On Tennis

Five Essays

By: David Foster Wallace

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

From the author of Infinite Jest and Consider the Lobster: a collection of five brilliant essays on tennis, from the author's own experience as a junior player to his celebrated profile of Roger Federer at the peak of his powers.

A "long-time rabid fan of tennis," and a regionally ranked tennis player in his youth, David Foster Wallace wrote about the game like no one else. On Tennis presents David Foster Wallace's five essays on the sport, published between 1990 and 2006, and hailed as some of the greatest and most innovative sports writing of our time.

This lively and entertaining collection begins with Wallace's own experience as a prodigious tennis player ("Derivative Sport in Tornado Alley"). He also challenges the sports memoir genre ("How Tracy Austen Broke My Heart"), takes us to the US Open ("Democracy and Commerce at the U.S. Open"), and profiles of two of the world's greatest tennis players ("Tennis Player Michael Joyce's Professional Artistry as a Paradigm of Certain Stuff About Choice, Freedom, Limitation, Joy, Grotesquerie, and Human Completeness" and "Federer Both Flesh and Not").

With infectious enthusiasm and enormous heart, Wallace's writing shows us the beauty, complexity, and brilliance of the game he loved best.

Read This Book

Where does On Tennis rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Best so far. But to be honest I've only read (listened) to three.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The author is my favorite character because he is both informative, entertaining, and insightful. Okay, that's three, but still, it's a treat of a book for anyone remotely interested in tennis.

Have you listened to any of Robert Petkoff’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The narrator rocks.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laugh out loud funny. And often.

A must have for tennis enthusiasts

David Wallace was a master of his trade. I will venture that practically anyone will enjoy this book of five essays. I've read through it multiple times now and it's always entertaining. If you like tennis you will surely find this book to be a favorite. If you ever picked up "Infinite Jest" and weren't enthralled (as some of his fans are) don't worry, this is well written nonfiction essays, and it's a very engaging read.

He got it!

Excellent writing and understanding of the love of tennis! Must read for all tennis fans.

Worth re-reading!

D.F.Wallace is the guy you wanted to talk tennis with. The conversations outside of time. Read it for the love of pros, for the provocation, for the reminder of why you play.

Pro Tennis in a nutshell

I was recommended this collection by a journalist friend after they learned of my extensive competitive tennis history. This text is such a true summation of multiple facets of the professional and semi-pro game and all beautifully, colorfully, written. Read it and understand and appreciate this poetic game in a new way.