In 2004, James Blake's world was getting more perfect by the day. As a rising young tennis star, his life and his game were constantly gathering new momentum while he travelled the world and rose through the international tennis rankings - eventually climbing as high as number twenty-two. With a tournament victory and many great matches under his belt (not to mention being named "People Magazine's" Sexiest Male Athlete in 2002). But that life came to a shocking halt in May 2004, when Blake fractured his neck in a freak accident on the court. A few months later, as he was recovering from his injury, he suffered another heart-stopping setback when his father - the man who had been the inspiration for his tennis career and the center of his world - lost his battle with stomach cancer. Shortly after his father's death, Blake was dealt a third blow when he contracted Zoster, a rare virus that paralysed half of his face and threatened to end his already jeopardised tennis career."New York Times" bestseller "Breaking Back" tells the dramatic story of the tumultuous year that followed this convergence of tragedies. With honest, open prose, Blake examines the frustrating heartbreak that followed him from hard-fought qualifiers to match point on the US Open's center court. Detailing each step of his arduous journey, he explains how the off-court challenges of 2004 powered him through his self-doubt, guided him to the world's top five, and proved that even in death his father was still teaching him to be a man.

Reviews

A broken back, his father's death, and a serious viral infection couldn't stop tennis player Blake. Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

"The grace and dignity that James has shown during some very difficult times has been a source of great inspiration."--Andre Agassi

Tennis champion Blake, who has appeared on Oprah and The Tonight Show, shares his string of hard-won successes both on the court and in his personal health. A child of a black father and white British mother in Fairfield, Conn., Blake hooked into serious tennis playing by age 11, when he was paired with coach Brian Barker, who remained his gentle mentor for the duration of his career. Having turned professional by his sophomore year of college at Harvard in 1991, Blake had mixed success on the pro circuit for the first few years. Sustaining confidence seemed to be Blake's biggest challenge, as he struggled to follow the advice of his father, Tom, who was fighting a losing battle with stomach cancer: "You can't control your level of talent, but you can control your level of effort." At age 23, he decided to shave his trademark dreadlocks. Soon after, he ran into a steel net post during a practice game in Rome, fracturing his neck vertebrae. Blake was later diagnosed with paralyzing zoster, or shingles. His memoir is an inspirational account of overcoming the odds to return to competitive playing by 2004. (Aug.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.