SMASHED

Tennis prodigies, parents and parasites

Todd Ley

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Paperback

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English

Unsportsmanlike Publishing
31 January 2025

Memoirs; Sports & outdoor recreation; Sports training & coaching

SMASHED exposes the hidden and harsh realities associated with child sporting excellence, offering an unprecedented examination of the ruthless underbelly of the so-called 'gentleman's game'.

Behind the glitz and glamour of tournaments like Wimbledon and the Australian Open a merciless world of tennis peasants fight to earn their spot on the grand stage.

Forced to walk the tennis tightrope from the time they are toddlers, sporting prodigies unwittingly sell their soul to the industry. Meanwhile, agents, coaches and hangers-on are free to politely extort the immaturity of players, only to discard them once the well has run dry.

Todd Ley, once the world's top junior tennis player, the youngest athlete ever signed by IMG and a child inmate at a renowned international sporting academy, blends wild anecdotes, raw truth, tragic comedy, and hard-won experience, to vividly capture the reality of being a child tennis star and the devastation it reeked on his adulthood.

Ley's darkly funny, unfiltered commentary is a fascinating read, delivering uncomfortable truths and coaching gold to put the game on notice.

By: Todd Ley
Imprint: Unsportsmanlike Publishing
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 472g
ISBN: 9780645899764
ISBN 10: 0645899763
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 31 January 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Todd Ley, once the world's top Junior tennis player at just 12 years of age, the youngest athlete ever signed by IMG and an inmate at a renowned international tennis academy has been around the tennis scene - and creating a scene - since he was a toddler. In his book SMASHED: On tennis prodigies, parents and parasites, Todd exposes not just the experience of elite child athletes, but also the devastating ramifications it can lead to in adulthood. From a youth in the sporting prodigy spotlight to family collapse, bankruptcy, alcoholism, and mental health struggles, Todd has recognised a disturbing pattern among other young athletes who fall short of glory. However, Todd's lived experience of being broken into a thousand pieces has also given him the chance to reassemble himself into something new. Todd is raw, real and not a huge fan of fake so he's able to channel his hard-earned wisdom into delivering unflinching truths about the sport of tennis, thus delivering coaching gold. He also delivers great one-liners and is currently working on a TV comedy about sport parents. What lights him up more than the spotlight on centre court (you might have seen him in the players' box during the 2022 Australian Open Doubles Win by Nick Kyrgios and Thanassi Kokkinakis), is...not a lot. Why? Because he tends to turn personal hobbies into Olympic events and that can become a bit of a problem. While some might call Todd 'controversial', others call him 'refreshing'. The ball is in your court to decide for yourself. Todd is now available for interviews, speaking engagements, author talks and elite coaching.

Reviews for SMASHED: Tennis prodigies, parents and parasites

Engaging, revealing and darkly funny, this blistering sport memoir reveals the truth behind sport parents, coaches, the international tennis circuit and the exploitation of child athletes on and off the court. An excellent read, it's a must for lovers of memoir as well as sport fans, athletes past and present, sport parents, coaches and those interested in the psychology of elite athletes. Author Todd Ley has aced this one! Anna Featherstone, Bold Authors