Play the Game by Sophie Thomas

Naomi Sullivan is retired. Technically.

After an on-court injury took her out of the professional tennis tour just over a year ago, Naomi quietly made peace with the fact that her tennis career was over. And she’d always had a Plan B to be a physiotherapist; it just happened earlier than she planned. Nine years at the top wasn’t a bad run.

That is, until a chance encounter with the current men’s tennis British Number One puts playing back on her radar, and the one thing she doesn’t have in her trophy cabinet.

An Olympic gold medal.
And with the Madrid Olympics just over a year away, now is her last chance.

Sam Reed is too young to be jaded by his career, but on the cusp of twenty-five, that is exactly how he feels. Playing isn’t fun anymore, and the longer he’s on the tour, the worse his relationship with his dad—and coach—gets.

Accidentally slamming a ball into the coffee cup of one of the reasons he chose tennis in the first place might change that, though.
The proposition is simple: to double Naomi’s chances at winning gold, she and Sam should pair up for her final year on tour and play mixed doubles.

Naomi gets a chance to end her career on her own terms and in a hopeful blaze of glory. And Sam can remember that playing tennis shouldn’t feel like a chore, nor be his sole purpose in life.
And the two of them might find that their on-court partnership can also work off court.