My Life with the Pros - Softcover

Collins, Bud

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0525485783 ISBN 13: 9780525485780

Publisher: Plume, 1990

Synopsis

The man responsible for making tennis an extremely popular television sport recounts his early days of reporting on the game, describes the great matches at Forest Hills, Wimbledon, and smaller courts, and discusses prominent players

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

Collins has been covering tennis for 30-odd years for the Boston Globe , PBS and NBC and has seen the sport change radically. He begins by recounting his 1955 interview at the Longwood Tennis and Cricket Club in Brookline, Mass., with an aging Hazel Wightman, who personified tennis as the genteel pastime of wealthy amateurs. Collins goes on to chronicle the revolution that has since taken place in the sport, particularly the battle for open tennis, in which pros and amateurs compete against one another; the advent of the Van Alen Simplified Scoring System, which introduced the tie-breaker; and the organization of World Championship Tennis and World Team Tennis, which, although they did not succeed, proved that the pros are here to stay. Anecdotes about players take a back seat in this competent albeit not exceptional history of the sport. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal:

Sportscaster Collins offers a history of tennis as seen through his roles as newspaper and television reporter. The book is laden with anecdotes recounting the game's major developments--the growth of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, the dominance of the foreign players, the breaking of racial barriers, and the rise of the brash young prodigies. Collins is at his critical best when addressing the evolution of the lucrative exhibition circuit, claiming it means more to today's stars than the tournaments--the lifeblood of the profession. His enthusiasm at times boils over, but as a personal history, there is enough insight here to satisfy most fans. For popular collections.
- William H. Hoffman, Ft. Myers-Lee Cty. P.L., Fla.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Plume
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0525485783
• ISBN 13: 9780525485780
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 38