Book Coverage
National Men’s Tennis Association President’s Letter, November
2024
As we approach the holiday season, what better way to celebrate the spirit of tennis than by gifting books that offer inspiration, insight, and a deeper connection to the game we all love? … In Courting: A Tennis Memoir, Bill Finger takes readers on a personal journey through the world of tennis. With compelling stories and reflections, Bill’s memoir captures the essence of a lifelong passion for the game. This book is perfect for those who appreciate the stories behind the sport and the impact tennis has had on personal growth.
Raleigh Racquet Club Facebook Post, December 2024
Racquet Club General Manager Timmer Halligan congratulates RRC member Bill Finger on his new book, Courting: A Tennis Memoir, and his first USTA “bronze ball” in the National Clay Court Championships, 75-and-over doubles. When Finger turned 70, he returned to competitive tennis after a 30-year absence. He joined the Racquet Club, where he gradually joined the “modern age” of tennis, modernizing his game with Racquet Club pros and building his senior strategy with the many excellent players at the Club. The Racquet Club helped launch Bill’s new book and continues to encourage members and others to buy and read his wonderful account of how a thread woven through our lives can serve as a sanctuary for the psyche.
Review by Jimmy Parker in National Men’s Tennis
Association website, November 2024
The author describes the role of tennis in his life in vivid terms from the perspective of a now-wiser septuagenarian in a way that draws you in. Despite a thirty-year sabbatical from tennis, Finger’s entire life is affected by tennis experiences. Through all the inevitable vagaries of life’s changes and challenges, tennis remained his constant.
I enjoyed William’s writing; it’s easy to read, it’s honest, and it’s expressive. Most of us can identify with the influences that tennis has had on our paths through life. Courting takes us all the way back to William’s introduction to the game in the Jackson, Mississippi of the 1950’s. Amidst the turmoil of increasing racial tensions of the era, the game of tennis came to occupy most of William’s attention and provided a refuge.
After junior tennis, Finger’s tennis sojourn takes him to varsity competition at Duke University. He describes the highlights and lowlights that every college tennis player has, with amazing recall. Likewise, he is able to recount matches and feelings he had as a 35 year-old competitor, now many years in the rearview mirror.
There is about a thirty-year period in the middle of William’s life when he is barely playing any tennis – middle age life gets in the way. The narrative then picks up in William’s late 60’s when he is just beginning to think about getting back into playing tournaments. Now we get the perspective of a survivor of life’s twists and turns as he navigates his way into the rigors of the world of senior tournament tennis. Physical, mental, and even spiritual challenges abound.
Any who have undertaken the challenge of tournament play will identify with the feelings that Finger’s journey back into match competition elicited. A good read.