Christopher Clarey

Christopher Clarey
Clarey at the 2023 French Open
Born1964 (age 59–60)[1]
Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.
Alma materWilliams College (BA)
Occupations
  • Journalist
  • writer
Years active1991–present

Christopher Clarey (born 1964) is an American sports journalist and author who mostly writes about tennis. He reported for The New York Times from 1991 to 2023. His biography of Roger Federer, The Master, was published in 2021 and was a New York Times bestseller.

Early life and education

Clarey was born in Newport, Rhode Island, to Bonnie Clarey and US Navy Rear Admiral Stephen Clarey.[2] His grandfather was Admiral Bernard "Chick" Clarey.[3] Being in a military family, he moved often in his youth.[2] He attended Punahou School in Honolulu from seventh to ninth grade at the same time that Barack Obama went to the school.[4] He graduated from Coronado High School in California, where he played tennis and soccer and wrote for the student newspaper.[2] He went to Williams College in Massachusetts, where he played tennis, soccer, and volleyball, and received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English and history in 1986.[2][4]

Career

Clarey started his journalism career as an intern at The San Diego Union-Tribune, where he covered local sports, including the National Football League (NFL)'s Chargers.[2][4] In 1991, he moved to Paris to work as a freelance reporter.[4][5]

Later that year, he secured his first byline in The New York Times—a profile of the French ice dance siblings Paul and Isabelle Duchesnay—after his former editor at the Union-Tribune recommended him to the Times sports editor.[4][a] He continued to write for the Times and, in 1998, became the chief sports correspondent for its sister publication, the International Herald Tribune.[4][7] The London Times said in 2021 that Clarey "has a claim to be the doyen of English-language tennis journalism".[8]

The Master, a biography of Roger Federer by Clarey, was published on August 24, 2021, as Federer's tennis career came to an end.[9][10] Clarey had followed Federer closely for the entirety of his career and reportedly interviewed Federer more than any other journalist.[2][11] Contemporary reviews in The London Times called The Master the best book on Federer written so far.[8][12]

In May 2023, Clarey announced that he was leaving the Times to focus on writing books and to launch a Substack newsletter, Christopher Clarey's Tennis & Beyond. His upcoming book project is The Warrior, a biography of Rafael Nadal.[13][14]

Personal life

Clarey married his wife, Virginie, in Paris in 1991.[5]

Awards

Notes

  1. ^ In Clarey's first Times byline – Clary, Chris (December 26, 1991). "Albertville Profile; Ice Dancing for a Medal, and for France". The New York Times – his surname was misspelled.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Christopher Clarey: «J'ai chassé l'info pendant trente-deux ans»" [Christopher Clarey: "I chased the news for thirty-two years"]. so-tennis.fr (interview) (in French). Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Johnson, Christine (November 11, 2021). "CHS Grad Christopher Clarey Covers The Game Of Tennis". Coronado Eagle & Journal. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  3. ^ Clarey, Christopher [@christophclarey] (November 11, 2019). "Love and respect on Veterans Day to my family" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Catching Up With Chris Clarey '86 Is No Easy Task". eph.williams.edu. Williams College. July 8, 2012. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Clarey, Christopher (May 20, 2011). "20 Years of Memories at the French Open". The New York Times. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  6. ^ Clarey, Christopher (June 11, 2023). "Thousands of Bylines to His Name, and One That's Not". The New York Times. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  7. ^ "Christopher Clarey". The New York Times. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Skidelsky, William (August 28, 2021). "The Master: The Brilliant Career of Roger Federer by Christopher Clarey review — the charming champion". The Times. London. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  9. ^ Young, Robin; Beiner, Camila (August 18, 2021). "Reflections On 'The Long Run And Beautiful Game' Of Roger Federer". WBUR-FM. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  10. ^ Wang, Lindsay (November 10, 2021). "Christopher Clarey '86 discusses writing definitive biography of Federer, the future of tennis post–Big Three". The Williams Record (student newspaper). Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  11. ^ Cavna, Michael (August 30, 2021). "Roger Federer may be out with an injury, but he's present — and forthcoming — in a new book". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  12. ^ Syed, Matthew (August 22, 2021). "The Master by Christopher Clarey review — Roger Federer's journey from teenage brat to tennis immortal". The Times. London. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  13. ^ Dickens, Michael (May 17, 2023). "Christopher Clarey Leaves New York Times Tennis Correspondent Post To Become Full-Time Book Author". tennistourtalk.com. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  14. ^ Clarey, Christopher [@christophclarey] (May 16, 2023). "Big news for me: ..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "Australian Open announces award honouring Trengove". Tennis Australia. January 25, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  16. ^ Belmore, Ryan (September 18, 2018). "NY Times Journalist Christopher Clarey and Wilson Sporting Goods honored by International Tennis Hall of Fame". whatsupnewp.com. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  17. ^ "Williams College Alum Christopher Clarey Named 2024 ITA David A Benjamin Achievement Award Winner". Intercollegiate Tennis Association. August 20, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.