In the spring of 2006, Roger Federer was the king of tennis, a position he had held for more than two straight years while fans and commentators alike marveled at his supreme talent. Yet something wasn’t quite right. The great Swiss player was 1-4 in his career against a hard-charging young Spaniard named Rafael Nadal, who was rapidly becoming his archenemy. How could Federer be the best ever, critics were beginning to wonder, if he wasn’t the best right here and now? Stung by the criticism, Federer hatched a plan to turn this budding rivalry to his advantage, a quest that would come to define him as a player and change the course of the game.

Federer’s dramatic story, told with novel-like immediacy, is one of nine unexpected turning points in tennis history that acclaimed author Douglas Perry explores in "The Fall and Rise of Roger Federer." Ranging from Rod Laver to John McEnroe to Federer, this unique book captures the sport’s greatest players at the key moments that made professional tennis what it is today.