Just a few thoughts in short: Dieter Hildebrandt was a well-known German journalist and satirist. In this very short book he describes his love-hate relationship with tennis and describes the people he (or a fictionalised account of himself) plays with.

There are some funny parts in this book, but none that would have me break out in laughter - except for the well-observed conversations between couples who play tennis together. They were quite true to fact. Or at least similar to conversations I have witnessed on the court.

However, once you heard one, others will follow the same pattern.

What irked me about the book - other than it read really outdated - was that he complained about the lack of support for young tennis players in Germany, both by the media and by the German Tennis Association. Yet, all the stories he told were about men at rather the upper end of middle age who were all well of.

How is this going to motivate or even be of any interest to young players or potential players whose lack of presence he is lamenting?

I got the impression this was a book of stories from the club house written for old men at the club house. ( )