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SMASHED: Tennis prodigies, parents and parasites
Todd Ley’s account of his time as a tennis prodigy may be one of the most important books you will ever read on tennis. — Newtown Review of Books
The “you are there” atmosphere Todd Ley creates in the course of exploring tennis’s hidden influences makes for an unforgettable read that’s hard to put down…Offering a candidness not usually seen in either the sport of tennis or books about it…it’s an eye-opening and enthralling analysis and powerful memoir. — Midwest Book Review
SMASHED exposes the hidden and harsh realities associated with child sporting excellence, offering an unprecedented examination of the ruthless underbelly of the so-called 'gentleman's game'.
Behind the glitz and glamour of tournaments like Wimbledon and the Australian Open a merciless world of tennis peasants fight to earn their spot on the grand stage. Forced to walk the tennis tightrope from the time they are toddlers, sporting prodigies unwittingly sell their soul to the industry. Meanwhile, agents, coaches and hangers-on are free to politely extort the immaturity of players, only to discard them once the well has run dry. Todd Ley, once the world's top junior tennis player, the youngest athlete ever signed by IMG and a child inmate at a renowned international sporting academy, blends wild anecdotes, raw truth, tragic comedy, and hard-won experience, to vividly capture the reality of being a child tennis star and the devastation it wreaked on his adulthood. Ley's darkly funny, unfiltered commentary is a fascinating read, delivering uncomfortable truths and coaching gold to put the game on notice.
The “you are there” atmosphere Todd Ley creates in the course of exploring tennis’s hidden influences makes for an unforgettable read that’s hard to put down…Offering a candidness not usually seen in either the sport of tennis or books about it…it’s an eye-opening and enthralling analysis and powerful memoir. — Midwest Book Review
SMASHED exposes the hidden and harsh realities associated with child sporting excellence, offering an unprecedented examination of the ruthless underbelly of the so-called 'gentleman's game'.
Behind the glitz and glamour of tournaments like Wimbledon and the Australian Open a merciless world of tennis peasants fight to earn their spot on the grand stage. Forced to walk the tennis tightrope from the time they are toddlers, sporting prodigies unwittingly sell their soul to the industry. Meanwhile, agents, coaches and hangers-on are free to politely extort the immaturity of players, only to discard them once the well has run dry. Todd Ley, once the world's top junior tennis player, the youngest athlete ever signed by IMG and a child inmate at a renowned international sporting academy, blends wild anecdotes, raw truth, tragic comedy, and hard-won experience, to vividly capture the reality of being a child tennis star and the devastation it wreaked on his adulthood. Ley's darkly funny, unfiltered commentary is a fascinating read, delivering uncomfortable truths and coaching gold to put the game on notice.
282 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 9, 2025
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16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 20, 2025
I’m not big on tennis, but I love a relentless confessional memoir, and Todd Ley has written exactly that. Just about everyone gets thrown under the bus, but in all fairness he doesn’t let himself off the hook either.
I think we all know there’s something seedy behind the scenes of elite junior tennis, but this will still be an eye opener.
It’s unashamedly one-sided and rough around the edges, but just go with it and you find a confronting and compelling read.
I think we all know there’s something seedy behind the scenes of elite junior tennis, but this will still be an eye opener.
It’s unashamedly one-sided and rough around the edges, but just go with it and you find a confronting and compelling read.
April 17, 2025
Way too much advice and preaching and not enough anecdotes. Would've liked more stories from playing around the world.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews