Lucky Loser

Adventures in Tennis and Comedy

De: Michael Kosta

Narrado por: Michael Kosta

From a host of The Daily Show and stand-up comic, Michael Kosta, comes a wildly funny and insightful memoir about his unlikely journey from professional tennis player (#864 in the world) to professional comedian (there’s no ranking system in comedy but he’s probably . . . top 50?).

Before Michael Kosta was performing stand-up comedy specials and hosting The Daily Show, he was a professional tennis “star,” reaching the lofty heights of the #864 ranked men’s singles player in the world. Stop laughing. That’s better than your world ranking. As a tennis pro, Kosta traveled across the globe, competing in such exotic locales as the Netherlands, Tokyo, and even rural Illinois before deciding to put down his racket and pursue a more stable and predictable career: comedy.

In a completely unexpected and wild journey through the backwaters of professional tennis, Kosta shows the unlikely ways life on the court prepared him for life in front of a microphone. Like comedy, tennis is brutally competitive, and most people lose at it. Unlike comedy, no one in tennis puts a gun on the table as they count out your earnings in twenty-dollar bills at the end of the night.

And then there are the things that have more to do with what happens to you—and what you end up learning—as part of growing up. Topics include: how to properly discard an unwanted European hard-boiled egg, giving CPR to your dead grandpa, cringe-worthy “sex” in the Red Light District, crying so hard in a car that strangers call the cops, and also happy things like what it feels like when your dreams come true.

From misadventures in tennis to the humbling setbacks of comedy, Lucky Loser is a heart-filled story of making your own luck, the universal experience of failure, and the many ways in which we all inevitably lose on the way to success.

©2025 Michael Kosta (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers

Honest and Hilarious

I really enjoyed listening to Kosta’s look back at his journey from childhood to professional tennis and into comedy. I could certainly relate to his description of his family and appreciated his willingness to share both the funny, loving, and unflattering moments of growing up in Michigan and trying to make it in professional tennis. While it may not win any literary awards, the book has an honest conversation quality that I loved. Truthfully, I was ready for more chapters diving into LA life, show business, tennis gigs after comedy success, and family. Sign me up for the next book!

Loving this!

I'm halfway the audiobook, but as a former amateur tennis player, father a pro-aspiring tennis pro son that is going to do college tennis, and partner of a stand-up comedian, this is right up my alley!

Great storyteller

Great storyteller with good reflection and life lessons learned. Enjoyed the listen and the tennis stories.

Enjoyable, Honest, Funny and Unexpected

I’m a big fan of Michael Kosta, so I started off biased in his favor. But this book delivered so much more than I expected. Like a well crafted joke where every word matters, this memoir is a carefully curated series of memorable stories. They add up to the life lessons that launched a career. The thrill for me was how Kosta managed to retain the verbal cadence and delivery that gives his comedy its distinct brand while adapting it to the very different task of narrating an audiobook.

The glimpse into the sprawling and difficult world of professional tennis was enlightening. It’s a fun ride because Kosta is unflinchingly candid about his flaws and screw ups, and unafraid to boast about the best moments. You come to realize that he worked hard to get this book right, and for me that was the overarching lesson. Hard work pays off. Self assessment and honest introspection is essential to finding one’s path. And an athlete’s awareness about how one can blow a big lead can become a comedian’s secret to maintaining his cool when the gig of a lifetime finally comes along.

Enjoyed it

That narrator guy’s Kosta impression got a little grating after a while but I still enjoyed it.

good listen

Great story teller all through out the book. He told both the good and the bad!

Very funny and easy to listen to

Great stories and flowed really well. I took me just a few days to listen to the entire book. Growing up playing tennis the stories hit home.

This book is actually about tennis

I enjoyed it, but I didn’t think it would be a book about Costas tennis career 😆

Funny guy

I know Kosta from The Daily Show and find him very funny. I also play a lot of tennis, so was intrigued by his pro career. Kosta had/has a wonderfully supportive family. He also could use a smidge of humility.
But the book is entertaining and he is a talented comic.

I expected more humor

I listened to this audible because I like Michael Kosta on the Daily Show. I realize he’s playing a character on the show and I did not expect that character in his biography. His life story, until the age of 45, is moderately interesting. He owns his victim mentality and arrogance. He also makes a few apologies for his bad behavior.As a sober person myself, I don’t think he should have outed his sister who apparently struggles with alcoholism.
Overall, I unfortunately, do not recommend this book