Charlie Pasarell’ s journey began on the sunlit courts of Puerto Rico and carried him all the way to tennis’ s grandest stages, like Wimbledon’ s Centre Court. Along the way, he played record-setting matches, led history-making protests, and became part of the game’ s most defining stories. In Serving First, the Tennis Hall of Famer shares a deeply human collection of stories about the people who shaped him— his tennis-champion parents; lifelong friends like Arthur Ashe; and legends like Pancho Gonzalez, who mentored Pasarell and later faced him in a five-hour Wimbledon epic.The 1967 U.S. No. 1, NCAA champion, and a five-time Davis Cup team member, Pasarell also co-founded the ATP, launched the National Junior Tennis League, and built the tennis tournament in Indian Wells into one of the sport’ s biggest events.But this memoir is about far more than stats or titles. It’ s a story of character, purpose, and moments that leave a mark— from traveling to Vietnam during the war to time spent with Robert F. Kennedy.Woven throughout are the words of wisdom from his father and Pasarell’ s lessons from a life grounded in love— for family, friendship, and the game that gave it all meaning.
