Novak Djokovic is not just one of the world's great tennis players - he is the defacto ambassador for his homeland, Serbia. Not an easy job, given the lingering resonance in the world's news bulletins of Serbia's role in the 1990s Yugoslav wars. To this day, the words 'Serbia' and 'atrocities' are linked in the minds of many.In this study of both Djokovic and Serbia, Chris Bowers paints two powerful portraits. He traces the story of the boy from modest surroundings, telling of how he met the woman who not only taught him tennis but how to deal with life as a high-profile icon, charts his battle with illness and his relationship with a volatile father, and how his on-court deeds have made his country proud. But he also tells the story of Serbia, pulling no punches about its role in the 1990s wars but offering a sensitive interpretation of the hopes and aspirations of a people with a troubled past.Bowers, biographer of Swiss tennis star Roger Federer and the British deputy-prime-minister Nick Clegg, weaves together these sporting and geo-political strands to present a sensitive portrait of a man and his people, and how determination married to sensitivity can create a sporting statesman.

Novak Djokovic is not just one the world's greatest tennis players - he is a de facto ambassador for his country, Serbia.

In this study of both Djokovic and Serbia, Chris Bowers paints two powerful portraits. He traces the story of the boy from modest surroundings, telling of how he met the woman who not only taught him tennis but how to deal with life as a high - profile icon, charts his battle with illness and his relationship with a volatile father, and how his on - court deeds have made his country proud. But he also tells the story of Serbia, pulling no punches about its role in the 1990s wars but offering a sensitive interpretation of the hopes and aspirations of a people with a troubled past. Bowers, biographer of Swiss tennis star Roger Federer and the British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, weaves together these sporting and geo - political strands to present a sensitive portrait of a man and his people, and how determination married to sensitivity can create a sporting statesman.

This revised and updated biography intertwines the incredible playing career of one of the best and most popular tennis players of all time with a history of how he came to rescue the image of a young, war-torn country on the world stage. It describes Djokovic's modest upbringing, revealing how he met the woman who taught him both to play tennis and how to deal with life as a high-profile icon. It charts Djokovic's battle with illness, his relationship with a volatile father, and how his on-court deeds have made his country proud. It also tells the story of Serbia, offering a nuanced portrait of a people with a troubled past, and offers an unrivaled assessment of the player's recent drop in form--and the untold reasons behind it.

Roger Federer is not only one of the greatest tennis players ever to pick up a racket - if not the greatest - but he is one of the global icons of our time. Characterised by a mixture of passion and calmness, a fierce competitor with a regal bearing, he is both an athlete and an ambassador, a street fighter and a statesman. But who is he really? And what are the experiences and influences that have shaped him into the world figure he is today? This acclaimed biography, first published in 2006 and now fully updated in its ninth edition, traces Federer's life and career, from his first tentative swings with a racket to legendary status. The vastly experienced writer, broadcaster and tennis historian Chris Bowers talked exclusively to many of the people who helped shape the young Roger Federer, and together with his own experiences following Federer's career from his junior title at Wimbledon at age sixteen to his twentieth major title nineteen years later, he presents an affectionate and analytical portrait of one of the great names of modern-day sport. His book has enough information to satisfy the most voracious Federer fan, and enough talking points to keep an argument going until the small hours. In its portrait of Roger Federer - the man, the player, the icon - this masterly biography brings the player's story up to date, while also examining his place in tennis and sporting history.

Roger Federer is not only one of the greatest tennis players ever to pick up a racket - if not the greatest - but he is one of the global icons of our time. Characterised by a mixture of passion and calmness, a fierce competitor with a regal bearing, he is both an athlete and an ambassador, a street fighter and a statesman. But who is he really? And what are the experiences and influences that have shaped him into the world figure he is today? This acclaimed biography, first published in 2006 and now fully updated in its ninth edition, traces Federer's life and career, from his first tentative swings with a racket to legendary status. The vastly experienced writer, broadcaster and tennis historian Chris Bowers talked exclusively to many of the people who helped shape the young Roger Federer, and together with his own experiences following Federer's career from his junior title at Wimbledon at age sixteen to his twentieth major title nineteen years later, he presents an affectionate and analytical portrait of one of the great names of modern-day sport. His book has enough information to satisfy the most voracious Federer fan, and enough talking points to keep an argument going until the small hours. In its portrait of Roger Federer - the man, the player, the icon - this masterly biography brings the player's story up to date, while also examining his place in tennis and sporting history.

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK A “thoroughly captivating biography” (The San Francisco Chronicle) of American icon Arthur Ashe—the Jackie Robinson of men’s tennis—a pioneering athlete who, after breaking the color barrier, went on to become an influential civil rights activist and public intellectual. Born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1943, by the age of eleven, Arthur Ashe was one of the state’s most talented black tennis players. He became the first African American to play for the US Davis Cup team in 1963, and two years later he won the NCAA singles championship. In 1968, he rose to a number one national ranking. Turning professional in 1969, he soon became one of the world’s most successful tennis stars, winning the Australian Open in 1970 and Wimbledon in 1975. After retiring in 1980, he served four years as the US Davis Cup captain and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985. In this “deep, detailed, thoughtful chronicle” (The New York Times Book Review), Raymond Arsenault chronicles Ashe’s rise to stardom on the court. But much of the book explores his off-court career as a human rights activist, philanthropist, broadcaster, writer, businessman, and celebrity. In the 1970s and 1980s, Ashe gained renown as an advocate for sportsmanship, education, racial equality, and the elimination of apartheid in South Africa. But from 1979 on, he was forced to deal with a serious heart condition that led to multiple surgeries and blood transfusions, one of which left him HIV-positive. After devoting the last ten months of his life to AIDS activism, Ashe died in February 1993 at the age of forty-nine, leaving an inspiring legacy of dignity, integrity, and active citizenship. Based on prodigious research, including more than one hundred interviews, Arthur Ashe puts Ashe in the context of both his time and the long struggle of African-American athletes seeking equal opportunity and respect, and “will serve as the standard work on Ashe for some time” (Library Journal, starred review).

Issues for Nov. 1957- include section: Accessions. Aanwinste, Sept. 1957-

Learn about the inspirational story of Novak Djokovic In Novak Djokovic: A Biography of the Serbian Superstar you will learn about the life, professional career, and accomplishments of Novak Djokovic. There were two tennis superstars who ruled the sport--and this is the story of the player who pushed them aside to dominate tennis. Novak Djokovic wasn't supposed to be a tennis player, but as a child he decided to pick up a racquet; and that eventually led him to being the player to end the era of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. His story is unlike other players', as he dodged air strikes in Serbia to practice, then headed to Germany to learn about the game, and progressed to being the highest money earner that tennis has ever seen. All his Grand Slam wins and all his great rivalries made him a player without equal. Few tennis players have grabbed the attention of tennis fans like Novak Djokovic has. His complete game has won him all four Grand Slam tournaments. He has set records and is among an elite group of all-time greats. But before he dethroned Roger Federer as tennis' best, he had a unique, and unlikely, journey from tennis courts on a mountain to Centre Court at Wimbledon. Here is a preview of this biography: Novak, Tennis and Serbia The German Tennis Academy 2005 Australian Open Qualifier First ATP Title Winning the 2008 Australian Open Chasing Federer Ranked Number 1 in 2011 Battling Federer, Murray and Nadal Finally Gets the French Open Djokovic Versus Sampras, Laver, Federer and Other Greats Here is an excerpt from the book: As Novak's victories kept adding up, the media spotlight intensified on him, and reporters and fans often talked about how he bounced the ball a lot before he served. As many as fifteen or twenty times, the number of times he bounced the ball before serving irritated some players and fans. Mind games are a big part of sports, and if Novak was doing it to get an advantage, it probably worked more than once. People started counting the bounces, and Novak must have as well: "My record was in 2007 during the Davis Cup against Australia. I made the ball bounce thirty-eight or thirty-nine times (before serving)." It was a great year for Novak. He won $12,595,903. He won 92% of his matches. He added ten more titles to his trophy case. Novak set impressive win streaks, including thirty-one wins in consecutive Masters matches and also a streak of forty-three tennis-match wins. He won a title at three Grand Slams and advanced to the semifinal in the other. He achieved the No. 1 ranking in the world. Novak had it all.