The Tennis Court - by Nick Pachelli (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A fresh approach to a beloved sport, The Tennis Court is a photographic journey of the 200 most breathtaking tennis courts around the world.

Every one of the world's half a million tennis courts is, at its most basic, an identical blank canvas: a 78-foot by 36-foot rectangle, divided by a 3-foot-high net in its center, and marked with eleven straight lines. But add in the elements of surface, space, wind, acoustics, crowds, shadows, humidity, and even air density, and every tennis court is unique--a work of art. And some are masterpieces.

Nick Pachelli curates and profiles 200 of the world's most beautiful, iconic, significant, alluring, and idiosyncratic tennis courts from across the globe, each breathtakingly photographed. He explores the heavyweights, including Wimbledon's All England Lawn Tennis Club, which employs a hawk to keep stray birds from soiling the meticulous lawns. Arthur Ashe, the Grandstand, and Court 17 in Flushing, Queens, where hundreds of thousands of tennis fans gather every summer for the US Open. And there's Court Philippe-Chatrier at Roland-Garros, whose clay seems to take on a different shade--burnt orange, burnt red, burgundy, umber--every time you see it.

We visit far-flung treasures, such as Waiheke Tennis Club in New Zealand, where you'll need to take a plane, then a ferry, then a car or bus, and then walk before arriving there. Indoor marvels, including the Tennis Club de Belgique, which evokes the hushed, reverent feeling of a theater, with skylights illuminating the court and leaving the spectators in the shadows. Hidden jewels, such as the tiny Tennis Club San Stin in Venice, a secret, single outdoor clay court tucked away behind a villa and a 15-foot wall shrouded with vines.

There are urban courts, including the Knickerbocker Field Club, deep in the heart of Flatbush, Brooklyn. Academies, like Rafael Nadal's tennis temple in Mallorca, Spain. And the extreme: a single court completely isolated in the wilds of Scotland; a court in northern Spain revealed when the tide goes out, the sand hardens, and the metallic plates that serve as lines reemerge; and a court in Kenya made out of termite mounds.

Throughout, Pachelli not only conducts a masterful, once-in-a-lifetime tour of the world's best courts, but in his writing does something equally immersive: He captures the real passion--some might say obsession--that tennis inspires. Because it's on the court, no matter how grandiose or mundane, whether in an exotic locale or around the corner, where tennis players truly see themselves. Where we come face-to-face with our temperament, our drive, our frustration, our bliss, our longing.

Review Quotes

"The Tennis Court gives fans new and old a way into (and onto) some of the most exceptional arenas of play around the globe. Detailing the remote and far removed to legendary courts that have hosted the most storied events in tennis history, Nick Pachelli's gorgeous book lends us a lens to encounter the world."--Caitlin Thompson, founder of Racquet magazine

"The Tennis Court is a richly researched and evocatively photographed book. I'll be returning to these pages anytime I need to lose myself amid the soaring roar of a grand slam final, or find solace in the soothing hush of a faraway court."--Will Taylor, author and creative consultant

"A labor of love that is a pure pleasure to read and peruse."--Christopher Clarey, New York Times bestselling author of The Master

"A stunning celebration of tennis. A tennis court book about much more than tennis courts, this story speaks to the heart of anyone with a passion for a pastime."--Tom Coyne, New York Times bestselling author

"From Kent to Kenya, Marrakech to Melbourne. Surfaced differently. Indoors, outdoors. Seaside and underground. Pachelli captures the magic in this masterful book, which celebrates not just tennis, and not just its variegated venues . . . but this topspinning orb we call planet Earth."--Jon Wertheim, New York Times bestselling author and correspondent for 60 Minutes

"Gorgeous portraiture, fascinating breadth, emotional in all the specificity. The Tennis Court is a luscious Lonely Planet for tennis addicts."--Rosecrans Baldwin, author of Everything Now

"How had I been so blind? I'd seen a tennis court as an arrangement of lines, neat boxes, a net. This book reveals so much more: spaces within spaces, quirks and surfaces, shadows and light, communities--the communities most of all. What a gift. I won't look at the game the same way again."--Louisa Thomas, staff writer, The New Yorker

"I leafed through this lovely volume with one hand clenched in a forehand grip on a phantom racquet. I was imagining what it would be like to play on the scores of courts around the world that Pachelli tracked down: the one surfaced with sea-drenched sand on Spain's Asturian coast; that wisteria-walled one in Tasmania . . . If tennis is your passion, you too will be transported."--Gerald Marzorati, author and writer at The New Yorker and Racquet magazine

"I've been around tennis all over the world, and this book truly speaks to the beauty and importance of tennis courts, whether at tennis academies or remote public courts. Every tennis player and fan will enjoy this book."--Patrick Mouratoglou, world-renowned tennis coach and founder of Mouratoglou Academy

"This book contains hundreds of beautifully photographed tennis courts. The real joy, though, is found in the stories that unfold about each one."--Katrina M. Adams, author and former president of the USTA

"This book made me fall in love with tennis all over again. It also made me miss traveling on tour. I miss seeing all the different aesthetics, colors, and landscapes from the Grand Slams to the local parks and clubs. If you love tennis and travel, you will love this book. And if you're not a tennis fan, you might just become one if you open up this book."--Rennae Stubbs, former world No. 1 and six-time Grand Slam champion

About the Author

Nick Pachelli, an award-winning journalist, photographer, and producer, was raised on hot, cracked tennis courts in New Mexico. He played the junior circuit and was among the top-ranked singles and doubles players in the Southwest before stopping short of a college tennis career. He eventually returned to tennis competition and plays adult tournaments and leagues domestically and abroad. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Esquire, Vogue, the Guardian, and ESPN, among other outlets. Find him on Instagram at @nickpachells.