Life Tennis

The Heath children have tennis running through their blood - their father and grandfather were top players - and the twins are championship material. However, to everyone's surprise, it is their lazy and rebellious younger sister, Nicky, who has the most natural ability. Nicky begins to practise in secret, but, talented at tennis as she is, she has battles to win with herself - on and off the tennis court.

Unstoppable is the fiercely honest, fearless, darkly funny autobiography of global tennis star Maria Sharapova. In the middle of the night, a father and his daughter step off a Greyhound bus in Florida and head straight to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. They ring the bell, though no-one is expecting them and they don't speak English. They have arrived from Russia with just 700 dollars and the conviction that this six-year-old girl will be the world's next great tennis star. They are right.

In 1950, three years after Jackie Robinson first walked onto the diamond at Ebbets Field, the all-white, upper-crust US Lawn Tennis Association opened its door just a crack to receive a powerhouse player who would integrate "the game of royalty." The player was a street-savvy young Black woman from Harlem named Althea Gibson who was about as out-of-place in that rarefied and intolerant world as any aspiring tennis champion could be.

Ash is back at Tennis Camp and so happy to see her friends again. When they all find out that they will compete at the end of camp in a singles tournament and the winners will get to be a ballkid at the local grown-ups tournament, they all get SUPER EXCITED! Especially when there's a chance they'll get to meet their tennis heroes AND go on TV! Will Ash get to meet her HEROES and be a BALLKID to the STARS?

Born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1943, by the age of 11 Arthur Ashe was one of the state's most talented Black tennis players. Jim Crow restrictions barred Ashe from competing with Whites. Still, in 1960 he won the National Junior Indoor singles title, which led to a tennis scholarship at UCLA. He became the first African American to play for the US Davis Cup team in 1963, and two years later he won the NCAA singles championship. In 1968, he won both the US Amateur title and the first US Open title, rising to a number-one national ranking.

Who was Alice Marble? In her public life, she was the biggest tennis star of the pre-war era, a household name like Joe DiMaggio and Joe Louis. She was famous for overcoming serious illness to win the biggest tournaments, including Wimbledon. She was also a fashion designer and trendsetter, a contributor to a pioneering new comic called Wonder Woman - and friend to the biggest names in Hollywood and society, like Carole Lombard and Clark Gable, William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies, and members of families named Bloomingdale, Loew, and du Pont.

In August 1939, Alice Marble graced the cover of Life magazine, photographed by Alfred Eisenstaedt. She was a glamorous worldwide celebrity, having that year won singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles tennis titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open, then an unprecedented feat. Yet today one of America's greatest female athletes and most charismatic characters is largely forgotten. Queen of the Court places her back on center stage.

The Sporty Fairies are in need of Rachel and Kirsty's help. Everyone in Fairyland is preparing for the Fairy Olympics, but Jack Frost and his goblins have stolen the magic sporty items so they can win by cheating! What's more, with the items missing, everyone in the human world is playing sports really badly, and so the human Olympics is in danger of being ruined too! Rachel and Kirsty love playing tennis, but with Alice's Magic Tennis Ball missing, they can't seem to hit one shot! The girls must help Alice find the goblins before it's too late.

From her start playing paddle tennis on the streets of Harlem as a young teenager to her eleven Grand Slam tennis wins to her professional golf career, Althea Gibson became the most famous Black sportswoman of the mid-twentieth century. In her unprecedented athletic career, she was the first African American to win titles at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. In this first full-scale biography, Ashley Brown narrates the public career and private struggles of Althea Gibson (1927–2003).

In 1969 history was made when the first humans stepped on the moon. Back on earth, one woman was running the numbers that ensured they got there and back in one piece. As a child, Katherine Johnson loved maths. She went on to be one of the most important people in the history of space travel. 

Mary Seacole is now known for her medical work in the Crimean war and as a brilliant woman who combated the racial prejudice she experienced in her lifetime. But for a long time her story was lost. From growing up in Kingston, Jamaica, as the daughter of a doctress to helping soldiers in the war, discover the details of the amazing life that Mary Seacole led with real-life stories, timelines and facts.

Rosa Parks, the woman known for refusing to give up her seat on the bus, triggered a great shift in the fight for civil rights. Raised in Alabama, Rosa Parks knew all about the racism of her society from an early age. Discover how she became the brilliant activist we know today in this book with real-life stories, timelines and facts to bring her extraordinary story to life. Extraordinary Lives is a bold, inclusive biography series shining a light on modern and historical figures.

In the tradition of Andy Andrews and Naploeon Hill, Author and USPTA Certified Elite Tennis Professional David F. Berens takes us inside an exciting tennis match with veteran pro, Whitfield Franklin Andrews, and the young phenom, Heinrick McStultz. During this epic battle, he finds lessons that translate not only to better tennis, but a better life. If you are struggling, and on the edge of your own Break Point, this book lays out nine principles that will help get you back on track and headed to a new beginning!

Michelle Obama is a lawyer, a writer, an activist and a first lady of the United States of America. She is a role model and feminist icon. Born and raised in Chicago, she studied and worked hard to become a lawyer and then took to the international stage as first lady. This book tells the extraordinary story of Michelle Obama's life, perfect for young listeners everywhere.

The story of the first Black president of South Africa. Nelson Mandela is known for dedicating his life to fighting for equality in South Africa and overthrowing racial segregation. He grew up hearing the elders' stories of his ancestors' fighting in the wars of resistance, and he dreamed of fighting for the freedom of his people. His childhood wish was granted when he became the first Black president of South Africa and an icon for hope, change and equality. Extraordinary Lives is a bold, inclusive biography series shining a light on modern and historical figures. 

Studies have proven that for people of any age, gender, or athletic ability, tennis is the best sport for a lifetime, an exceptional choice of cardio training, leading to unimaginable heights and gives confidence.

The Four Sisters books feature four sisters who grow up in a loving home. Like all siblings, they have their issues, but in the end they stand together. The Four Sisters stories are intended to teach and reinforce positive relationships and help develop the living skills children need to grow into responsible adults. In The Brite Star Fall Tennis Classic, the girls get a lesson in being a good sport, and Whit shows them all what a champion she is.

Serena Williams began playing tennis when she was just a child and is now an Olympic champion who's won more Grand Slam singles titles than anyone else. Throughout her life she's battled many things, from life-threatening illnesses and sports injuries, to sexism and racism in the tennis world. Now she's an icon in sport, fashion and activism, an inspiration to every young person who has dared to dream big. Extraordinary Lives is a bold, inclusive biography series shining a light on modern and historical figures.

Don’t Shark the Dolphins teaches you tips and techniques with easy-to-understand terminology to help you improve your game. On-court lessons are extended off the court with the P3 pickleball lifestyle, a philosophy taught through inspirational stories and perspectives on how we should consider carrying ourselves throughout our daily life. Finally, it introduces “Turbo”, the revolutionary new doubles strategy that is going to change the world of pickleball forever.

In Beyond the Game, Komori provides a toolbox for those who aspire to lead successful teams. Coaches, he says, strive to improve themselves first, to provide a foundation for instilling greatness in others. Smart coaches pay attention to what Komori calls the Three Cs of Leadership: Choices, Communication, and Culture. Komori also teaches the Six Keys for Peak Performance and how to focus on and apply these areas to achieve the most and excel in life. He offers advice in direct, straightforward terms and draws examples from his decades as a championship-winning tennis coach.