The Wild Card, A Tennis Novel

By F Rios

Thirty-four-year-old Alejandro Santos is an aging warrior in the young man's game of professional tennis. With a ranking languishing at #247, his body in constant protest, and prize money that barely covers expenses, he is a ghost haunting the fringes of the tour. His signature one-handed backhand, a beautiful but predictable shot forged from a lonely childhood on the public courts of Miami, has become both his weapon and his cage, keeping him in the game but never letting him truly break through. Just as he finds himself broke and scrolling through job listings, an unexpected wild card invitation to the Miami Open, his hometown tournament, arrives like a lifeline. Seen by tournament directors as a "sacrificial lamb" meant to create a fleeting local storyline, the offer is both an honor and an insult. This last chance forces Alejandro to confront two decades of solitary struggle and the daunting reality of his physical and professional decline. Facing a new generation of younger, stronger players, he must decide whether to fade away quietly or gamble on a radical, high-risk reinvention that could either grant him the breakthrough he's always dreamed of or end his career for good.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FFKNRFMB
• ISBN13: 9798231455393
• Release Date: July 2025
• Publisher: Airam Publishing
• Length: 74 Pages
• Weight: 0.21 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.5" x 8.5"