String Theory: David Foster Wallace on Tennis: A Library of America Special Publication

You don't have to be a tennis fan to enjoy this collection of David Foster Wallace stories on the sport. From his autobiographical "How Tracy Austin Broke My Heart" to the pinnacle of tennis (and maybe even sports) writing - "[Roger] Federer as Religious Experience" - this book covers the best from the late, great writer. You can find each of the essays online with some creative Googling, but there's something about reading these in print in this beautiful, hard-bound, green volume that is a must-have addition for the bookshelf of fans of tennis, writing or both. I've read each of these at least five times and still find new things to enjoy every time.

He enjoyed it as a tennis player

Yes…. It’s about tennis but so much more! Improve your game as you stimulate your brain.

Good read, great gift for tennis players

Wonderful set of essays. The essay on Federer was priceless. I have a friend who was a ranked Junior from Illinois a little before DFW, and loved the descriptions of junior tennis. Right on the mark.

No doubt DFW is a masterful writer, and some of the essays are informative and well told. Made me curious why he thought so poorly of Connors. I felt his US Open piece went a little long, as the Tracey Austen essay. Both points made, but dragged on. I'm a big Lendl fan, so good to see him getting his due as the first of the players to utilize modern technology in his game (kind of like the Nigel Mansel of tennis :))

Book was a gift

Overall, glad I read this book and will read more by David Foster Wallace because he’s not afraid of directly speaking his mind, even if it creates enemies/hurt feelings in the process, which on a genuine level is rare. Some of the essays are phenomenal (esp. the one that tears a sports book apart, but concludes essentially saying, ‘what can you expect from a pro athlete, perfection on the court and in their writing abilities to convey how winning feels?’); however, some of them I had to force myself to keep reading despite sometimes getting bored with all the facts. It was one of the 5 books Bill Gates recommended in 2016 and did not disappoint. I recommend everyone reads this book because it (1) provides insight into a topic many of us are not familiar with while (2) also remaining relevant and a worthwhile investment of leisure time for the reader.