THE CRUELEST GAME

The steep price of success at tennis’ highest level.

This is can’t-miss writing on one of the world’s most mentally taxing sports. Pro tennis is defined by “relentlessness,” writes Futterman, a reporter for The Athletic. The tournament schedule is 11 grueling months; a “unique” scorekeeping system “doesn’t help matters.” Consider basketball—it’s OK if you’re down a point after one quarter. But in tennis, dropping even a close first set puts you in a hole. In golf, meanwhile, players can whisper to caddies. But on the tennis court “you are by yourself,” Björn Borg says. Björn, Futterman notes, was basically done at 25. Other exhausted stars retired before 30. “Why does this sport drive so many mad?” Futterman seeks answers by following the tour, watching matches and training sessions and interviewing players and coaches about the sacrifices required to keep up. He excels at explaining process. For years, Naomi Osaka won by “hit[ting] the shit out of the ball,” in the words of a famed coach. After a break, Osaka returned to a different tactical landscape. The once-obscure open-stance backhand was increasingly popular, helping players “save a split second” in readying for their next shot. She had to learn it. On the men’s side, Ben Shelton, who has the physical attributes to someday win major tournaments, didn’t play much preteen tennis. Carlos Alcaraz, a multi-major champ, was practicing almost daily at 6 years old. By now, Alcaraz has hit millions more practice strokes. In tennis’ cruel accounting, “Shelton paid a price for his normalcy.” Other highlights include a heady discussion with Andre Agassi about tennis as a “battle for court position,” and some dish on Alcaraz’s rivalry with Italian star Jannik Sinner. Tremendous insight throughout on the sport’s punishing realities.

Superb reporting on the mental and physical cauldron of professional tennis.