Beyond Center Court: My Story

Tennis celebrity Austin, raised in a California family of tennis devotees (her physicist father was the worst player in the house), won her first national title at age 11. She made her Wimbledon debut at 14 and turned professional a year later, immediately picking up $2 million in endorsement fees. She won the Italian and U.S. opens at age 16 in 1979, was rated the best woman player in the world in 1980 and reclaimed the U.S. Open crown in 1981. But Austin began to be plagued with injuries, including pulled hamstrings and sciatica, and she sat out the years from 1984 to 1988, occasionally working as a TV commentator. A near-fatal auto accident in 1989 halted her comeback and left her with a weakened leg. Coauthored with Washington, D.C., sportswriter Brennan, this upbeat account of Austin's career and family life includes almost-candid reports about fellow players and celebrities. Austin strongly believes that her success as a teenager set a terrible precedent, as she sees tennis-mad parents pushing their children hard at earlier ages. Photos not seen by PW. (Aug.)