Rating: 
Summary: The Greatest Show On Earth
Review: "Sports Illustrated" tennis writer, Jon Wertheim, has written a quick and very entertaining look at the 2000 women's tennis season. As a part-time tennis journalist/photographer myself, over the past several years I have been able to get a firsthand glimpse of the tennis world. From the cocky Williams sisters to the tempestuous Anna Kournikova to those wacky tennis parents, I can attest that Wertheim has accurately captured (warts and all) the many personalities that make up the WTA Tour. Wertheim gives background information on many of the players to fill in those who do not religiously follow tennis, but he does so without boring those of us who do. There are juicy pieces of gossip that have certainly not made it into traditional sports reporting. One has to give Wertheim credit for penetrating this inner circle and somehow managing to add new material to these already very public personas. The subtitle of this book is "A Sensational Season Inside the Women's Tennis Tour." It could have easily (and perhaps more appropriately) been called a "sensationalistic" season. While Lindsay Davenport has often expressed disdain for the "three-ring circus" that women's tennis has become, she, along with many others, certainly understand there is no such thing as bad publicity. A must-read for any tennis fan or even those who are just curious about these women--the "circus" is certainly in town in "Venus Envy."
Rating: 
Summary: Tabloid gossip!
Review: Cutsey title. But I'll agree with one reviewer saying this is gossipy tabloid stuff. Wertheim must have scoured the sewers scouting out dish on these players. Most notably under his trashing are Richard Wlliams who is quoted and re-quoted and made to sound certifiable. Every negative comment on the Willams' made in the last few years, culled from TV and other media, must be included here. And being a good herd journalist, Anna comes in for a good share of the juicy abuse. But really not much we haven't already read. I hate this kind of writing. There is little that is edifying or uplifting in the whole book. But gossip sells. One bright note is that Seles is given her proper due, described as the awesome, dominating player she was in 1993 (winning 7 of the past 8 Grand Slams) and on her way to becoming perhaps the greatest of all time.
Rating: 
Summary: The MEN in tennis
Review: I am a huge fan of the tennis world and of this book. It's one of the best, most-descriptive books I've read in years. The author gets an inside look into the women's world of tennis as a sportswriter. I only have one complaint. That is at the very beginning the author states that women's tennis these day has many "divas" in it, but that Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras are the ONLY two men on the tour right now who are even remotely interesting. I beg to differ. Patrick Rafter, Mark Philopoussis (sp?), Jan-Michael Gambill, Andy Roddick, Marat Safin, and Lleyton Hewitt are among the many who make men's tennis unpredictable and enjoyable just like the women's tour. Despite this flaw, this is an excellent read for anyone who wants to get inside the heads of some of the top name's in women's tennis.
Rating: 
Summary: An ok read
Review: I'm not going to rehash what you can read in all the other reviews. I don't think this book is sensationalist. It seems quite fair. There is nothing explosive, just interesting insight. Wetheim does seem sympathetic to the women's tour vis a vis the men's tour but is otherwise quite objective. I agree that unfortunately it is dated. It is about the 2000 tour. There is a chapter on 2001, but we are almost at the end of the 2002 season.
Rating:
Summary: Good beach read
Review: Jon Wertheim does an entertaining job of presenting the women's tennis tour in the year 2000. However, unlike John Feinstein's Hard Courts, I dont think it will be of much interest to non tennis fans (granted, Feinstein had the benefit of one of the most exciting years in tennis, where there were four different winners for both men's and women's Grand Slams). You'll find yourself wanting a little more substance and a lot less flash. What keeps the book a breezy read are the gossipy moments of perenial covergirls Anna Kournikova and Martina Hingis. The book suffers from its focus on Richard Williams rather than the Williams sisters themselves. Obviously, Richard plays a huge part in the hype (and controversy) surrounding the sisters, but you never really feel like you get a handle on either on one of the sisters from reading this book. In fact, you can imagine Lindsay Davenport providing so much more insight about the game to Wertheim but once again getting shoved to the back because of her lack of flash. I kept wanting more about Davenport and Monica Seles, and less about the others. Also, I wonder how the post-Open, fall season up through the WTA Championships played out, but we dont get that here. It simply ends after the Open, followed by a brief epilogue. This book is an entertaining beach read.
Rating:
Summary: Forget your afternoon soap...
Review: L Jon Wertheim has open the locker room door (so to speak) and allowed readers to see the world of professional women's tennis. The big names are all in here, along with their agents, entourages, coaches families, and fans. What quickly emerges is a portrait of gifted and skilled athletes competing with not only each other, but with competing venues, demands on their time, bodies not allowed to completely heal from injury, and obsessed amily and friends. Players seem to be isolated from the realities of life, catered to, allowed to behave without restraint or consequences. Even more amusing (and sad)are the family members who cling to the athlete's coattails, determined to milk every last bit of cash of these often young women. There are several horror stories of abuse by fathers, drunken tirades, and careers held hostage by the lost dreams of failed careers of parents. The most compelling portion of the book is the story of Monica Seles, and her continuing struggle to return to the joy she experienced playing prior to the knife attack that almost ended her career and life. A real show.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful, entertaining, brief
Review: Martina, Monica, Venus, Serena, and Anna: five tennis players who dominated (and still dominate) the headlines in 2000. Martina trying to stay on top with unparalleled dexterity and grace; Monica with her personal tragedy and on-court power; Venus and Serena, two sisters with unmatched power trying to define their game styles as well as their separate identities; and Anna, the media's perennial it-girl. All of these players' on-court game styles and off-court intrigues collide in Wertheim's Venus Envy, an insightful recording of the events during the WTA in 2000. Events ranging from the Australian Open in January to Indian Wells, Key Biscayne, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open in August are all covered. Match analysis of championship and pertinent earlier round matches are melded with insight into who the top women tennis players are and the joys and struggles they face on and off the tour. While mainly focusing on the events of 2000, references are made to past tennis stories, like Monica's stabbing, and constant motifs in women's tennis, like funding and coaching. Within a sphere of 250 pages Wertheim attempts to cover much and sometimes needlessly dwells upon and revisits certain issues (coaching and commercialization) far more than the equally important ideas upon which he briefly touches on (the Wimbledon quarterfinal match between Martina and Venus). Intertwining the stories behind a player's slip in the rankings and recent renaissance or the issue of the popularity of women's tennis versus that of men's, in a chapter pertaining to Wimbledon or Indian Wells leads to cohesion errors, as Wertheim tends to get carried away and digresses. Additionally, Wertheim tries to write an overtly pretentious and grandiose text by using legalese and French phrases that have been assimilated into the English language in an attempt to stray the farthest away from stereotypical sportscaster vernacular. It's a transparent attempt to write in a grander yet less effectual manner, which in the end just takes the meaning away from what he's trying to convey. Overall, Venus Envy proves to be a solid, yet too succinct text that manages to allocate the necessary amount of time to each of the top tennis players. Overall, it's an entertaining, insightful, and engaging read.
Rating:
Summary: Sensational Season... 2 years ago
Review: This was a great, fascinating book for anyone with even a passing interest in women's tennis. Wertheim managed to correctly peg a lot of the top players by presenting their positive and negative qualities. The only problem, however, is that by the time this book came out another tennis season had just about come and gone, and new names and faces were replacing the ones mentioned in his book. For anyone who's read his book and liked it, I would also recommend his tennis mailbag at ....
Rating:
Summary: Like High School
Review: This was a well written book that will be a fun read for any tennis fan. I found myself chuckling at the high school-like behavior of the women of tennis. Come to think of it, most of them are of high school age, so I guess it makes sense.
Rating:
Summary: A great read!
Review: Too bad the author didn't get to conclude this book with the Williams sisters penultimate match against one another. Short of that, however, I can't imagine this book being more entertaining. Fans of women's tennis know that matches have gotten more exciting in recent years, arguably as entertaining as men's tennis. Author L. Jon Wertheim has managed to score a cup by getting into the hidden inner circles of the women's tennis world, spending a year with a tour. The result is a close-up view that is intriguing, exciting and impossible to put down and profiles the major players in tennis, including Martina Hingis, Monica Seles, Jennifer Capriati and the Williams sisters.
What even the most avid fans of women's tennis don't get to see - the behind-the scenes gossip, intrigue and behavior that are part of the whole scene - are revealed here. Egotism, bitchiness and incredibly dysfunctional famililies add to the drama. I'd suggest that any family with an aspiring young tennis "star" in their midst give this book to that person and let her know what could await her in the future. If she decides to pursue the sport, anyway, maybe she truly has the determination to become the next star of the courts.
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