Writing Awards
for Paul Fein
In the 2008 United States Tennis Writers’ Association Writing Contest, Paul won 1st Prize in the “Service Story” Category for his article, “Ten Reasons Why Topspin Is Essential on Clay.” It was his seventh 1st Prize award in the annual USTWA writing contest in the past nine years. In the same category, Paul also won 2nd Prize for his article, “The Art of Anticipation.”
Paul won 1st Prize in the 2007 United States Tennis Writers’ Association Writing Contest in the “Service Story” Category for his story, “Playing Drop Shots.” It was his sixth 1st Prize award in the annual USTWA writing contest in the past eight years.
Paul also won 2nd Prize in the 2007 USTWA Writing Contest in the “Hard News/Enterprise” Category for his story, “How Successful Is the U.S. Open Series?” and 2nd Prize in the “Feature Story (Pro Tennis)” Category for his story, “Tennis for the Bloody Fun of It.”
Read more about Paul Fein
Proud sponsor of the
Florida Tennis Cup
Tennis Quotes
You Can Quote Me On That
Greatest Tennis Quips,
Insights, and Zingers
Praise for Paul's Book on the world's Best Tennis Quotes:
“Paul Fein hits another ace with You Can Quote Me on That.”
—Pete Sampras, fourteen-time Grand Slam singles champion
"If you want a wide variety of tennis talk gathered in one place, this is the book for you."
— TENNIS Magazine
"Started reading and couldn't stop and not just become I'm a tennis writer. There's a lot of wisdom inside and outside these lines. A fair bit of ignorance, too, which only makes the book more interesting. La Rochefoucauld and John Bartlett would have approved. These are maxims for the modern tennis fan."
—Christopher Clarey, tennis writer, International Herald Tribune and New York Times
" An amusing read for any tennis fan interested in great quips, zingers, and even insights."
—Peter Bodo, Tennis.com
"Paul Fein is tennis' answer to John Bartlett. This exhaustive work belongs next to Bud Collins' encyclopedia on your tennis reference desk. Covering a sport that, collectively, doesn't mince many words, Fein has produced an entertaining compendium of memorable lines. Beyond the digs, the cute bon mots, and the malaprops, the real strength of this work is its depth — quotes spanning more than a century that offer a window into different eras. Unlike the various chicken littles who bemoaned the "fad" of the two-handed backhand, we'll happily go on record as predicting that Fein's work will endure."
—Jon Wertheim, Sports Illustrated and SI.com tennis writer
“Out of the mouths of tennis players comes Paul Fein’s wonderful, witty, profound, catty collection of quotations from a who’s who of tennis past and present.”
— Donna Doherty, former editor of Tennis magazine
"Witticisms, insults and locker-room trivia are rarer in a player's post-match press conference than a Brit in the second round, so feast upon Paul Fein's new collection."
— Daily Telegraph (UK)
"Whether they're glad or mortified to have said whatever, Paul Fein wasn't going to let such good quotes get away from us."
—Bud Collins, Boston Globe/NBC
"You Can Quote Me on That provides a fascinating commentary on a sport packed with human drama — a worthy addition to anyone's tennis library."
— Australian Tennis Magazine
"Someone used to say, teasing our bad habits as journalists: 'Never spoil a good story with the truth.' But Paul Fein respects his readers so much that he decided this time to take absolutely no risks, collecting instead real interviews of the past and the present in order to write an anthology of the most interesting tennis quotes which nobody will ever discuss because they have made the true and often significant story of our wonderful sport."
— Ubaldo Scanagatta, Italy's leading tennis writer and TV commentator
"If only fans knew how hard it is to squeeze a clever quote out of tennis players, most of whom equate the interview room with a 15-minute visit to jail. Thank goodness for Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, and Billie Jean King, who never held anything back and turned phrases as easily as they hit winners. And thanks now to Paul Fein for collecting the most colorful tennis wit and wisdom through the ages in a book that offers inspiration, insight and cover-to-cover laughs."
— Steve Wilstein, Associated Press sports columnist and tennis writer
“Paul Fein has collected many of the defining descriptions of the game and its players—things said in anger and awe, disappointment and desperation. To read this book is to visit tennis through the voices of its people.”
— Mary Carillo, TV tennis analyst and the 1977 French Open mixed doubles champion
"Witticisms, insults and locker-room trivia are rarer in a player's post-match press conference than a Brit in the second round, so feast upon Paul Fein's new collection."
—Daily Telegraph (UK)
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Tennis Confidential II
 
Tennis Confidential II: More of Today's Greatest Players, Matches, and Controversies
The 2008 Wimbledon epic between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is being called by many – former champions John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg among them – as the greatest match they’ve ever seen. World Radio Switzerland’s Catherine Allen spoke to tennis authority and writer Paul Fein in a radio interview.
Book Description
Highly acclaimed Tennis Confidential gave you an insider's look at the colorful characters, intriguing story lines and heated debates that headline professional tennis. These dynamic elements all come together again in Paul Fein's latest book, Tennis Confidential II: More of Today's Greatest Players, Matches, and Controversies. Fein gives you the behind-the-scenes scoop about the sport you love with his insightful analyses and thought-provoking conclusions on a myriad of hot-button topics, plus fascinating features and probing interviews with popular players, past and present.
Who is the greatest men's and women's player in history? Is it clever or counter-productive to let players challenge line calls? How about on-court coaching and scoring system changes? Television and tennis' ruling bodies fervently push these controversial reforms, but do they help or hurt tennis? How can America produce tennis champions again? Fein, who has received more than 20 writing awards, debunks conventional wisdom as only he can, and his in-depth knowledge of the sport provide a welcome perspective. Whether you agree or disagree, you'll think about these controversies in new ways.
Fein also chronicles the extraordinary evolution of women's tennis, explores the "Russian Revolution," bemoans the near-extinction of serve-and-volley play, explains the lure of doubles, and celebrates the fun-loving Australian dynasty of yesteryear. Feature stories about Maria Sharapova, Pete Sampras, and Andre Agassi capture their triumphs and travails. And riveting interviews with former greats − Jim Courier, Stefan Edberg, Michael Chang, Mats Wilander, Martina Hingis and Yannick Noah − tell (almost) all about pro tennis on and off the courts.
This entertaining and compelling compendium of tennis interviews, features, and essays is sure to intrigue, inform, and enlighten. Anyone who enjoys tennis will find Tennis Confidential II a winner.
You can order an autographed copy of Tennis Confidential II for $26.95 plus postage directly from Paul Fein.
Praise for Tennis Confidential II:
"Paul Fein is one of the most clear-eyed, passionate tennis authors, coaches and players we have, and in a perfect world this book would be required reading for the game's leaders and its followers."
— Mary Carillo, Peabody and Emmy Award-winning TV analyst for ESPN, CBS, HBO and NBC
"As accurate in his identification of the facts as a Ken Rosewall backhand, as ruthlessly logical in his evaluation of them as Ivan Lendl's approach to the game, and as passionately exuberant in his defense of tennis' heart and soul as Andre Agassi in full flight, Paul Fein is a brilliant tennis writer"
— Chris Lewis, 1983 Wimbledon finalist
"Tennis Confidential is back with its behind-the-curtains look at recent plot twists, controversial scenes and major characters. A major fix for the tennis addict."
— Jon Wertheim, Sports Illustrated
"Paul Fein's books are a treasure, rich in historical perspective, humor, controversy, and in-depth analysis of tennis' most sensitive issues. The game comes splendidly to life in Tennis Confidential II."
— Bruce Jenkins, award-winning sportswriter for The San Francisco Chronicle
The book on tennis players that started it all...
Tennis Confidential
Read
the Foreword by Bud Collins, Hall of Fame Journalist
Read about the Greatest Tennis Players, Matches,
and Controversies! |
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With this outstanding collection of features, essays and interviews,
Paul Fein takes the reader into the world of the pro tennis tour
with inside scoops about the game's greatest stars, past and present.
Tennis Confidential includes up-close and personal
interviews with such all-time greats as Pete Sampras, John McEnroe,
Arthur Ashe and Jimmy Connors, along with eye-opening features
about the careers of today's headliners like Andre Agassi, the
Williams sisters, Jennifer Capriati and Anna Kournikova. Fein
also reviews the careers of pioneering legends like Martina Navratilova,
Bjorn Borg, and Rod Laver.
Tennis Confidential
tackles the sport's burning issues, such as charismatic but controversial
teen queens, bad dads, equal prize money, race questions, rule
change proposals, and the power crisis. Fein gives you a front
row seat when he captures the drama of the ten most important
and thrilling matches in tennis history. Well-researched and filled
with fascinating anecdotes and juicy quotes, Tennis Confidential
gives fans at every level a unique perspective on this exciting
sport and its storied history. Fein takes you on a tennis adventure
you'll always remember.
Published by
Potomac Books. 320 pgs with black & white photos
List price Hardcover: $26.95 List
price Softcover: $17.95
Amazon.com
and BN.com ranked
Tennis Confidential and You Can Quote Me on That
No. 1 among tennis books |
Tennis Confidential is your online center court for all things tennis. Whether its tennis news, tennis betting or tennis books, we have it covered. Game, Set and Match Tennis Confidential.
tennis photos by: Tad Moore
Read Paul's Interviews
with top Pro Tennis Players & Coaches:
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"Briskly written, authoritative though not infallible (what is?),
Paul Fein's book is as informative as they come among contemporary
tennis compendiums. You have to be a long-toothed veteran to miss
here the nuanced expertise of writings on tennis. Fein has the writer's
facility to enliven his text with half-page boxes which he titles
'Fascinating Facts.' They're fun... So do add Paul Fein's
book to your tennis bookshelves."
-- Edward T. Chase, Tennis Week
“This informative and entertaining collection of previously published features, essays, and interviews provides much to savor. A tennis journalist for 20 years, Fein wishes "to give tennis lovers what they relish — and he delivers.” — Library Journal
"From his coverage of the greatest matches in tennis history to
his interviews with Pete Sampras, Bobby Riggs, and others, to his
portraits of current stars, Paul Fein has done a wonderful job of
touching all the bases. If you like tennis, this is a must read."
- Tony Trabert, Tennis Hall of Famer and TV Tennis Analyst
"Very Impressive."
- Patrick McEnroe, U.S. Davis Cup captain and ESPN TV tennis analyst
"If you're as passionate about tennis as I am, you'll find Paul Fein's TENNIS CONFIDENTIAL is the kind of thought-provoking book you'll return to again and again. Highly entertaining and always engaging, it makes a terrific addition to any collection of tennis literature." - Alan Schwartz, Chairman of the Board and President of the USTA
"If you are proud of your tennis library, you must have a copy of TENNIS CONFIDENTIAL."
- Alan Trengove, Australia's leading tennis writer
"I cannot recall when last I enjoyed a book as much as TENNIS CONFIDENTIAL written
by Paul Fein. If you are a tennis aficionado, you will spend hours
on an enthralling trip of tennis vignettes and inside information
about a wonderful game."
- Dennis Van der Meer, President/Founder of United States Professional Tennis Registry (USPTR)
"Up-to-date controversy? Paul Fein analyses it expertly. TENNIS CONFIDENTIAL is a unique book."
- Paul Metzler,
author of Tennis Styles and Stylists, Great Players of Australian Tennis,
Advanced Tennis and four other tennis books
TENNIS CONFIDENTIAL is so well-written and comprehensive that it should please most people who like tennis or are in some way engaged in tennis.
- Patrik Cederlund,
Editor, Tidningen Tennis (Sweden)
TENNIS CONFIDENTIAL is the complete package. It has very interesting features and powerful interviews with the stars, such as Pete, Andre, the Williams sisters and my most famous alumnus, John McEnroe. Fein analyzes tennis' biggest issues authoritatively, fairly and thoroughly. His essays on equal prize money, ranking systems, on-court coaching and the power crisis are especially persuasive. You'll also enjoy enlightening pieces about teen queens, evolving playing styles and how Open Tennis came about, which enabled today's players to become rich and famous. History buffs will savor the 10 greatest matches ever played. I found TENNIS CONFIDENTIAL fascinating. And I'm sure you will, too.
- Dick Gould,
Stanford men's tennis coach
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