Dad Had a Bad Day

The exhilarating, disturbing, and darkly comic spiral of a sad dad's increasingly unhinged obsession with tennis. Since losing his job, Ned's sole responsibility has been to look after his six-year-old son while his wife works. When he one day finds his old tennis racquet buried in the garage, he also unearths a part of his former self. On a whim, and without his wife's knowledge, Ned rejoins his former tennis club - and finds life outside the realm of domesticity. He becomes the captain of a local men's team, reconnects with his old partner, former tennis-prodigy Roland, and commits himself body and soul to building a winning team. But when Roland disappears, Ned's search for his friend threatens not only the path to glory, but his relationship with his son, his marriage, and his mind. A meditation on fathers and sons, male friendship, and the all-consuming thrill of competing and winning, Dad Had a Bad Day is wincingly funny and addictive - and, ultimately, poignant and quietly heartbreaking.

Ashton Politanoff is a frequent contributor to  NOON, edited by Diane Williams. He is a former division I tennis player and his childhood coach was Robert Lansdorp, who is credited with coaching Pete Sampras and Maria Sharapova. Politanoff's first novel,  You'll Like It Here, was published in 2022. He is an English Professor at Cypress College.