New York Tennis Magazine’s Literary Corner: Tennis in New York

May 24, 2012 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Tennis_NY_Cover

You don’t have to be a New Yorker, or a New Yorker who plays tennis to savor the pleasure of Tennis in New York by Dale G. Caldwell and Nancy Gill McShea, a delightful addition to any library, or even as a surprise gift for that doubles partner or singles rival who has everything. All of the history, glamour and grit of New York as a tennis capitol is captured in this colorful examination of the people, players and events that made tennis such an integral part of the city’s landscape. Even a four-page chapter on "Black Tennis in New York" provides a satisfying feel for an area often overlooked alongside the more publicized areas such as the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills or, more recently, Flushing Meadows, site of the U.S. Open.

The cover tells you almost everything you want to know about why this 270-page book is so special. The photo montage of New York City kids holding flags is flanked by the memorable shot of Arthur Ashe and his father at the U.S. Open after his victorious singles triumph, coupled with individual shots of such great Eastern tennis champions as Dick Savitt, John McEnroe and Althea Gibson.

But this book is also about the "feel" of New York tennis, and why it’s so unique. Nancy Gill McShea’s detail-rich profiles of Eastern Tennis Association Hall of Fame inductees provide further insight into the players, officials, patrons and others who enrich the New York tennis market.

Tennis books have often provided unexpected pleasures over the years, from John McPhee’s Levels of the Game to W. Timothy Gallwey’s The Inner Game of Tennis. Add Tennis in New York alongside Bud Collins’ Modern Encyclopedia of Tennis and you will be fully stocked for another season—indoors or outdoors.


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Centercourt
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