Serious

It's clear from recent events that we can still count on John McEnroe to behave in precisely the way we expect him to - the petulance, the volatility, the instant, unconsidered reaction to a situation: they're all still there. McEnroe is now a very wealthy man, and one might have thought that his guaranteed place in any pantheon of the sport's greatest players might have made him a more dispassionate individual. But it seems the old John McEnroe is still alive and kicking. Some have put this behaviour down to the player's sobering realization that he is not the tennis virtuoso he once was, but another school of thought holds that McEnroe, like many a prima donna in the opera or pop fields, gives the public what it expects. This frank and involving autobiography (co-written with journalist James Kaplan of the New Yorker) does not fudge the issues when discussing the complicated character of its subject. Of course, John McEnroe has famously employed the services of therapists, and is the father of five children by two different wives; his first marriage was to Hollywood actress Tatum O'Neal, but he has found more lasting love with rock chanteuse Patty Smith - and, like many a sportsman before him, he has latterly proved to be a penetrating and intelligent sports commentator. It's a packed life, and McEnroe evokes the triumphs and disasters of his glittering career with skill and panache. If you're a McEnroe admirer or a Wimbledon junkie, this is required reading. (Kirkus UK)