Trophy Son

**In this coming-of-age novel** by a *New York Times* –bestselling author, a tennis prodigy grapples with the demands of excellence on his young life.** Douglas Brunt’s third novel, *Trophy Son,* tells the story of a tennis prodigy, from young childhood to the finals of the US Open, Wimbledon, and other tournaments around the world . . . Growing up in the wealthy suburbs of Philadelphia, Anton Stratis is groomed to be one thing only: the #1 tennis player in the world. Trained relentlessly by his obsessive father, a former athlete who plans every minute of his son’s life, Anton both aspires to greatness and resents its all-consuming demands. Lonely and isolated—removed from school and socialization to focus on tennis—Anton explodes from nowhere onto the professional scene and soon becomes one of the top-ranked players in the world, with a coach, a trainer, and an entourage. But as Anton struggles to find a balance between stardom and family, he begins to make compromises—first with himself, then with his health, and finally with the rules of tennis, a mix that will threaten to destroy everything he has worked for. *Trophy Son* offers an inside look at the dangers of extraordinary pressure to achieve, whether in sports or any field, through the eyes of a young man defying his parents’ ambitions as he seeks a life of his own. **A *USA Today* Notable Book** **A *New York Post* ”Must Read” Book** **Praise for *Trophy Son*** “ *Trophy Son* brings Conroy’s *The Great Santini* and Malamud’s *The Natural* into the present day. . . . A terrific book.” —Harlan Coben “Keenly observed and provocative.” — *Sports Illustrated*