Playing the Moldovans at Tennis 
Backhanded Compliments by Katie Chandler – WORLD
Game, Set and Murder
Clean Point 
Drop Shot
The Winner 
Match Point 
The Open 
Singles, Set and Match
Game, Set, Match 
Bad Summer People
Love Game by Emma Rae – Wimbledon / Miami
Clean Point by Meg Jones – Wimbledon 
The Pact by Lisa Darcy – World
The Winner
The Game Changer
Her AdvantageCrime caper set in London, Valencia and Mojácar and Greece
Twenty Great Books with TENNIS at their heart
30th June 2026
Twenty Great Books with TENNIS at their heart
If you love tennis but can’t easily get out to play, or watch your favourite players in action, then the next best thing is to read a book with tennis at its heart. Here we bring together our top finds, that will transport you the tennis court! Ten Great Books for Tennis enthusiasts..
Playing the Moldovans at Tennis by Tony Hawks – MOLDOVA
‘All I knew about Moldova were the names of eleven men printed on the inside back pages of my newspaper. None of them sounded to me like they were any good at tennis …’
An eccentric wager finds Tony Hawks, a man who loves an unusual challenge, bound for the little-known Eastern European state of Moldova. His mission: to track down members of the country’s football team and persuade them to play him at tennis. The bizarre quest ultimately has little to do with tennis or football, but instead turns into an extraordinary journey involving the Moldovan underworld, gypsies, chronic power shortages, near kidnap, and a surprisingly tender relationship with his host family.
Follow the fortunes of Tony in this hilarious and often moving adventure as it takes him from Moldova, onwards to Northern Ireland, leading to an exciting denouement in Nazareth – and the naked truth of the bet’s final outcome
Beautiful Country 
by J R Thornton – BEIJING
A coming-of-age story set in modern day China centering on the friendship between an American and a Chinese boy who meet while training with Beijing’s Junior National Tennis Team.
Chase Robertson arrives in Beijing as a fourteen-year-old boy still troubled by the recent death of his older brother. He discovers a country in transition; a society in which the dual systems of Communist Era state control and an emerging entrepreneurial culture exist in paradox.
A top ranked junior tennis player in the U.S., Chase joins the practices of the Beijing National Junior Tennis Team and is immersed in the brutal, cut-throat world of Chinese sport. It is a world in which gifted children are selected at the ages of six or seven for specialized sport schools where they devote their entire youth to the pursuit of athletic excellence and are paid as professionals by the state. Athletes find themselves compelled to do anything possible to succeed—right or wrong. Those who fail to reach the pinnacle are cast aside and are left facing a desperate future without hope.
In China, Chase gains access to a culture rarely open to Westerners, and soon finds himself caught up in secrets. When his closest friend and teammate turns to him for help, Chase is faced with the dilemma of what to do when friendship, rules, and morals are in conflict.
A big-hearted debut, Beautiful Country explores a friendship against the backdrop of a quickly changing country.
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace – BOSTON
Somewhere in the not-so-distant future the residents of Ennet House, a Boston halfway house for recovering addicts, and students at the nearby Enfield Tennis Academy are ensnared in the search for the master copy of INFINITE JEST, a movie said to be so dangerously entertaining its viewers become entranced and expire in a state of catatonic bliss . . .
‘Wallace’s exuberance and intellectual impishness are a delight, and he has deep things to say about the hollowness of contemporary American pleasure . . . ‘
Breaking and Holding by Judy Fogarty – KIAWAH ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA
For Patricia Curren, the summer of 1978 begins with a devastating discovery: an unfamiliar black pearl button in the bed she shares with her controlling husband, Jack. Seeking the courage to end her desolate marriage, Patricia spends a quiet summer alone on beautiful Kiawah Island. But when she meets Terry Sloan, a collegiate tennis player trying to go pro, their physical attraction sparks a slow burn toward obsession.
Once Patricia and Terry share closely guarded secrets from their pasts, they want more than a summer together. But their love soon fractures, as a potential sponsor takes an unusually keen interest in Terry—both on court and off. And when single, career-driven Lynn Hewitt arrives, other secrets must surface, including the one Patricia has kept from Terry all summer.
An intimate portrait of the folly of the human heart, Breaking and Holding explores buried truths that are startlingly unveiled. What’s left in their wake has the power not only to shatter lives…but to redeem them.
The Singles Game 
by Lauren Weisberger – WORLD
Sweeping from Wimbledon to the Caribbean, from LA to mega yachts in the Med, The Singles Game is a brilliantly entertaining romp through a world where the stakes are high – and no-one plays by the rules.
When Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Silver makes a pact with the devil, infamously brutal tennis coach Todd Feltner, she finds herself catapulted into a world of stylists, private parties and secret dates with Hollywood royalty.
Under Todd it’s no more good-girl attitude: he wants warrior princess Charlie all the way. After all, no-one ever won by being nice.
Celebrity mags and gossip blogs go wild for Charlie, chasing scandal as she jets around the globe. But as the warrior princess’s star rises, both on and off the court, it comes at a high price. Is the real Charlie Silver still inside?
Imogen by Jilly Cooper – RIVIERA
As a librarian, Imogen read a lot of books, but none of them covered real life on the Riviera. Her holiday with tennis ace, Nicky, and the whole glamorous coterie of journalist, playboy, photographer, was a revelation – and so was she. A prize worth winning. A wild Yorkshire rose among the thorny model girls, Cable and Yvonne, with a rare asset that they’d mislaid years ago…
But the path of a jet-set virgin in that lovely wicked world was a hard one. Imogen began to wonder if virtue really was its own reward…
Tennis Shoes by Noel Streatfeild – ENGLAND
Will the four Heath children continue their family tradition and become tennis champions?
The Heath kids—Nicky, David, and twins Jim and Susan—come from a long line of ace tennis players. Now their dad has decided it’s time to teach them everything he knows about the game.
The twins are the odds-on favourites to become the next champs. Susan shows a lot of promise, winning in tournaments and getting recognition, but she secretly hates the spotlight. Jim’s a good player, but prefers swimming. David, the youngest, loves to sing. Nicky could be a natural, but she’s too busy rebelling to take the sport seriously.
Who will become champion? And will it change their family forever?
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid – USA
Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular.
By the time Carrie retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Slam titles. And if you ask her, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach.
But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning, British player named Nicki Chan.
At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked the ‘Battle-Axe’ anyway. Even if her body doesn’t move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever.
In spite of it all: Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season. In this riveting and unforgettable novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a story about the cost of greatness and a legendary athlete attempting a comeback.
Apples Never Fall by Lianne Moriarty – SYDNEY
The Delaney family love one another dearly – it’s just that sometimes they want to murder each other . . .
Joy Delaney and husband Stan have done well. Four wonderful grown-up children. A family business to envy. The golden years of retirement ahead of them.
So when Joy Delaney vanishes – no note, no calls, her bike missing – it’s natural that tongues will wag.
How did Stan scratch his face? And who was the stranger who entered and suddenly left their lives? What are they all hiding?
The Wild Card by Judy Murray – WIMBLEDON
It’s never too late to follow your dreams…
Twenty years ago, Abigail Patterson put her promising tennis career on hold to have her baby son, Robbie. But after a wild card entry to Wimbledon, she suddenly finds herself swept up in a world she thought she’d left behind – and against all odds, she’s winning!
Yet as those long-buried dreams of lifting the sparkling silver trophy on centre court inch closer, Abi knows that it’s only a matter of time before the press start digging into her past and uncover the secret she’s kept hidden for so long.
The stakes are raised, but this time nothing – and no one – is going to stand in her way. But could the greatest comeback of all time destroy everything she’s sacrificed to protect?
Backhanded Compliments by Katie Chandler – WORLD
A steamy sapphic romance with a fantastical twist about two bitter tennis rivals who realize they are reluctant soulmates—perfect for fans of Expiration Dates and Here We Go Again.
Juliette Ricci dreams of only one thing: being the best women’s tennis player in the world. She’s worked nonstop with her strict father/coach to prepare for her big chance in the Australian Open. Unfortunately, she’ll be playing Lucky Luca Kacic, an aloof player whose unorthodox style and reigning popularity deeply irritate Juliette.
For months they’ve traded sly insults in their press conferences leading up to their showdown on the court, and their first ever match is the most anticipated of the season. But Juliette refuses to let her nerves—or Luca’s annoyingly perfect abs—get the best of her.
Meanwhile, Luca seemingly has everything Juliette desires but there’s one thing missing from her life: love. When she shakes hands with Juliette after an agonizing match and sees her rival’s name appear on her wrist, it feels like a cruel joke. Juliette is a spoiled, arrogant brat who wants absolutely nothing to do with Luca or a soulmate.
But despite their personal and professional clashes, the two grow closer after late-night massages and one too many shots of limoncello. Their chemistry is tangible, but Luca’s anxiety tells her that Juliette is just messing with her head to throw her off her game, and Juliette can’t understand why Luca is so hot and cold. With the pressure of the world scrutinizing their every move, they will have to decide what’s more important—being together or being number one.
Game, Set and Murder by Judy Murray – SURREY
Four close friends.
One big secret.
On a hot midsummer day in the Surrey countryside, close friends Kristin, Vee, Bibi and Hailey are celebrating their Ladies’ Team victory at the exclusive Royal Oaks Tennis Club.
But when their oh-so-charming coach, Jeremy, collapses after tucking into a carefully decorated sponge cake, it seems the season isn’t just ending with a championship trophy – but with a murder.
Off the court, it’s clear that each of the four women has been keeping a dark secret, but surely no one would wish Jeremy dead? Or perhaps revenge truly is a cake best served cold…
Clean Point by Meg Jones – Wimbledon
Scottie Sinclair is a cheat.
Or at least, that’s what the world thinks. After all, who would believe her own father secretly drugged her?
The tabloids have called ‘Game, Set, Match’ on Scottie’s career–but an offer at redemption, and more importantly revenge, may give her the chance at a clean serve.
Nico Kotas reigned the tennis world for almost a decade–until an injury took him from the baseline.
Now with a clear bill of health, he’s hungry for one last title. But his public image needs a new game plan — and according to his coach, his former rival’s daughter is the perfect advantage.
But with old enemies on the sidelines, scandal is seconds away.
Because, after all, revenge is best served Centre Court.
Drop Shot by Harlan Coben (New York)
Following on from DEAL BREAKER, this is the excellent, gripping second Myron Bolitar novel from the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author of SIX YEARS.
The young woman was shot dead in cold blood, dropped outside the stadium, in front of a stand selling Moët for $7.50 a glass. Once her tennis career had skyrocketed. Now, at the height of the US Open, the headlines were being made by another young player from the wrong side of the tracks.
When Myron Bolitar investigates the killing he uncovers a connection between the two players and a six-year-old murder at an exclusive club. Suddenly Myron is in over his head. And with a dirty US senator, a jealous mother and the mob all drawn into the case, he finds himself playing the most dangerous game of all…
The Winner by Teddy Wayne – Massachusetts
Conor is a recent graduate from a law school no one has heard of. Without any job prospects and needing to support his chronically ill mother, he takes a summer job teaching tennis at the affluent gated community of Cutters Neck, Massachusetts. One of his first students is Catherine, a magnetic divorcée keen to hire him for more than advice on her serve. What begins as a transactional arrangement soon develops into an intoxicating sexual relationship.
Things become even more complicated when Conor encounters Emily, with whom he has his first taste of real intimacy. Against his better judgment, he soon finds himself living a double life that inevitably leads to disaster.
Conor knows how hard it is to win against those with money and power. In his fight for survival, he has to put emotion aside and play with only his wits – after all, in tennis, love means nothing.
Match Point by Katherine Reilly – Wimbledon
Summer in London can only mean one thing: tennis.
For two weeks Wimbledon hosts the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world and this year everyone is talking about player Kieran O’Sullivan, the infamous bad boy of the sport with one last chance to win a Grand Slam.
Everyone, that is, except Flora Hendrix. Flora might live in Wimbledon, but she’s renting out her flat for the summer while she explores the fresh start that she’s longing for. Except when Flora’s plans unexpectedly fall through, the last thing she expects is her house guest to refuse to leave. Especially when it’s none other than Kieran O’Sullivan.
Thrown together for the summer, sparks fly between Flora and Kieran. But they’re not going to let a few sparks distract them from finally following their dreams. Are they?
The Open Era by Edward Schmit – New York
Game. Set. Perfect Match?
Recently-turned-pro tennis player Austin Hardy has been out since high school, and it’s never been a big deal. That is, until he becomes the first openly gay man to compete in a Grand Slam tournament. Suddenly, being gay is a huge deal.
If the newly found fame wasn’t enough to send Austin spiralling, then tripping and falling in front of the very talented, very attractive, (probably) straight World #2, Diego Cruz, is the last straw.
Only, the awkward gaffe marks the start of a blossoming friendship off the court. But when Diego admits his attraction to Austin, the flirty banter and mixed signals start to throw Austin off his game. And neither player wants to acknowledge their looming showdown at the fourth round of the US Open.
Only one can win in the game of tennis, but who will win in the game of love?
Singles, Set and Match by Elaine Spires – IBIZA, ANTIGUA
The fifth and final book in the Singles’ Series takes us to the Ibiza, the sparkling jewel of the Mediterranean then back to the vibrant, sultry Caribbean island of Antigua, where it all began.
After making a hard decision two years earlier Eve Mitchell has moved on with the hand that life has dealt her and she finds herself on the White Island working a tennis holiday. While it isn’t a job she would have chosen, in her typical pragmatic way Eve gets on with it, working hard to ensure that her diverse group of singles, with their hopes, expectations character flaws and baggage, have the best time possible. And as she binds together tennis sessions, social gatherings, meals and trips Eve hears some tragic personal news that brings her to another crossroads in her life. Will she and her soulmate Melv finally make a life together and have their happily ever after?
Game, Set, Match by Heidi Stephens – SPAIN
Hannah has been married to Graham since they were eighteen – a union of desperation to escape their strict families. He’s the only man she’s ever kissed and honestly, she’s not sure he’s any good at it. But fourteen years of washing his underwear is more than enough to kill the romance.
Well, that and the fact that he’s got a work colleague pregnant.
Hannah’s new-found freedom is an opportunity to finally put herself first, and a trip to Spain sounds like the perfect start. Yes, it might be with three near strangers, but it’s also a chance to play tennis every day under the Spanish sun, before heading off on a solo road trip and starting the next phase of her life.
Then Hannah meets Rob, who has kissed ALL the women and is 100% not her type. And besides, she’s really not looking for love right now. But if there’s one thing Hannah knows about tennis, it’s that sometimes taking a risk can pay off – and when you fault on your first serve, you get a second chance.
Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum – FIRE ISLAND
The families on the island have been vacationing here for years; the Weinsteins, the Metzners, the Grobels –
and unlucky in love Rachel Woolf.
Outsiders aren’t welcome. That is except for Robert, the handsome new tennis coach, who some people are going out of their way to make very welcome . . .
But the problem when everyone knows everyone is that secrets can’t stay secret forever.
And when a body is found face-down beneath the boardwalk, they realise that maybe one of them is worse than they thought . . .
Stylish, subversive and darkly comedic, this is a story of what’s lurking under the surface of picture-perfect lives in a place where everyone has something to hide . . .
BONUS BOOKS
Love Game by Emma Rae – Wimbledon / Miami
Can a player on the court be a keeper at home?
Elle’s love language is food. But finding the right kind of work in her industry is difficult. After multiple different stints and temporary work, she lands her dream role: a personal chef to huge tennis star, Nicky Salco. It’s just a bonus that he’s handsome and athletic…but totally off limits.
The pressure is on, and not just in the kitchen. As Nicky trains for hours on the court for Wimbledon, Elle treads carefully around his brutally judgemental fiancée, while also trying to ignore her own boyfriend’s cheating habits.
But the temperature rises when Nicky’s training leads him to get hungry late at night and Elle is the one tasked with keeping his belly full. Despite being worlds apart, their late night rendezvous seem to lead to more than what they intended.
Should they risk the lives they have already built, for the lives they truly want?
Clean Point by Meg Jones – Wimbledon
Scottie Sinclair is a cheat.
Or at least, that’s what the world thinks. After all, who would believe her own father secretly drugged her?
The tabloids have called ‘Game, Set, Match’ on Scottie’s career–but an offer at redemption, and more importantly revenge, may give her the chance at a clean serve.
Nico Kotas reigned the tennis world for almost a decade–until an injury took him from the baseline.
Now with a clear bill of health, he’s hungry for one last title. But his public image needs a new game plan — and according to his coach, his former rival’s daughter is the perfect advantage.
But with old enemies on the sidelines, scandal is seconds away.
Because, after all, revenge is best served Centre Court.
The Pact by Lisa Darcy – World
Sisters are for life, aren’t they? The Pact is a gripping narrative about winning and losing, and pushing through when you have nothing left to give.
Samantha and Annie Callahan are successful doubles champions–the toast of the Olympics, Wimbledon and Flushing Meadow. But their partnership spirals out of control when Annie’s new boyfriend announces their engagement at the Australian Open.
Amidst rising anger and betrayal, Samantha does the unthinkable after a devastating Wimbledon loss.
The sisters must confront the past to take control of the present. But can Samantha and Annie both win?
The Winner by Teddy Wayne – Massachusetts
Conor is a recent graduate from a law school no one has heard of. Without any job prospects and needing to support his chronically ill mother, he takes a summer job teaching tennis at the affluent gated community of Cutters Neck, Massachusetts. One of his first students is Catherine, a magnetic divorcée keen to hire him for more than advice on her serve. What begins as a transactional arrangement soon develops into an intoxicating sexual relationship.
Things become even more complicated when Conor encounters Emily, with whom he has his first taste of real intimacy. Against his better judgment, he soon finds himself living a double life that inevitably leads to disaster.
Conor knows how hard it is to win against those with money and power. In his fight for survival, he has to put emotion aside and play with only his wits – after all, in tennis, love means nothing.
The Game Changer by Embassie Susberry – USA
New York, 1950. Ambitious journalist Hettie Carlin is reeling from a scandal and desperate for a scoop to salvage her career. When her boss tasks her with covering the meteoric rise of Althea Gibson, the tennis world’s newest star, there’s just two problems: Hettie knows nothing about tennis. Plus, her and Althea have a history – and it’s not pretty.
Hettie must convince a media-sceptic Althea Gibson to allow Hettie back into her life, and it won’t be an easy feat. But, as Althea’s star rises and she challenges the status quo, she faces media bias, tennis establishment prejudice, and discrimination head-on – and Althea soon realises she may just need Hettie, too, in order to tell her own story on her own terms.
When Althea becomes an unexpected civil rights icon, the pair realise their partnership transcends tennis, holding the potential to change history. If they can work together, they may just help revolutionize more than just the sport once and for all…
Don’t miss the powerful new historical fiction novel Inspired by the incredible true story of Althea Gibson, the first Black athlete to win a Grand Slam title in 1956.
Forty Love by Jane Costello – England
It’s never too late for a comeback! Forget what you thought midlife looked like! Forty Love is a delightful, hilarious book about reinvention, resilience, and the radical act of starting over.
Forty-something single mum Jules lives next to a tennis club, but has no plans to play after she was put off sport for life as a teenager.
That’s doubly true when an old crush from her schooldays, Dr Sam Delaney, is back in their hometown almost three decades after leaving and displaying a killer forehand in direct view of her bedroom window. But when Jules’ 19-year-old daughter goes backpacking around Europe, she’s wracked with anxiety and in urgent need of a distraction. Rashly, she agrees to join an amateur women’s tennis team, who are bottom of every league league, on the verge of collapse.
They are desperate for players. The fact that she can’t really play doesn’t seem to matter.
Forty Love is a battle cry for women who aren’t done yet. Not even close.
Her Advantage by Hannah Bicknell – Paris / Wimbledon
Welcome to the Game, Set, Match series, where love is found both on and off the scoreboard. From Hannah Bicknell, Her Advantage is the perfect spicy, enemies to lovers sports romance for fans of Elle Kennedy and Heated Rivalry .
Rule #1: Never meet your heroes.
Rule #2: Never fall for them.
Leo James knows everything about George Hampden. She knows his stats, his cold on-court precision, and the fact that she’s been secretly in love with him for years.
Then she actually meets him.
George is aloof, arrogant, and currently the biggest headache for Leo’s luxury concierge firm. Now, she has to manage the man she once adored; he’s trying to win Wimbledon while she tries to keep her heart off the scoreboard.
Enjoy our selection of books about tennis! Let us know any further titles we should add!
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