Tennis Ace Read Online Free PDF Page A

there to say?”
    Ginny wouldn’t give up. “Well, is there anything you think I should work on? Anything you might want to help me with?”
    He shook his head. “Not really, Gin. I mean, I didn’t see the whole match, but from what I saw, you’re doing all the right
     things.”
    Although it sounded like a compliment, Steve saw that Ginny didn’t look too happy.
    Mrs. Greeley came in from the kitchen with dinner. Steve hoped that the conversation could now take a new turn. But no such
     luck.
    “It’s just too bad that you had to have an off day when Vince was there,” Mr. Greeley said as he helped himself to some lasagna.
     “Maybe I should have warned you that he was coming.”
    “He seemed to think I did pretty well,” answered Steve.
    “Oh, sure, sure.” He patted his son’s shoulder. “But impressing that guy is really important. It’s amazing what Vince can
     do for a young athlete.”
    He laid his fork down and gripped Steve’s arm. “When I was your age, there was nothing like Vince’s school around, anywhere.
     I mean, sure, there were coaches, and there were schools and camps you could go to, but Vince has taken it to a new level.
     He has all these specialists working with him, people who give you advice on what to eat, what exercises help you, the best
     shoes and rackets, you name it. And then the fact that people will know you worked with Vince — that matters, too. This’ll
     give you a major boost.”
    He let go of Steve’s arm and picked up his fork again.
    “Good thing that Vince and I are buddies from way back,” he continued, punctuating his remark with a forkful of pasta, “or
     you might not have been selected. Good as you are, Champ, you’d just be one of a hundred gifted kids, all hoping for a shot.
     Now, you’re almost sure to make it, thanks to me.”
    Steve sneaked a look at Ginny, who rolled her eyes at him. Steve just barely managed to keep himself from laughing.
    “And, Champ, always keep this in mind: You
are
good. Take it from me, you have the total package. Your serve is lethal, and you can place it wherever you want. You’ve got
     better coordination than any boy your age I’ve seen. Your foot speed is great, too. If you could just learn to concentrate
     a little more, get your head completely into the game, there’d be no stopping you. I really think you have more going for
     you than I did when I was young. Can you imagine being at the top of the heap? Playing all over the world, meeting the best,
     becoming a star?”
    “That’s … pretty exciting, Dad,” Steve said, toying with his mostly uneaten food. “I just get worried sometimes. I hope I
     don’t disappoint you, that’s all.”
    “How could you disappoint me?” His dad leaned forward. “Just knowing that you’re giving it a hundred and ten percent out there,
     that’s good enough for me. And it’ll be good enough to succeed, too. I’m sure of it.”
    “Dad,” said Ginny, “is there any chance that Vince could find room for
me
at his camp? I’d do anythingto work with him. It’d be great to spend the summer there. Could you ask him for me? Please?”
    Mr. Greeley blinked in surprise and seemed stuck for a reply. But Mrs. Greeley, who had been silent this whole time, jumped
     in first.
    “Honey, I thought we talked about this. You need to go to summer school this year and work on your math. It’s your weakest
     subject, and it’s so important these days.”
    Ginny sighed. “Mom, I want to be a pro tennis player. And I think I can do it, too. I’m going to be the state champ of the
     fourteen-and-unders. No one is going to beat me this year.”
    Mrs. Greeley’s tone got firmer. “Ginny, tennis can wait. We agreed about this.”
    “Yeah, but we had that talk before Vince showed up.” Ginny looked from one parent to the other. “Don’t you see? This changes
     things. If I could be coached by Vince Marino, I might be ready for the pros real soon. School wouldn’t