Duel for the Crown: The Fascinating Inside Story of Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski's Tennis Year Book

The story of a multi-million dollar sport and the inner lives of those who tread the big-money wheel of the ATP Tour, Neil Harman's Duel for the Crown is the Sunday Telegraph journalist's account of the 1998 tennis season, focusing on the fluctuating fortunes of Britain's Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski. As the ATP caravan circumnavigates the globe, Harman chronicles a remarkable tennis year, looking beyond the court and behind the PR veneer to reveal a game the public rarely sees. Staged away from the arena and the camera, but informing everything which we see on court, this "inner" game defines the sport and the yawning distance between a top-20 ranking and obscurity. Candid dispatches from deep inside the Henman and Rusedski camps are contrasted with the forthright views of the top players and most insightful commentators to offer a revealing portrait of modern tennis. This level of acceptance within the tight-knit world of the top professional athletes is rare and hard-won. To Harman's credit, his obvious delight in the sport and privileged access to its major figures hasn't dulled his journalist's instinct for delivering the story. Winning at this rarefied level is as much about capturing the hearts and minds of the watching public and the sponsors' wallet as it is about Grand Slam titles. The rewards are enormous, and Harman's is an engaging insight into what it means to compete. --Alex HankinRead More