Loving the Wimbledon drama? Add these 9 stellar tennis-based novels to your shelf
Wimbledon might soon be coming to a close, but that doesn't mean our tennis obsession has to end with it. Whether your favourite player lifted the trophy or made their exit in the first round (sob), the perfect way to keep the sporting spirit alive is with a good book.
From gripping thrillers to steamy romances, we've rounded up 9 must-read tennis books that will help you smash those Wimbledon blues and keep you hooked until the next serve. Whether you're after the drama of high-stakes matches, behind-the-scenes secrets, or swoon-worthy love stories, this list serves up something for every tennis enthusiast.
Carrie Soto is Back, Taylor Jenkins Reid
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By the time Carrie retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. But six years later, she finds herself watching in the stands as a stunning British player, Nicki Chan, defeats her Grand Slam record.
At 37 years old, Carrie decides to come out of retirement for one last season, attempting to reclaim her record. Even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley.
This novel by The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo author is the perfect summer escapist read, combining the glamorous world of tennis with the personal cost of sports stardom.
The Winner, Teddy Wayne
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More of a thriller than a romance fan? This is the book for you. Conor is a recent graduate from a law school nobody's heard of. With no prospects and needing to support his chronically ill mother, he takes a job teaching tennis to a magnetic divorcée in her gated community.
It quickly develops into a sexual relationship, made all the more difficult when Conor meets and falls for Emily, with whom he has his first taste of intimacy. He soon finds he's leading a double life – and inevitably, that always ends in disaster.
Apples Never Fall, Liane Moriarty
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Another of Liane Moriarty's gripping page-turners, Apples Never Fall follows the perfect (and tennis-mad) Delaney family, whose lives are thrown into disarray when the matriarch, Joy, disappears.
As her husband Stan becomes a prime suspect, their four adult children are forced to confront their family history and hidden secrets – particularly when a mysterious young woman named Savanna appears – questioning everything they thought they knew about their parents and each other.
The Singles Game, Lauren Weisberger
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This sexy romance by Devil Wears Prada author Lauren Weisberger follows beautiful tennis prodigy and America's sweetheart, Charlotte 'Charlie' Silver. But when she makes a pact with the devil – infamously brutal coach Todd Feltner – and good girl Charlie is banished. She finds herself catapulted into a world of celeb stylists, private events and secret dates – but in a world obsessed with good looks and hot shots, is Charlie willing to lose herself to win it all?
Towards Zero, Agatha Christie
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One of Christie's iconic novels, Towards Zero sees Superintendent Battle called to investigate a murder at the home of an elderly widow at a clifftop seaside house.
What links a botched suicide attempt, a schoolgirl falsely accused of stealing, and the love affairs of a world-famous tennis star? At first glance, nothing at all. But when a group of guests assemble at Gull's Point, the coastal estate of an aging widow, the past resurfaces with shocking consequences…
Clean Point, Meg Jones
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Scottie Sinclair was meant to be tennis royalty – until a doping scandal, courtesy of her own dad, blew her career apart. Now she's broke, humiliated, and very much off the court… until she's thrown a wildcard. It comes in the form of her new partner, Nico Kotas, a fellow disgraced player with his own baggage (and annoyingly good abs).
Neither of them wants to be there. Neither trusts the other. But as they train for Wimbledon, the rivalry turns into chemistry – and the comeback gets a lot more complicated.
Enemies to lovers, tennis scandals, and a whole lot of sexual tension: this one's a winner for romance fans.
Double Fault, Lionel Shriver
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Willy is a fiercely ambitious pro tennis player who meets her match – literally – in Eric, a charming underdog she beats in a casual game in Riverside Park. Sparks fly, and soon they're married and chasing success together on the pro circuit.
But what starts as a sexy, competitive romance soon sours when Eric's career begins to rise just as Willy's is derailed by a brutal knee injury. As she watches him live out the dream she thought was hers, their marriage becomes a battleground of egos, ambition, and heartbreak.
This is a gripping novel about rivalry and love, and fans of Shriver's novel We Need to Talk About Kevin won't be disappointed.
Match Point, Katherine Reilly
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Elena's a rising tennis star with her sights set on the top. Alex is her new mixed doubles partner: talented, cocky, and not exactly her type. But on the court, their chemistry is undeniable.
As they chase a Grand Slam title, sparks start flying off the court too – and not just the good kind. With egos, old flames and the pressure to win piling up, it's anyone's guess whether they'll crash out or go all the way. If you love a good enemies-to-lovers romcom, this is the perfect spicy summer read.
The Wild Card, Judy Murray
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Written by tennis legend and mother of Andy Murray, this funny, feel-good underdog story shows Judy's knowledge of the gossipy and glamorous world of tennis.
Abbie's tennis career fizzled out years ago, but when she gets an unexpected wildcard entry to Wimbledon it's a shot at redemption she can't refuse. The problem? She's out of shape, out of practice, and her old rival (and ex) is back in the picture.
As Abbie tries to reclaim her place in the sport she walked away from, she finds herself juggling tricky media attention, family drama, and a spark she thought she'd buried for good.
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