Levels of the Game
Encyclopedia
Levels of the Game is a 1969 book by John McPhee
, nominally about tennis
and tennis players, but exploring deeper issues as well.
The book is structured around a description of the semi-final match in the 1968 U.S. Open Championship
at Forest Hills
, played between Clark Graebner
and Arthur Ashe
; Ashe won, and went on to win the Championship, becoming the only amateur
to win it in the Open era). It alternates between sections which describe the match, and profiles of the two contestants, who had come to tennis from completely different environments. They had known one another for half their lives (they were both 25 at the time). This was a concept that interested McPhee, who wanted to explore how such long interaction, and the dissimilar backgrounds of the two, shaped the encounter between them.
Robert Lipsyte
of The New York Times
, in his review of the book, wrote that it "may be the high point of American sports journalism
".
John McPhee
John Angus McPhee is an American Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, widely considered one of the pioneers of creative nonfiction....
, nominally about tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and tennis players, but exploring deeper issues as well.
The book is structured around a description of the semi-final match in the 1968 U.S. Open Championship
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
at Forest Hills
Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area...
, played between Clark Graebner
Clark Graebner
Clark Graebner , is a retired American professional tennis player, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, who won a number of championships. He graduated from Northwestern University, where he joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity. Graebner's deceased wife, Carole, was also a successful touring tennis...
and Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States...
; Ashe won, and went on to win the Championship, becoming the only amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
to win it in the Open era). It alternates between sections which describe the match, and profiles of the two contestants, who had come to tennis from completely different environments. They had known one another for half their lives (they were both 25 at the time). This was a concept that interested McPhee, who wanted to explore how such long interaction, and the dissimilar backgrounds of the two, shaped the encounter between them.
Robert Lipsyte
Robert Lipsyte
Robert Lipsyte is an American sports journalist and author. Lipsyte is a member of the Board of Contributors for USA Todays Forum Page, part of the newspaper’s Opinion section.-Personal background:...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, in his review of the book, wrote that it "may be the high point of American sports journalism
Sports journalism
Sports journalism is a form of journalism that reports on sports topics and events.While the sports department within some newspapers has been mockingly called the toy department, because sports journalists do not concern themselves with the 'serious' topics covered by the news desk, sports...
".
External links
- Levels of the Game at John McPhee's web site
- Reviews