In Pursuit of the Slam

In Pursuit of the Slam: My Year Travelling to Tennis's Top Four Tournaments tells the story of the author's year out in the early nineties between jobs during which he attended all four of tennis's Grand Slam tournaments. Unhappy in his corporate job, tennis fan Mark Cripps decided to pack it all in and start again. But a chance sighting of an old friend in an in-flight magazine led to an idea: Why not take some time out to travel organising the trip around tennis's Grand Slam tournaments? He planned a schedule that would take in the 1992 French Open, Wimbledon, the US Open and then, returning to Australia in early 1993, where he had been based with American Express, the Australian Open. On the way, he would visit places of interest, catch up with old friends and visit other tournaments in the build up to each Slam, including the Italian Open in Rome. The book relates how the author planned the trip and organised the visits to each Slam, once there, securing tickets and watching the tennis daily as the tournaments unfolded. A club tennis player, the book also tells how the author entered a tournament on the new British Tour and the experience of facing opponents of a much higher standard. Following the US Open, a week spent at a tennis fantasy camp helped to confirm the next steps needed in his career. In Pursuit of the Slam: My Year Travelling to Tennis's Top Four Tournaments is told in an anecdotal style including incidents and experiences which occurred as the author travelled and the story of the author's childhood introduction to sport, where his mother's love of Wimbledon each year was so infectious. A nostalgic look back at the professional tennis tours through the prism of a round-the-world trip, the book will appeal to those interested in tennis, especially the professional game back in the nineties; those keen on travel; anyone needing a change of job or career; or those who just want to follow their interests more. Mark Cripps was a corporate marketing executive and an award-winning former tennis coach. He now lives in Greater Manchester where he is senior editor for the publisher of this memoir, i2i Publishing. This is his first book.