Rabbit
G.O.A.T.
I just finished this book. All in all, it's an OK read. The premise of the book is a year long "dear diary" type narrative of the ATP tour. There are some really good and bad stories in here.
Spadea starts off in really good fashion, talking about Andre Agassi. He shares his personal experiences with Agassi, first as a junior and then as a competitor. He recounts how Agassi treated him as a hitting partner when he was a junior and later as a fellow member of the tour.
Spadea basically goes through his year on tour, tournament to tournament. It's interesting to read his entries just prior to a big match and then afterward...espeically when he loses which is more often than I thought. He is very candid about his feelings on tour after losing and he gives fairly good blow by blows and his recollection of why he lost.
Also very interesting are his views on other players. He details what he sees as strengths and weaknesses in quite a few players. (All of whom I think are still on tour.)
The downside of the book, IMO, is Spadea's entries regarding women, relationships, and dating in general. Of course, from the perspective of someone who's been married a long time, this all seems pretty juvenile and I wish he hadn't put it in the book. I think mentioning it once would have sufficed, but Spadea feels compelled to go back again and again to the topic. I found myself basically skipping these stories.
The best story in the book had to do with Spadea losing to an unheralded player in a tournament in Los Angeles. Spadea was in a funk and lost to a guy who basically was a qualifier from the satellites. After losing to him, Spadea went to some public courts in the area to practice. The courts were basically full and he said he came across an older guy, in his 50s sitting on a bench outside an empty court. Spadea asked the guy if that was his court and he said yes but asked Spadea if he wanted to hit. Spadea said sure. Spadea told the guy he was a teaching pro.
The man didn't recognize Spadea, interestingly to Spadea's relief and chagrin at the same time. They began to hit. Spadea was taking it easy on the guy and finding himself getting a good warm up. They began to play some points, the guy asked Spadea to start bringing up the intensity; Spadea did as he was asked.
After 15 minutes, the guy's partner showed up. The guy told his partner to hit some with Spadea. Spadea obliged. The second guy remarked on how good Spadea was, and that he should probably try the tour. They offerred some encouragment to Spadea telling him that a local player had just defeated a regular on the tour and that if he could do it, Spadea coutd too!
The local player they were referring to was the player who had just beat Spadea.
Spadea said he finished up, got his stuff, left, and never told them who he was.
I thought that was funnier than hell. All in all, I'd recommend the book. Most of it is an interesting read and there are some great insights into how players think and live on the tour.
Spadea starts off in really good fashion, talking about Andre Agassi. He shares his personal experiences with Agassi, first as a junior and then as a competitor. He recounts how Agassi treated him as a hitting partner when he was a junior and later as a fellow member of the tour.
Spadea basically goes through his year on tour, tournament to tournament. It's interesting to read his entries just prior to a big match and then afterward...espeically when he loses which is more often than I thought. He is very candid about his feelings on tour after losing and he gives fairly good blow by blows and his recollection of why he lost.
Also very interesting are his views on other players. He details what he sees as strengths and weaknesses in quite a few players. (All of whom I think are still on tour.)
The downside of the book, IMO, is Spadea's entries regarding women, relationships, and dating in general. Of course, from the perspective of someone who's been married a long time, this all seems pretty juvenile and I wish he hadn't put it in the book. I think mentioning it once would have sufficed, but Spadea feels compelled to go back again and again to the topic. I found myself basically skipping these stories.
The best story in the book had to do with Spadea losing to an unheralded player in a tournament in Los Angeles. Spadea was in a funk and lost to a guy who basically was a qualifier from the satellites. After losing to him, Spadea went to some public courts in the area to practice. The courts were basically full and he said he came across an older guy, in his 50s sitting on a bench outside an empty court. Spadea asked the guy if that was his court and he said yes but asked Spadea if he wanted to hit. Spadea said sure. Spadea told the guy he was a teaching pro.
The man didn't recognize Spadea, interestingly to Spadea's relief and chagrin at the same time. They began to hit. Spadea was taking it easy on the guy and finding himself getting a good warm up. They began to play some points, the guy asked Spadea to start bringing up the intensity; Spadea did as he was asked.
After 15 minutes, the guy's partner showed up. The guy told his partner to hit some with Spadea. Spadea obliged. The second guy remarked on how good Spadea was, and that he should probably try the tour. They offerred some encouragment to Spadea telling him that a local player had just defeated a regular on the tour and that if he could do it, Spadea coutd too!
The local player they were referring to was the player who had just beat Spadea.
Spadea said he finished up, got his stuff, left, and never told them who he was. I thought that was funnier than hell. All in all, I'd recommend the book. Most of it is an interesting read and there are some great insights into how players think and live on the tour.
