“Changeover: A Young Rivalry and a New Era of Men’s Tennis” by Giri Nathan was released on Tuesday, August 19th, and is published by Gallery Books.
Following the unprecedented dominance of “The Big Three” (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic), men’s tennis seemed likely to enter an era of flux, with a variety of new names having the opportunity to claim Major glory. Instead, we’ve quickly transitioned into a new era where two men are ruling the sport, with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner combining to claim the last seven Majors. And a new book examines how exactly that came to be.
(Photo Courtesy of Gallery Books)
“Changeover,” the first book from Giri Nathan, details the meteoric rise of both athletes, from their contrasting childhoods all the way to establishing themselves as the best two male singles players in the world. The book goes into great detail regarding the similarities and differences in their playing styles, as well as their personalities, and how this matchup produces such an extraordinary level of tennis.
If you’re looking for a book full of clickbait gossip, or newly-discovered bombshells regarding either player, this is not it. That’s just not this book’s currency, and by all appearances, Alcaraz and Sinner do not live scandalously. But if you’re looking for a time capsule of how two generational talents simultaneously rose to prominence, written in a stylish way, this is for you.
Nathan’s mind sees a tennis court in ways my mind has yet to consider, and depicts the sport and its chief combatants in ways I’m not capable of. An 18-year-old Carlitos is described as “melding caffeinated teen dynamism with a multi-major-winner’s point construction.” The explosive sound when Jannik strikes a tennis ball is compared to “a firearm, a vehicle backfiring, or a hydraulic press.” Referencing a 2024 Indian Wells quarterfinal against Zverev, Alcaraz’s “command of both delicacy and brutality” is admired. And the cold way in which Sinner often dominates players not-named-Alcaraz is likened to “the sobriety of a librarian scanning a book, stamping a due date, and handing it back.”
But Giri does more than just marvel at the sport; he’s also fully comfortable being critical of it. The 2024 Australian Open semifinal between Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev is referenced as “two mantises entangled in a slow fight to the death,” as they “combine to produce some innovatively uncharismatic tennis.” And a theme throughout the book is the increasingly limited access to players, provided to the increasingly limited amount of tennis journalists. “Sports media is dead; most of what’s left is window dressing for online sports gambling fans,” Nathan opines.
DSK Brooklyn, site of the book release event, sponsored by Greenlight Bookstore
At an event to celebrate the book’s release on August 19th in New York City, Nathan outlined how quickly this book came together, from the birth of the idea in late-2023 to its publication less than two years later. He also shared how challenging it has become to speak directly to the players and their teams, with a follow-up question often waiting months to be asked, in a press conference on a completely different continent. The book details the luck, and awkwardness, of running into Sinner and his camp at a Cincinnati airport on the same day news dropped of the Italian’s failed drug tests, as Giri decides in real-time how to approach them without ruining any chance of future cooperation.
The finished product is an obvious labor of love from one of tennis’ youngest and best scribes, who thrives in what he outlines as “finding a way to intersect the real time action with the back story.” Nathan is successful in providing enough background for the casual tennis fan, without alienating the hardcores. “Changeover” is a breezy, delightful read, and it’s release is well-timed: coming off back-to-back Major finals between Alcaraz and Sinner, and ahead of perhaps another in just a few weeks.