Clarey makes the most of more than 20 years of journalistic access to Federer across six continents.

Clarey’s purpose is perhaps the most comprehensive book to date, an account of Federer’s journey from young prodigy to elder statesman that contains copious detail.

Few writers could capture the evolution of Roger Federer’s ascent to the top of his sport from his start at age eight with more clarity and vision than New York Times tennis correspondent Clarey. He offers a master class in sportswriting as he presents the case for Greatest of All-Time (GOAT), tracing the growth and influences of the tennis superstar.

Although many articles have been written about tennis champ Roger Federer, this new biography could easily become the definitive book-length treatment.

It’s subtitled The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer, and Mr. Clarey does full justice to both. Deeply reported and crisply written, the book could be a snooze for readers immune to tennis’s appeal, but it’s a treat for those who love the sport and the men and women who play it at its demanding best.

... deeply reported and researched.

Despite the level of detail he offers in recounting Federer’s legendary Wimbledon matches, [Clarey's] handling of the Swiss’s life off the court is notably superficial. In one instance, Clarey describes how Federer’s wealth enabled him to arrange the best homeschooling for his twin daughters, but he fails to explore how that choice (made for Federer’s convenience) impacted his children. Meanwhile, Federer’s laudable decision to establish a foundation to help improve early childhood education in Africa is given short shrift in favor of extraneous trivia on other top tennis pros. Those seeking a deep dive into the personality of a sports star may need to keep looking..