Grand Slam Man

When Wales beat France to clinch the 2012 Six Nations Championship Grand Slam – one player stood out from the rest of the field. A powerful presence on the pitch, Dan Lydiate, the 6ft 4in fearless farmer’s son from Llandrindod Wells truly deserved the title Player of the Tournament. In Grand Slam Man, the heroic Welsh flanker reflects on his comeback from a broken neck in 2008 to become the hero of Wales’s 2012 Grand Slam success. He also reveals his thoughts on the Australia tour, his love of tackling, his life on the farm and his British Lions dream.

This book is the complete guide to one of the greatest tennis players of the 21st century, winner of 22 grand slam men's singles titles, and undisputed King of the tennis court, Spain's raging bull, Rafael Nadal. This fully illustrated biography charts his journey to the top, from his early days being coached by his uncle Toni in Mallorca and dreaming of being a professional footballer, through his early tournament career, turning professional, his first senior ATP win, first grand slam win at Roland Garros, first Wimbledon win and first Olympic gold medal and record breaking 21st Grand Slam win. Written by Dominic Bliss, a veteran tennis journalist who has followed Nadal’s career closely both on and off the court, this biography tracks Rafa’s journey from painfully shy pin-up boy to senior statesman on the ATP Tour who continues to conquer worldwide, most recently claiming his 14th Roland Garros and 22nd Grand Slam title at the French Open in June 2022. Structured around 10 key matches in his long career, it takes readers from his first national junior championship win at age 14 (when he played with the pain of a broken finger on his racquet hand) through to his 21st Grand Slam title in January 2022, where he came back from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev in an epic 5-set match. From his need for water bottles to be arranged 'a certain way' on the court, to his charity work raising $17 million to help the Red Cross’ efforts to support those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, this book examines every angle of Rafa as a human being, a model athlete, a serial winner. This definitive work on one of tennis' all time greats is not to be missed!

This New York Times bestselling biography tells the life story of the most iconic men's tennis player of the modern era. There have been other biographies of Roger Federer, but never one with this kind of access to the man himself, his support team, and the most prominent figures in the game, including such rivals as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Roddick. In The Master, New York Times correspondent Christopher Clarey sits down with Federer and those closest to him to tell the story of the greatest player in men's tennis. Roger Federer has often made it look astonishingly easy through the decades: carving backhands, gliding to forehands, leaping for overheads and, in his most gravity-defying act, remaining high on a pedestal in a world of sports rightfully flooded with cynicism. But his path from temperamental, bleach-blond teenager with dubious style sense to one of the greatest, most self-possessed and elegant of competitors has been a long-running act of will, not destiny. He not only had a great gift. He had grit. Christopher Clarey, one of the top international sportswriters working today, has covered Federer since the beginning of his professional career. He was in Paris on the Suzanne Lenglen Court for Federer's first Grand Slam match and has interviewed him exclusively more than any other journalist since his rise to prominence. Here, Clarey focuses on the pivotal people, places, and moments in Federer's long and rich career: reporting from South Africa, South America, the Middle East, four Grand Slam tournaments, and Federer's native Switzerland. It has been a journey like no other player's, rife with victories and a few crushing defeats, one that has redefined enduring excellence and made Federer a sentimental favorite worldwide. The Master tells the story of Federer's life and career on both an intimate and grand scale, in a way no one else could possibly do.

Over the past two million years, humans evolved from an obscure herbivorous species living in the tropical forests of equatorial Africa to become the world’s most populous carnivorous apex predator species. In the 21st century, this fateful change in the human diet from plant to animal sourced foods is the leading cause of chronic degenerative disease, runaway climate change, and mass species extinction. Man Eating Plants: How a Vegan Diet Can Save the World weaves together published works by the world’s leading scientists and historians to narrate how we arrived at these three interrelated crises and how we can save the world by transitioning back to our natural plant-based diet.

Well-known sports journalist and writer of the #1 tennis blog on the web, TennisWorld, Peter Bodo's newest eBook is devoted to the player who holds six Wimbledon titles and countless others, Olympic gold medalist Roger Federer. With his unique insights into The Mighty Fed’s playing style, greatest rivalries, stunning winning streak (and possible decline), and even his fashion choices, Bodo chronicles the golden middle period of Federer’s career, 2006-2009. Including interviews with Federer himself, this book provides a quick-paced, passionate look at tennis’s greatest superstar.

Australia has a proud history on the world tennis stage. From pioneers like Jack Crawford, Nancye Wynne (Bolton) and Frank Sedgman, through the golden era of champions like Ken Rosewall, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Margaret Smith (Court) and John Newcombe, and on to more recent success stories like those of Ash Barty and Dylan Alcott. This book highlights the achievements of every Australian champion in singles and doubles at the 4 Grand Slam events in world tennis – Wimbledon and the Australian, French and US Opens – along with all the near misses by Aussie players who have finished as runners-up at those prestigious events. It’s a must-read for any Aussie tennis fan.

When Andy Murray broke the news in March 2014 that he was parting company with Ivan Lendl it caused shock waves across the world. In just over two years Lendl had turned Murray from a perennial runner-up into the most successful British tennis player since Fred Perry - a winner of the US Open, Olympic Gold and Wimbledon Champion. However, when Murray - a 4 times Grand Slam finalist - announced, in 2011, that he was teaming up with the man they called the 'chokoslovakian' for the number of times he had lost a Slam final, there was widespread consensus that whoever had made the decision was either a genius or taking a huge gamble. Lendl, who had fled from behind the Iron Curtain at the height of the Cold War to move to America in order to pursue his tennis dreams, was everything that his contemporaries – McEnroe, Becker, Connors – were not. And yet, after falling at the final hurdle 4 times, he went on to win 8 Grand Slams. But there was one title missing – Wimbledon. And he was obsessed by it. So what did Lendl and Murray see in each other that no one else did? What did Lendl do to turn Murray from a perennial runner-up to US Open Champion and the first Briton to lift the Wimbledon trophy in 77 years? Going back to Lendl’s roots and through extensive interviews and analysis of the Murray-Lendl axis seen at close quarters, Mark Hodgkinson reveals the magic formula that Lendl used to turn Murray into a champion. In so doing he lifts the lid on their relationship, and how it came to an end, which made this left-field combination the most successful in British tennis history.

Explore the incredible life of Novak Djokovic – from his boyhood in war-torn Serbia to his 24th Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open. Find out more about the world’s #1 male tennis player in this stunningly illustrated biography. Join expert tennis journalist Dominic Bliss, for an up-close look at the unbelievable talent of a player destined for greatness. Djokovic’s extraordinary achievements include iconic moments such as becoming the first man in the Open Era to achieve a double Career Grand Slam in singles, and the only man in tennis history to be the reigning champion of the four majors at once across three different surfaces. Novak Djokovic: The greatest of all time recounts the tennis legend’s remarkable ascent to sporting glory with: A riveting account of Djokovic’s life and career, from his childhood in Serbia, when his unparalleled talent was recognized, to being the biggest name in tennis with a fan base of over 10 million. Large, full-color photographs from past and present illuminating his astonishing record-breaking career. Clear and insightful infographics analyzing Djokovic’s playing style and retellings of his top 10 best matches so you can recreate the most important moments of tennis history. With this captivating biography, find inspiration in the exceptional spirit and determination that led Djokovic to go on to win 24 Grand Slam men's singles titles, 96 ATP singles titles and a record breaking 390+ weeks ranking as No.1. Complete your collection of all-time greats with Rafa Nadal: The King of the Court, and Fedegraphica which follow the incredible life and career of Djokovic’s ultimate rivals.