Whoever wins at Wimbledon, many of tennis’s professionals are losers
A new book chronicles the grim reality of chasing sporting success
![Conor Niland in action during his first round match before retiring through injury at the US Open in New York, United States, August 30th 2011](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240713_CUP001.jpg)
The women’s and men’s finals at Wimbledon on July 13th and July 14th, respectively, are the biggest events in tennis. They each feature two of the world’s best players competing for the oldest and most prestigious prize in the sport. But at around the same time, a dozen or so other professional tournaments will take place worldwide in far less glamorous settings, including Iasi, Romania and Tianjin, China.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “What a racket”
More from Culture
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240817_CUP503.jpg)
Two centuries after his death, why is Lord Byron still seductive?
The poet is celebrated where he spent his period of exile
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240817_CUP504.jpg)
A famous forecaster takes on the establishment
Nate Silver offers praise for contrarians and scorn for intellectual sheep
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240817_CUP001.jpg)
Three years ago this month America withdrew from Afghanistan
A trio of new books tries to make sense of the war and its aftermath
Making sense of the world’s most dangerous horse race
Il Palio is chaotic and corrupt—and full of community spirit
A love story, shaped by Ukraine’s travails
A Ukrainian journalist imagines a couple brought together and wrenched apart in the 20th century
What Bill Gates reveals about other billionaires
An unusual biography of the technologist-turned-philanthropist