{"product_id":"play-the-game-road-to-the-olympics","title":"Play the Game","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRoad to the Olympics #1.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eSlown Burn\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eAge Gap\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eFriends to Lovers\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNaomi Sullivan is retired. Technically.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn Olympic gold medal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd with the Madrid Olympics just over a year away, now is her last chance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSam 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccidentally slamming a ball into the coffee cup of one of the reasons he chose tennis in the first place might change that, though.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNaomi 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd the two of them might find that their on-court partnership can also work off court.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sophie Thomas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58095411036500,"sku":"9781738568390","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0906\/1148\/2964\/files\/ShopifyCoverNEW-2026-11-03T121033.161.png?v=1793707842","url":"https:\/\/www.heabookshop.com\/products\/play-the-game-road-to-the-olympics","provider":"HEA Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}