Hardcourt Confidential: Tales from Twenty Years in the Pro Tennis Trenches by Patrick McEnroe with Peter Bodo

                It took several trips to the library for me to check this book out, and I did it with great trepidation.  Staring at me from the shelf, the book kept calling to me, telling me I really did want to read what was on its pages.  I was unsure, but eventually my curiosity won out and I brought it home.  It had to sit around for a bit since I, being a tad superstitious at times, did not want to read a book about tennis during a major tournament.  This is especially true since I was not optimistic about what was going to be written about my favorite player.  So you are probably wondering if I was so hesitant, why did I read the book at all?  As I said, I was curious.  I had read John McEnroe’s book, and as he and Patrick McEnroe are brothers, I was wondering how different their stories were.  Then there was also the fact that this book was recently published and I figured my favorite players would be mentioned more often than in other tennis books I have read.  Reading this book, both my curiosities were satisfied.  The two stories were quite different, and my favorite players were mentioned quite a lot.

                From the start of my reading I knew this book was going to be different from the other tennis books I have read.  This one was more about the actual tennis and much less about Mr. McEnroe’s personal life.  This was fine by me.  The realities of how the tennis world works is what interests me in the first place.  However, I did find the story of how Mr. McEnroe and his wife got together quite cute.  As the book goes along, Mr. McEnroe talks about tournaments and the differences from the time when he was a player as to how they are today.  There was a lot of discussion about the Davis Cup which, I will be honest, I knew about but did not all at the same time.  Mr. McEnroe spoke about many different players and his encounters with them.  This is where I almost fell over.  Mr. McEnroe was complimentary to Roger Federer.  Not just once, but through nearly the entire book.  I recall only one even moderately snarky comment geared at Mr. Federer all the way through, and trust me, I checked.  In my experience, this has not been the commentary norm for quite awhile.  Which is why I was very grateful to see such kind and appreciative words about Mr. Federer.  In Mr. McEnroe’s comments about other players he held a very good balance with pointing out struggles and weaknesses without being overly critical.  He kept it to constructive criticism.  Throughout the book, Mr. McEnroe also opened my eyes to other players who I have not paid as much attention.  He gave me insight into these people, revealing things without being prying.  Some things mentioned were negative, but I never felt as though it was attacking.

                What I also found as a surprise was so many of the things Mr. McEnroe noted I have been screaming around my house about for years.  These are facts, figures, and observations I feel are often brushed over and ignored in commentary and news articles.  It was nice to see someone pays attention to what I pay attention to and is willing to mention them.  This is especially true since Mr. McEnroe has a bit of a wider audience than I to get these things out into the world.

                I am so happy I brought this book home from the library.  A new image of the tennis world has been created for me.  And I now may consider taking Patrick McEnroe off of mute.  Occasionally.