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Sweating Blood: My Life in Squash: The Official Autobiography of Nick Matthew
Sweating Blood: My Life In Squash is the Official Autobiography of three time World Squash Champion Nick Matthew and is available exclusively from www.isportstore.com
You can’t sweat blood. That’s not physically possible, but if you could Nick Matthew would have done it by the bucket-load.
Throughout his 15-year career, Matthew has fought his way to the top of the PSA World Rankings in his gladiatorial sport, winning 25 World Tour titles, including being crowned world champion on two occasions and British Open champion three times. Nick holds the record of five British National titles in addition to being crowned Men’s Singles and Men’s Doubles Gold Medalist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games making him England’s most successful player.
Sweating Blood: My Life In Squash is much more than the tale of a squash player. In this brutally honest story:
Nick psychoanalyses his own obsessive-compulsive personality and explains how it helps him win;
He remembers how, as a late developer, he was constantly told he lacked the talent to succeed yet went on to become the most successful English player of all time;
He gives an amazing behind-the-scenes access to the sport: the prize money, the anti-doping, the gruesome training, the post-match celebrations, the crazy players on the PSA World Tour and the far-flung corners of the globe where he competes;
He remembers the career-threatening shoulder operation that eventually put him on the road to World Championship and Commonwealth Games glory;
He tries to understand how his relationship with another top British player went so horribly wrong;
He digs back into his Yorkshire upbringing and remembers the colourful characters who turned him into the champion he is today;
And he pinpoints the most crucial moments in his career – the moments when he really felt like he was sweating blood.
You can’t sweat blood. That’s not physically possible, but if you could Nick Matthew would have done it by the bucket-load.
Throughout his 15-year career, Matthew has fought his way to the top of the PSA World Rankings in his gladiatorial sport, winning 25 World Tour titles, including being crowned world champion on two occasions and British Open champion three times. Nick holds the record of five British National titles in addition to being crowned Men’s Singles and Men’s Doubles Gold Medalist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games making him England’s most successful player.
Sweating Blood: My Life In Squash is much more than the tale of a squash player. In this brutally honest story:
Nick psychoanalyses his own obsessive-compulsive personality and explains how it helps him win;
He remembers how, as a late developer, he was constantly told he lacked the talent to succeed yet went on to become the most successful English player of all time;
He gives an amazing behind-the-scenes access to the sport: the prize money, the anti-doping, the gruesome training, the post-match celebrations, the crazy players on the PSA World Tour and the far-flung corners of the globe where he competes;
He remembers the career-threatening shoulder operation that eventually put him on the road to World Championship and Commonwealth Games glory;
He tries to understand how his relationship with another top British player went so horribly wrong;
He digs back into his Yorkshire upbringing and remembers the colourful characters who turned him into the champion he is today;
And he pinpoints the most crucial moments in his career – the moments when he really felt like he was sweating blood.
- GenresBiography
Paperback
First published October 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 16, 2017
Good read and interesting perspective
Very interesting book about Nick's background, training methods, and the world of squash. I enjoyed it and aim to see him play live.
Very interesting book about Nick's background, training methods, and the world of squash. I enjoyed it and aim to see him play live.
January 4, 2023
It's worth comparing this with the autobiography of Nick's great rival, James Willstrop ('Shot and a Ghost'). Nick's book is more of a traditional sportsperson's autobiography, but no less interesting for that. Realistically, though, it will probably be of most interest to squash fans.
May 7, 2017
Good stuff from Nick Matthew.
February 13, 2019
3.5 stars. An absolutely typical sports biography. If you like squash you’ll find it interesting enough, if you don’t, you probably won’t.
January 24, 2014
As a squash player I'm obviously biased, but I found the Nick Matthew autobiography to be one of the better athlete-written books I've come across. Nick does a great job going through the extremely challenging lifestyle of being a squash pro, and really demonstrates how much work is required to get to the top level in squash. I also liked getting Nick's viewpoint on the Willstrop rivalry, and came away of the viewpoint that the tension between them, while serious, is something they can get over in the future. A great/quick (I read it in one sitting) read for anybody interested in professional squash. Nick is a machine!
January 4, 2016
I enjoyed reading Nick's book. He is an iconic character in world squash. Undoubtedly the world's toughest competitor and his nickname of "the wolf" is well deserved. He hunts down his foes in a brutal physical contest. While not possessing the most beautiful game he is such a tenacious fighter on court and it all comes across in the book. Worthwhile read.
March 6, 2015
Pretty average and pedestrian. Interesting in parts, but a fair amount of the standard sports-biog stuff: detailing matches, rallies and key points within, without getting beyond what could be a first-person newspaper report.
March 16, 2014
Great book! Very interesting and fun to read
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews