rooms, the secret tunnels, showcasing the drive, the determination and the support needed to propel talent to the very top - and the dark underbelly of a world where hungry, vulnerable teens are desperate to make it no matter what. Abby is a great heroine, strong, flawed and likeable and very real, and the two timeline story zips along like a perfect serve (couldn't resist!) straight and true. Highly recommended.
December 17, 2023
I selected this book, primarily because it was written by Judy Murray, and I was left a little disappointed by it.
I had hoped for more of an insight to the world of professional tennis, and although there is some of that, I felt that the plot overall lacked some substance. In addition to that, the main plot twist was very obvious and predictable. I also saw that she is very fond of alliterative names!
On the credit side, she did well to build up the tension surrounding the tennis scenes and I was certainly rooting for the main character to be successful.
I suppose that because the author is a very articulate and skilled communicator, my expectations were very high. Furthermore, allowance should be made for a first novel.
All told, not as good as I had hoped, but not awful either.
I had hoped for more of an insight to the world of professional tennis, and although there is some of that, I felt that the plot overall lacked some substance. In addition to that, the main plot twist was very obvious and predictable. I also saw that she is very fond of alliterative names!
On the credit side, she did well to build up the tension surrounding the tennis scenes and I was certainly rooting for the main character to be successful.
I suppose that because the author is a very articulate and skilled communicator, my expectations were very high. Furthermore, allowance should be made for a first novel.
All told, not as good as I had hoped, but not awful either.
July 26, 2023
As a big tennis fan, I love books set in the world of tennis, and who better to tell the story than Judy Murray?! The novel takes place over a dual timeline, with the “Now” sections spanning a week at The Championships and the “Then” section shedding light on why Abi’s once bright future as a tennis pro was put on hold all those years ago. I really liked Abi as a character, as well as the supporting cast including her son Robbie and her best friend Georgie.
Come for the Wimbledon vibes to ease the end of grass season, stay for the excellent character development.
If you liked ‘Carrie Soto Is Back’ by Taylor Jenkins-Reid (@tjenkinsreid), try this one and you won’t be disappointed!
Come for the Wimbledon vibes to ease the end of grass season, stay for the excellent character development.
If you liked ‘Carrie Soto Is Back’ by Taylor Jenkins-Reid (@tjenkinsreid), try this one and you won’t be disappointed!
July 30, 2023
A great debut! I was a bit sceptical but really enjoyed this easy read. I was very impressed how Murray narrated the tennis matches in the story; not overdoing it but not undergoing it either. Really grabbed the emotion of the match as well as a bit of a delve into the behind the scenes. Alongside all this was an interesting story of redemption. My only slight criticism was that the 'twist' was very obvious (and I never spot things like that). I think that could be improved on, but nevertheless, it didn't really hinder my enjoyment of the story, and it was a very good, slightly emotional, easy read.
October 7, 2023
3.5 STARS
I very much enjoyed this story from the tennis perspective. Fascinating tidbits about the world of pro-tennis and how Wimbledon works, and about how it feels to be behind the scenes. The story itself was engaging, focusing on some of the possible pitfalls for young women players. Murray does well to highlight these issues so kudos for that. The characters were appealing, but I would have enjoyed more depth, a bit more juice extracted from the Georgie and (especially) Max characters. But, on the whole, an entertaining read.
I very much enjoyed this story from the tennis perspective. Fascinating tidbits about the world of pro-tennis and how Wimbledon works, and about how it feels to be behind the scenes. The story itself was engaging, focusing on some of the possible pitfalls for young women players. Murray does well to highlight these issues so kudos for that. The characters were appealing, but I would have enjoyed more depth, a bit more juice extracted from the Georgie and (especially) Max characters. But, on the whole, an entertaining read.
February 25, 2024
I’m a huge fan of Judy Murray, but, while I stand in awe of her managing to write and publish a novel along with everything else she does, this is not the most gripping of stories. It does tackle some difficult issues, such as grooming and abuse, as well as the difficulty that women in particular have if they want to make a career in a sport like tennis. But the plot is predictable and the characters two-dimensional. Worth reading though, for what it tells us about tennis, and about the author herself.
July 26, 2023
I wasn't 100% sure about reading this book, but as a huge tennis fan, I decided to take a chance and used an audible credit to listen to it. I'm so glad I did as I absolutely loved it. The story was good, and I really enjoyed the dynamics of the characters. The narrator was also very good, which is always a plus. I'd definitely recommend it and hope Judy will write another.
August 2, 2023
Very average 2.5 rounded up to 3 because I can't find enough fault with it to be a 2 star. It was fine, very readable and told in a simple style but without much heart or chemistry in a lot of the characters. I did enjoy the story, even if you could see what was coming a mile off, I think tighter writing could have kept that a bit more hidden.
Overall not bad.
Overall not bad.
March 10, 2024
Warning:this book could be triggering.
The book jumps between the present and the past. In the past we have a teenage girl who is being taken advantage of and in the present a woman given a chance to complete at Wimbledon with a Wild Card.
This fast paced book jumps between the two times like a tennis game. I genuinely couldn’t read it fast enough!
The book jumps between the present and the past. In the past we have a teenage girl who is being taken advantage of and in the present a woman given a chance to complete at Wimbledon with a Wild Card.
This fast paced book jumps between the two times like a tennis game. I genuinely couldn’t read it fast enough!
April 13, 2025
Given this book for my birthday. You would have thought it would be my cup of tea but it was not.
The bits about coaching and descriptions of the all England Club are excellent and the sexual abuse by a coach believable, but the main character and her tennis and motherhood and general life decisions is not.
The bits about coaching and descriptions of the all England Club are excellent and the sexual abuse by a coach believable, but the main character and her tennis and motherhood and general life decisions is not.
July 11, 2025
An excellent book. This story although fiction has elements of personal experience within from the tennis star Judy Murray. THE Wold Card shows the road to success is flawed and tje power of perseverance. A.beautiful telling for friendship and support after trauma and overcoming odds to be who you are supposed to be. I was hooked ot was a brilliant read.
August 28, 2025
Started and finished date - 22.08.25 to 24.08.25.
My rating - Three Stars.
I have mixed feeling about this book and I think people who like double fault by Ella Wren or painting the lines by Ashley R. King may like is book also the cover of book was okay but bit boring. The writing was okay and the writing was easy to follow also I think the ending of book was fine but most of book felt flat while I was reading it. The atmosphere was okay but it was a bit bland. The paced of plot was well structured and steady paced. I have mixed feeling about characters and I think they needed to be flash out bit.
My rating - Three Stars.
I have mixed feeling about this book and I think people who like double fault by Ella Wren or painting the lines by Ashley R. King may like is book also the cover of book was okay but bit boring. The writing was okay and the writing was easy to follow also I think the ending of book was fine but most of book felt flat while I was reading it. The atmosphere was okay but it was a bit bland. The paced of plot was well structured and steady paced. I have mixed feeling about characters and I think they needed to be flash out bit.
September 2, 2023
Second book about tennis this year. I liked the way it dealt with the power relationship between coaches and pupils but felt a bit like the coach still got away with it. Liked all the characters and the ending was what I hoped.
September 27, 2023
Great Read
I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I don't usually like books that keep going back and forward from the past to now. However, I could not out this book down until I finished it. Excellent read Judy Murray.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I don't usually like books that keep going back and forward from the past to now. However, I could not out this book down until I finished it. Excellent read Judy Murray.
October 29, 2023
3.5 stars - kind of lightweight but a fun book to accompany my watching of the Swiss Indoors and realizing I was reading a book written by Andy Murray’s mother the day I saw him play. Appreciate the realism in portraying sexual predation by a coach - harsh.
June 29, 2024
Fantastic, it had me gripped from the start!
This book has taken me in the world of tennis! Trying to read it whilst following Eastbourne was magic. Now I can enjoy Wimbledon with a better understanding, so thank you Judy I will appreciate it all so much more.
This book has taken me in the world of tennis! Trying to read it whilst following Eastbourne was magic. Now I can enjoy Wimbledon with a better understanding, so thank you Judy I will appreciate it all so much more.
May 7, 2025
I really enjoyed this. Really wasn't expecting the grooming storyline though. I adore all of the main trio and Robbie, they really seemed close. I really hope they stayed that way and Abi entered a few more WTA events!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2025
(3.5) definitely a slow starter with the flicking between past and present because to begin with you don’t care enough to be engrossed in either story line but once Cole came in to it i deffo became far more interested.
June 17, 2023
Enjoyable, uncomplicated plot and an easy read. Perfect for the beach.
June 22, 2023
This was a really nice easy holiday read. Actually read most of it today! Just got me in the mood for Queens and Wimbledon !
June 27, 2023
Wasn’t sure when I bought the book but have to say, it was surprisingly good!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews