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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN num: 9780007178391
ISBN number: 0007178395
Label: HarperCollins UK
Manufacturer: HarperCollins UK
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 416
Printing Date: May 01, 2005
Publishing house: HarperCollins UK
Sale Popularity Level: 938499
Studio: HarperCollins UK
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It would not be an overstatement to say that Ilie Nastase was at least partly responsible for the explosion of interest in tennis in the 1970s. Thanks to his prowess on the court, his flamboyant lifestyle, his sex appeal, and the controversy that continually surrounded him, Nastase’s name was well known far beyond the confines of tennis. In this candid autobiography, he recalls his days as a young troublemaker in Bucharest, his rise in the world of tennis, his incident-packed glory years in the game, and his high-profile life as a playboy. A sparkling memoir, recounted with all the swagger and bravado of the original bad boy of tennis.
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Rated by buyers 
-
Illie's book isn't exactly what I expected but it was worth the read.
I learned a lot of things about him that I never knew.
Unfortunately, I felt he was very biased at times and all too often
he was boasting. It seemed as though I tried to justify immoral actions
that he made on and off the court. But who am I to judge.
If you grew up playing tennis or learning how to play back when wooden
rackets were all we had you'll gain from the book. Even if you
grew up watching tennis or playing after the wooden racket era this
book will give you a window into how we played back in the old days
and the pros and cons of playing during that time.
Illie especially provides a great view what European players used to
deal with on the tour and their approach to tennis. This book shows
tennis as it was in the 70's and 80's while Blake's book is more focused
on playing in the late 1990's and early 21st century.
Rated by buyers -
Not great literature, just a great story of a great player, in a great era, playing a great game. Nasty was a charismatic tennis player who had the benefit of playing at an incredible time traveling the world and meeting interesting people. But this book also covers his background growing up in a Communist country and how his talent allowed him to circumvent the tough conditions of most citizens.
Maybe the most interesting news in the book is how little he trained early in his career. This of course could never happen now in the current incredibly competitive and lucrative sport. But he consistently talks about how little he trained and how inexperienced he really was as he started his rise as a Junior player.
Most people will be interested in the personalities and they are all here, Ion Tiriac and their unique relationship, Stan Smith, Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. Of course he must also touch on his personal life of three marriages and children that he loved even though he may not always have been around as a father.
Overall this book does an excellent job of detailing the life of a 1970s fun loving tennis pro who was not on the court all day but rather in the discos and bars every night. Nasty, a true legend, on the court and off.
Rated by buyers -
The greatest tennis talent that ever lived - but how he lived!
Rated by buyers -
This is an entertaining book about one of the most charismatic players of the Open era. Win or loose he enjoyed the game like few ever did. He was active on the ATP tour until 37. And, he still reached the 4th round of the US Open at 36.
The book's appendix discloses fascinating statistics. You can see his win/loss track record against many players. His career being so long, it tied the Australian era to the Open era. Thus, he had a 9-2 record against an aging Rod Laver (8 years older) but a 3-5 record against a young McEnroe (13 years younger). These records don't mean anything. One champion is aging while the other is entering his prime.
As a man, he had much fun. Per his own estimate, he bedded 2,500 groupies. He had a wonderful love affair during his very first marriage. Even though it predictably ended in divorce , the divorce was not wrenching affair vs what Becker and McEnroe endured. Nastase's relationship with women was similar to the one he had with the public. No one could be mad at him for too long.
Nastase lost mental control in his matches. Unlike Connors and McEnroe who could create winning strategies out of the chaos, Nastase was the victim of his shenanigans. His bad behavior cost him tens of thousands of dollars in penalties.
As a result of his lack of mental control, Nastase's legacy is a fraction of what his talent warranted. He won only two Grand Slam tournaments (73 French Open and 72 US Open). Tens of players have far greater legacies.
Nevertheless, Nastase still fascinates. In fact Federer's versatile game most resembles Nastase. Both men have the ability to win on any surface against any opponents, and hit shots nobody else can. Adding Nastase's unpredictable behavior to the versatility of his game just contributed to the legend.
There is no doubt Nastase was an all around extraordinarily gifted athlete. As an aging star, he had to play sports he had never learned for various TV shows. After just 5 minutes of learning the grip, he hit par on his very first golf hole. After Ion Tiriac teaches him ice hockey. Within 15 minutes Nastase was chasing Tiriac around the skating rink. Not bad for a guy who had never skated.
The biography gets even more interesting as he retires from the ATP circuit. Because of his profile, he met everybody. He is on a very first name basis with Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, George Bush Sr. and Jr, Jack Nicholson, Mick Jagger. He likes everyone of them. Nastase also describes the chronic political crisis plaguing Romania. His firsthand experience makes for a fascinating account about the living condition in this country.
If you like this book, I also recommend McEnroe's "You Can't Be Serious" and Becker's "The Player." They are definitely all multidimensional fascinating complex personalities.
Rated by buyers -
If I'm not missing any, this is the fourth book published about the charismatic and controversial Ilie Nastase (two of which were published in France). This speaks volumes for the popularity enjoyed by this genius of tennis.
Nastase is one of the reasons tennis became so hugely popular back in the 1970s. His talent and personality brought millions of new fans to the game. His combined singles titles (57) and doubles (51) of Grand Prix, WCT and ATP sanctioned tournaments of Open Tennis (since 1968) is only surpassed by John McEnroe - no coincidence here since they are the two greatest natural talents seen in tennis. His Davis Cup record is also phenomenal, playing and winning more matches than anybody else, except Nikki Pietrangeli. Contrary to some erroneous assumptions made by another reviewer, Nastase never left Romania. He did not need to do so, since he was allowed to keep all his earnings. This was part of the deal made with the Romanian Communist authorities, in return for his free and unconditional availability of playing Davis Cup matches.
Reading the book I discovered with great surprise and regret that he is not yet a member of the Wimbledon All England Club. After all, this is the guy that won three Wimbledon doubles titles and played in other two singles finals (the one from 1972 is still regarded as one of the most beautiful and memorable ever played at Wimbledon!). Last but not least, he is the one that saved Wimbledon in 1973 when almost all of the big names boycotted the tournament.....I sincerely believe is still not too late for Wimbledon to rectify this injustice.....
Finally, I would like to recommend in addition to this wonderful book another excellent one on Nastase. This one, by Richard Evans, was published in 1977 here in USA under "Nasty: Ilie Nastase vs. Tennis" and in England under "Nastase". Any of these and "Mr. Nastase" would certainly make any Nastase fan very, very happy!!
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