Tennis pro turned author, Novak Djokovic, doesn't eat wheat and claims to love his severely restricted diet.
I know it's been a really long time since I last posted :( Between my trip to NYC and LA and the start of my new job, I haven't had much time to read. Somehow, I managed to finish two books in the last week and a half, so that's nice.
The first book I read since the trip, "Serve to Win," by Novak Djokovic was a really easy read. I finished it on the plane ride from LAX to HNL, even with a nap, lunch break and "Star Trek: Into Darkness." I bought the book because I thought it was going to be partly autobiographical, maybe a look into his life up to this point. Unfortunately, the book was light on personal epithets, and readers even vaguely familiar with his life's story will not have any revelations about who Djokovic truly is. All threads of personal information serve to support his triumphs as a gluten-free athlete and number-one tennis player in the world. I give him a few concessions: 1) He's still a current player, so revealing too much could be potentially disruptive for his career (on- and off-court); 2) His story is still "unwritten" in that, who he ends up being and what legacy he leaves in tennis has yet to be determined; 3) The (hidden) point of "writing" the book is to testify for the gluten free lifestyle, not to shock and awe; and 4) English is not Djokovic's first language, so everything is a bit basic.
The true issue I had with the book is that there's so much self-promotion, so much repetitive muck to wade through, in order to get to the good stuff. Yes, Djokovic had a very good 2011 season, and yeah he's the current world number 1 (as of 09/23/2013--a dethroning is almost guaranteed when Rafael Nadal surpasses his points total by years-end) and will most definitely go down in history books as one of the best tennis players of all time, but I like my heroes humble, not obnoxiously self-elevating (how many times can someone repeat that they are a "tennis great" before people throw up?). (Nadal, by contrast, is always humble and concedes to reality.) There are a few unbelievable, "wow," moments in the book, such as when he recounts the daily air raids in Belgrade, but far too little of it to count this as a truly great autobiography. Perhaps years after he retires, he'll come out with a "tell-all," but I sincerely hope he doesn't try to write gluten-free books after this.
What I liked about the book was that it contains plenty of gluten-free recipes, many of which I intend to try. I could also vaguely relate to Djokovic's desperation in finding the perfect combination of physical, mental and nutritional inputs that would allow him to perform at his peak. Although most people will never have to put out at his level, everyone can relate to his dietary struggles and exhaustive effort to maximize his potential as a human being.
In the end, though, there aren't enough recipes or hard science about gluten-free diets, nor are we given enough to digest about the author himself to justify giving "Serve to Win" a prominent place on my bookshelf of fame.
Rating: B-
Congrats to Djokovic, who is now engaged to Jelena Ristic, his long-time girlfriend.
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