You Can Quote Me on That isn’t about the polite, countryclub sport where players shake hands over the net and offer congratulations on a fine drop shot. It views tennis from inside, where competition is grueling, tempers flare, and egos collide. Top tennis journalist Paul Fein has compiled hundreds of the most outrageous, most significant, and most illuminating quotes on, by, and about tennis’s biggest stars and hottest controversies.

Author Bio: PAUL FEIN has been a tennis writer for more than twentyfive years. Tennis Week’s journalist of the year for 1991, he has won more than a dozen writing awards and is the author of Tennis Confidential (Brassey’s, Inc., 2002). He’s also served the sport as a television commentator, a teaching pro, a satellite tournament director, and a referee. He lives in Agawam, Massachusetts.

You want smack talk? How about Maria Sharapova brushing aside an intended compliment with “I’m not the next Kournikova—I want to win matches!” Wonder why Jimmy Connors was such a cutthroat? According to his mother, “Jimmy was taught to be a tiger on the court. When he was young, if I had a shot I could hit down his throat, I did. And I’d say, ‘See, Jimmy, even your mother will do that to you.’” Fein even delves into the gritty detail of players’ personal lives. Witness Andre Agassi’s explanation that “sex doesn’t interfere with your tennis; it’s staying out all night trying to find it that affects your tennis.” And of course legendary bad boy John McEnroe both fires off and gets hits with multiple zingers.

Fein includes quotes of praise, thoughtful commentary, and interesting points about players, tournaments, and the game—where it’s been and where it’s headed. If it’s about tennis and worth remembering, well, You Can Quote Me on That.