Venus. Serena. Anna. Martina. Lindsay. Like other modern-day heroines -- Madonna, Hillary, Mia -- they need only one name. They are the stars of professional tennis -- the young, brash, and often reckless women who hold court, and serve. The last several years have seen such a seismic explosion in women's tennis that you might be surprised to learn there's still a men's game. Fans flock to the high-voltage matches, which come packaged with tales of infighting, family squabbles, and, of course, Anna Kournikova's micro-miniskirts. In Venus Envy, Sports Illustrated investigative reporter and tennis columnist L. Jon Wertheim draws back the curtain on the soap opera that is the women's professional tennis tour, with its primal plotlines driven by ambition, sex, and revenge. Here are the stories behind the stories: the tragic Garbo-like star who whiles away hours in a midwestern hotel room because she's afraid to go outdoors; the teenager who tries to cope with the pressure of the big time as well as an abusive father; the brilliant number one who plays out her adolescent tantrums on the public stage; the coquette who launched a thousand Web sites; and a little-understood African-American family who proved that they could play by their own rules and still win the game -- not to mention the endorsements. The biggest story in sports in 2000 was Venus Williams. Forced to the sidelines for the early months by injuries to both her wrists and her psyche, she stormed back to win Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and two Olympic gold medals. Not since the glory days of Martina Navratilova -- and the historic days of Althea Gibson -- has women's tennis seen such a dominant champion with the rare combination of athleticism, intelligence, and competitive fire. By the time Venus signed the biggest endorsement deal ever for a female athlete, her opponents' sentiments could be described in just two words: Venus Envy. Wertheim, a senior Sports Illustrated writer, examines women's professional tennis by focusing on the 2000 tour. Any professional sport is an insular, self-contained world with its own peculiar rituals and protocols, but women's tennis is more bizarre than most. Contributing to the show-biz atmosphere are the huge amounts of money at stake; the fragile egos of the competitors, often in their teens or early 20s; the sex appeal; and the very real sexual intrigue that permeates the tour. Among the tabloid-friendly incidents Wertheim recounts are the glamorous Anna Kournikova's bedeviling of Russian hockey stars; Wimbledon champ Venus Williams' grilling of President Clinton during the obligatory congratulation call; and the various antics of Williams' father, Richard, a combination of Daddy Dearest and Don King. Wertheim also explores the darker aspects of women's tennis, including severely dysfunctional families and sexual abuse of players by coaches. Michael Mewshaw explored many of these same issues in Ladies of the Court (1993); not much has changed since then, but Wertheim provides a fascinating update. Wes Lukowsky Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved “Lively and...fresh” - New York Times Book Review “Fascinating...inside scoops...Plenty of off-the-court gossip.” - San Francisco Chronicle Venus. Serena. Anna. Martina. Lindsay. Like other modern-day heroines -- Madonna, Hillary, Mia -- they need only one name. They are the stars of professional tennis -- the young, brash, and often reckless women who hold court, and serve. The last several years have seen such a seismic explosion in women's tennis that you might be surprised to learn there's still a men's game. Fans flock to the high-voltage matches, which come packaged with tales of infighting, family squabbles, and, of course, Anna Kournikova's micro-miniskirts. In Venus Envy, Sports Illustrated investigative reporter and tennis columnist L. Jon Wertheim draws back the curtain on the soap opera that is the women's professional tennis tour, with its primal plotlines driven by ambition, sex, and revenge. Here are the stories behind the stories: the tragic Garbo-like star who whiles away hours in a midwestern hotel room because she's afraid to go outdoors; the teenager who tries to cope with the pressure of the big time as well as an abusive father; the brilliant number one who plays out her adolescent tantrums on the public stage; the coquette who launched a thousand Web sites; and a little-understood African-American family who proved that they could play by their own rules and still win the game -- not to mention the endorsements. The biggest story in sports in 2000 was Venus Williams. Forced to the sidelines for the early months by injuries to both her wrists and her psyche, she stormed back to win Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and two Olympic gold medals. Not since the glory days of Martina Navratilova -- and the historic days of Althea Gibson -- has women's tennis seen such a dominant champion with the rare combination of athletici