A Handful of Summers: Gordon Forbes’ Hilarious and Heartfelt Memoir of Tennis in Its Golden Age

Long before tennis transformed into a billion-dollar global sport, filled with luxury hotels, private jets, and high-profile endorsements, it thrived on grit, humor, and humanity. In A Handful of Summers, South African tennis legend Gordon Forbes delivers one of the most beloved tennis memoirs ever written, taking readers deep into the golden age of the game.

This is not a book about trophies and scorelines. Instead, A Handful of Summers captures the heart of tennis culture in the 1950s and 60s, a time of modest hotels, grueling travel, and tight-knit camaraderie. Forbes’ storytelling is warm, witty, and deeply personal. Through hilarious anecdotes and quietly moving reflections, he introduces us to an unforgettable cast of tennis greats: Rod Laver, Pancho Gonzales, Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, and many more.

One of the most poignant lines in the book captures the true challenge of competition: “In every close match ever played, you always fought two things: your opponent and the fear inside you, and the worse of the two was the fear.”
It’s a reminder that the real battle in tennis, as in life, is often internal.

What makes this memoir so special is how it brings the spirit of the sport to life, not just the rivalries, but the friendships, the late-night meals, the practical jokes, and the shared journeys across continents. Touring in that era was anything but glamorous, yet Forbes paints it with warmth and reverence. He shows us that while the courts were tough, the bonds between players were tougher still.

For tennis fans, A Handful of Summers is a must-read. For anyone who loves great storytelling, it’s a window into a world where character mattered more than celebrity. And if reading about the game’s golden era sparks your curiosity, you might enjoy diving even deeper into tennis history, like how it all began with a medieval game called Jeu de Paume. Read the full story here.