The stars of the women's tennis tour are the richest, most famous, and most conspicuous female athletes in the world, and yet the public's perception of them is often limited to the little that can be gleaned from press conferences and photo opportunities. Eager to get beyond the cosmetic image, Michael Mewshaw followed the circuit from Rome to Paris, London, New York and points in between. Along the way he met teenage millionaires such as Monica Seles, Jennifer. Capriati, and Mary Joe Fernandez. Then he talked to their opponents, obscure girls struggling to stay on the tour and continuing to pursue a dream. He spoke with adolescents, anxious about their emerging sexuality, and veterans trying to balance love affairs, marriages, and motherhood with the demands of a tennis career. He had bristly encounters with ferociously ambitious fathers who live through, and off of, their daughters. An acclaimed novelist, Mewshaw captures the. Essence of characters as complex as Martina Navratilova and as image conscious as Chris Evert and Pam Shriver. A celebrated sportswriter, he analyzes matches, discusses strategy, and describes the practice sessions and conditioning programs of the top stars. He interviews the most renowned coaches, trainers, and sports agents, and he serves as a sympathetic listener as the women candidly assess their lives. Most important, as an award-winning investigative journalist, Mewshaw is in a position to subject the women's tennis tour to the sort of scrutiny it rarely receives. Delving into police files and court documents, he uncovers the painful price that players often pay for success. From sociologists and sports psychiatrists, he learns about teenagers sexually abused by middle-age men, coaches who consider sex just another perk of the job, and the groupies, gofers, and hangers-on who have their own troubling agendas. Ladies of the Court. Is an in-depth, behind-the-scenes report on women's tennis that ranges from profiles of Grand Slam champions to appalling snapshots of players whose ambitions have landed them on a therapist's couch instead of in a penthouse. Simultaneously an affectionate portrait of those who play the game and a condemnation of those who exploit the players, this is a book that transcends sport and defines the difficulties confronted by women who seek excellence in any arena.