Top Game

Why do certain countries sit at the top of the Olympic medal table decade after decade? Why has India still not won an Olympic medal in athletics? What separates a Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Muhammad Ali or Viswanathan Anand from everyone else? And why do black athletes dominate some sports but not others? Binoo K. John takes on these questions, which sport rarely answers properly, by drawing on sporting history and sports science.

Over ten chapters he looks at how parental ambition shapes a young athlete, at Anders Ericsson's well-known theory of achievement and excellence, at the part played by national wealth and aspiration, and at the decisive force of a burning desire to win. He also explains why the top three in men's tennis have won more than 50 Grand Slam titles between them, and why gifted players and teams sometimes lose just when victory is within reach. Several widely held ideas about sporting greatness do not survive his scrutiny.

The book surveys modern sport and the making of champions. It will appeal to sports fans and players, and to any reader curious about the glory, mystery and sometimes tragedy of human effort.