High Strung

"A book full of aces. . . . A true page-turner." --Associated Press

A compelling analysis of the four greatest, enigmatic talents whose dénouements marked the end of the golden era of tennis--a riveting investigation that centers upon the fabled 1981 U.S. Open match between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe

The golden age of tennis came crashing down suddenly at the 1981 U.S. Open when the stoical Swede, Björn Borg, lost to his brash young rival, John McEnroe, in the final at Flushing Meadows. Through the lens of that era's final tournament, and the play of the other semifinalists, Jimmy Connors and Vitas Gerulaitis, High Strung chronicles the lives and careers of the men who made those Wild West days of tennis so memorable: "Ice Borg," who secretly harbored an inner madman; McEnroe, the tortured, bratty genius; Connors, the game's beloved blue-collar anti-hero; Ilie Nastase, the Romanian clown; Gerulaitis, the New York charmer; and Ivan Lendl, who became a harbinger of tennis's high-powered future. The struggles these men shared were as compelling off the court as they were on.