The Art of Tennis - by Nicholas Fox Weber (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

A celebration of the cultural influence of tennis that paved the way for the way for the sport we love today. In its foundational years, tennis inspired paintings, ballets, music, fiction, poetry, theatre, and even clothing design. This book presents riveting exemplars from all the arts while also lovingly portraying the game of tennis as an art form of its own.

Tennis is a game of precision, timing, athleticism, strategy, and, sometimes, a little luck. Small wonder this sport attracts so many players and fans--including artists and writers who see something transcendent in hitting a ball with a racket over a net and inside a rectangular field.

As Weber writes, "The thrill of the thwack of the racquet and the perpetual state of suspense about what is coming next appeals to individuals from every walk of life....It has prompted the creation of sublime architecture and moved composers of music in wonderful new directions; it has seeded literary fantasy and been the source of hilarious cartoons. It has also, in fabulous ways, enabled human beings to demonstrate some of their most admirable qualities: courage, tenacity, generosity of heart."

This book explores the charisma and spell the sport cast on the likes of Nabokov, Coco Chanel, Caravaggio, and Bonnard. And, of course, there is much about the players who gave the sport, in its early years, its special magic.

Weber, best known for art world biographies, has been a lifelong tennis player and takes us through his own personal relationship with the sport: from his college-age summers in the 1960s working at New Hampshire's Tamarack Tennis Camp to a pickup game on a court in Guangzhou, China where he was struck, yet again, that tennis is its own language, understood by all who play it.

Whether a reader is fluent in the language of tennis or just admires it as an outsider, The Art of Tennis will delight all lovers of the game.

Review Quotes

"The Art of Tennis is a masterpiece. Of graceful writing. Of history. Of nuance. Of grasping the elements, large and small, that make tennis more than mere sport. Nicolas Fox Weber executes the equivalent of an elegant rally, toggling between 'how culture has impacted tennis' and 'how tennis has impacted culture at large.' What a welcome addition to the sport's literary compendium."

--L. Jon Wertheim, author of Glory Days

"Nicholas Fox Weber knows tennis but also a lot more than tennis, which makes him just the right person to write a book about the game. He's also a lovely writer. More than an ode to tennis, this book is about the best things in life--and about the best people."

--Simon Kuper, author of World Cup Fever

"A powerful evocation of the artistry displayed by the greats of the game, as well as a fascinating voyage through the arts and artists who have celebrated it. One great lesson shines through this highly entertaining and beautifully written book: 'tennis is a great mnemonic, ' something which Nicholas Fox Weber shows with rare warmth, wit, and delight. An absolute must for anyone interested in tennis or the arts."

--Leland de la Durantaye, author of Style Is Matter

"A wonderfully eclectic look at the history of tennis as an art form--and as an inspiration to artists of all sorts. Nicholas Fox Weber has plumbed every aspect of art in tennis and tennis in art, and any love of the game will come away sharing his delight."

--Marshall Jon Fisher, author of A Terrible Splendor