The Circuit

the long version

"A multigenre exploration of the 2017 pro tennis season"-- The annual tennis schedule is a rarity in professional sports in that it encapsulates the calendar year. And like the year, it is divided into four seasons, each marked by a final tournament: the Grand Slams. Phillips charts the year 2017, from winter’s Australian Open, where Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal renewed their rivalry in a match for the ages, to fall's U.S. Open. Along the way he captures not only the emotions, nerves, and ruthless tactics of the point-by-point game but also the quicksilver movement of victory and defeat on the tour, placing that sense of upheaval within a broader cultural and social context. -- adapted from jacket