Strokes of Genius: Federer, Nadal, and the Greatest Match Ever Played

Terrific writing on the 2008 epic match. Every detail was covered. I read it and i was glad to repurchase it.

I love reading about Nadal and Federer, who are the two greatest tennis players of all time. The book talks about how they learned the game, how they practice, how they think, and who influenced them. Plus MUCH MORE! It talks about the game of tennis and fills the reader in on what goes on at Wimbledon. It is just so interesting, I was actually sorry when I came to the last page. You will also discover Rafa Nadal's Uncle Tony and love him for how he thinks and what he instilled in Nadal. Totally unique and admirable characters and beyond interesting.

I was concerned that it could be redundant, only being about one match, but with the authors extras it was a great read.

On the surface, Strokes of Genius by Jon Wertheim is an account of the memorable 2008 Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the top two players in the world. The contest was immediately cast as the best match ever. That may be true even though this year's final between Federer and Andy Roddick was also excellent. Mr. Wertheim's book goes much deeper than just a replay of the match. We are supplied with interesting background material on both Federer and Nadal. For any tennis fans, this is good stuff. You learn the history of the players, the development of their tennis games, their handling of the emotional side of tennis, their quirks, their strengths, and their weaknesses. You also receive a great deal of insight into life on the pro tennis tour and begin to get a feel for the effort required to reach the top.Wimbledon has always been a place of fascination for me. I have watched the championships whenever possible for years. After reading this book, I believe that I will be better able to understand some of the nuances of what it takes to be a Wimbledon champion. I also know much more now about Federer and Nadal than I did before, and I admire both men for their amazing tennis skills.We happened to be in Paris this past June when the final of the French Open was played. We did not attend the matches the last weekend, but we noticed that there was definitely a buzz around town about the tournament and about Roger and Rafa in particular. Of course, it turned out that Nadal couldn't play, so Federer swept through the tournament for his first French Open title. We watched the championship match in a sports bar in Montmartre, and the French people in the bar seemed to have a real appreciation for Federer. I wish now that Strokes of Genius had been published a little earlier. If I had read the book before watching the French Open final, I would have been even more absorbed by the tennis.I highly recommend Strokes of Genius to any tennis players and to those of you who are simply fans of the game.

Gave this as a gift to a tennis enthusiast. They said the story was very interesting and they liked it