Private Lessons

Packed with behind-the-scenes stories from one of tennis’s most electric players, Private Lessons takes readers inside the fast, relentless, and deeply personal world of professional tennis—and into the moments the highlight reels never showed.

Olympic Gold medalist and nine-time Grand Slam champion Bethanie Mattek-Sands has spent most of her life competing at the highest levels of the sport. Known for her fearless game, unmatched style, and outsized personality, she grew up on the road, faced the best players in the world, reached a number-one doubles ranking, and fought her way back from a devastating injury at Wimbledon.

In these candid, deeply personal vignettes, Mattek-Sands revisits some defining moments that shaped her on and off the court, from rallying with Monica Seles as a child and turning pro at fourteen to navigating the pressure and isolation of life on tour and confronting what happens when the pursuit of excellence begins to collide with identity, relationships, and the body itself.

With humor and grace, Mattek-Sands looks beyond the trophies to the unexpected moments that made the journey matter.