World of Tennis 2001 Book

The 33rd edition of the International Tennis Federation's annual World of Tennis, edited by Financial Times and BBC journalist John Barrett, aims to be both a comprehensive review of the previous season and a taster for the year ahead. Assessments of the stars and their exploits are all underpinned by an authoritative statistical record. 2000 was a vintage year in tennis; a hugely popular, record-breaking triumph by perhaps the outstanding player of the last century--a seventh Wimbledon for Pete Sampras. New titans emerged, in the shape of Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten and the remarkable Venus Williams, whose US Open win and doubles/singles clean sweep at both Wimbledon and the Olympics may have ushered in a reign to equal that of Martina Navratilova. In many ways, it was a case of Venus Williams first, the rest nowhere. I know the [ranking] computer thinks otherwise and computers never lie, do they? But ... she put together a winning streak of 35 matches that stamped her as one of the greatest athletes ever to pick up a racket. World of Tennis draws on the expertise of some of the game's top journalists and commentators to put the year's events in context and it's the quality of these features--and a generous helping of colour photography--that lifts the book out of the ordinary. With over five hundred pages of small type, a comprehensive results database, profiles of all today's significant players and the all-time greats, this is a genuine treasure trove for tennis fans. Time will tell if it is worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Wisden's cricket annuals--as yet it lacks that publication's fierce independence of spirit--but it possesses a similar scope and love for its sport. --Alex HankinRead More