Tennis Ace Read Online Free Page B
Author: Matt Christopher
your school. I’d love to play pro tennis
in a few years, and your school would be perfect for —”
“Ginny,” Mr. Greeley interrupted with a warning in his voice.
But Vince smiled at Ginny. “You were in the quarters today, right?”
“Yeah!” Ginny nodded, her face lit up by a proudsmile. “I won six—two, six—zero. I’ll have a semi tomorrow, a little before Steve.”
“I wasn’t aware of that.” Vince looked from Ginny to her father and back. “Well, I’ll definitely come and watch you.”
Ginny’s eyes grew wide. “
Would
you, Mr. Marino?”
“Call me Vince,” said the coach.
“That’d be awesome, knowing you’re in the stands, Mr. — Vince.”
“Sure thing,” Vince said, and turned to Mr. Greeley. “I have to go make some calls. Walk me to my car, okay?”
Steve watched them leave. His father was talking eagerly, probably trying to persuade Vince that Steve really, truly wanted
to spend his summer living and breathing tennis. But Steve felt sure that Vince had his doubts.
Just like he did.
Ginny poked her brother in the ribs. “So? What’d he have to say? Are you going to his camp?”
Steve shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t even know if I
want
to go. Dad —”
“Don’t know if you want to …” Ginny was astonished. “
Why
? How can you pass this up?”
“You know what they do at that camp?” Steve demanded. “They play tennis. All the time. Every day. Nothing but tennis. I mean,
they let you eat and sleep, I guess, but otherwise, it’s just tennis.”
Ginny sighed. “Yeah, isn’t it wonderful?”
“No, it’s not!” exclaimed Steve. “I mean, I know you think it’s wonderful, but I might hate it! Dad thinks it’s wonderful,
too, and when he saw I wasn’t all that happy with the idea, he looked as if I had just forgotten his birthday. I don’t know
what I’m going to do.”
Ginny shook her head. “Yeah, I see what you mean. I guess I was only thinking about how great it’d be for me to go there.
Working on my game all summer sounds like heaven. But you’re not into tennis like I am.”
“Not yet, anyway. Maybe I might feel different about it in a few years, but right now, there’re too many other things I enjoy,
too much I’d miss if I went to that camp. But how can I tell Dad?”
Ginny shrugged. “Tell you what, I’ll think about how you can break the news to Dad, and you think about how you can get him
to think about my tennis career the way he thinks about yours. Is that a deal?”
Steve grinned and stuck out a hand, which Ginny shook. “At least we can level with each other,” he said.
Ginny laughed. “You’re lucky that you’ll never have to play me. I’d level you in a whole different way.”
“I’ll bet you would, too,” replied Steve, giving Ginny an admiring look.
7
T hat night before dinner, Ginny and Steve sat quietly as their father told Steve what had been wrong with his play that afternoon.
“I can tell from your body language, the way you stand, when you’re giving it a hundred percent. Half the time today, you
weren’t. If you’d been totally involved, Charlie would’ve been lucky to win more than a couple of games.”
“It was hot out there,” muttered Steve.
“I know it was hot. But if you’d played hard the whole time, the match would have been over that much more quickly. Also,
we’re going to have to work on your passing shots. If they’d been sharper, Charlie wouldn’t have been able to rush the net
so often. Maybe we can get in some practice time tomorrow on that. And your topspin serve.”
“What was wrong with my topspin serve?” Steve asked. “It was working well, I thought.”
“It could be better, Champ. It should really leap off the court. Yours needs a bit more juice on it.”
“Dad?” Ginny said. “What about my match? Got any notes for me?”
Mr. Greeley looked startled. “Notes for you, honey? Hey, you won six—two, six—zero. What else is
in a few years, and your school would be perfect for —”
“Ginny,” Mr. Greeley interrupted with a warning in his voice.
But Vince smiled at Ginny. “You were in the quarters today, right?”
“Yeah!” Ginny nodded, her face lit up by a proudsmile. “I won six—two, six—zero. I’ll have a semi tomorrow, a little before Steve.”
“I wasn’t aware of that.” Vince looked from Ginny to her father and back. “Well, I’ll definitely come and watch you.”
Ginny’s eyes grew wide. “
Would
you, Mr. Marino?”
“Call me Vince,” said the coach.
“That’d be awesome, knowing you’re in the stands, Mr. — Vince.”
“Sure thing,” Vince said, and turned to Mr. Greeley. “I have to go make some calls. Walk me to my car, okay?”
Steve watched them leave. His father was talking eagerly, probably trying to persuade Vince that Steve really, truly wanted
to spend his summer living and breathing tennis. But Steve felt sure that Vince had his doubts.
Just like he did.
Ginny poked her brother in the ribs. “So? What’d he have to say? Are you going to his camp?”
Steve shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t even know if I
want
to go. Dad —”
“Don’t know if you want to …” Ginny was astonished. “
Why
? How can you pass this up?”
“You know what they do at that camp?” Steve demanded. “They play tennis. All the time. Every day. Nothing but tennis. I mean,
they let you eat and sleep, I guess, but otherwise, it’s just tennis.”
Ginny sighed. “Yeah, isn’t it wonderful?”
“No, it’s not!” exclaimed Steve. “I mean, I know you think it’s wonderful, but I might hate it! Dad thinks it’s wonderful,
too, and when he saw I wasn’t all that happy with the idea, he looked as if I had just forgotten his birthday. I don’t know
what I’m going to do.”
Ginny shook her head. “Yeah, I see what you mean. I guess I was only thinking about how great it’d be for me to go there.
Working on my game all summer sounds like heaven. But you’re not into tennis like I am.”
“Not yet, anyway. Maybe I might feel different about it in a few years, but right now, there’re too many other things I enjoy,
too much I’d miss if I went to that camp. But how can I tell Dad?”
Ginny shrugged. “Tell you what, I’ll think about how you can break the news to Dad, and you think about how you can get him
to think about my tennis career the way he thinks about yours. Is that a deal?”
Steve grinned and stuck out a hand, which Ginny shook. “At least we can level with each other,” he said.
Ginny laughed. “You’re lucky that you’ll never have to play me. I’d level you in a whole different way.”
“I’ll bet you would, too,” replied Steve, giving Ginny an admiring look.
7
T hat night before dinner, Ginny and Steve sat quietly as their father told Steve what had been wrong with his play that afternoon.
“I can tell from your body language, the way you stand, when you’re giving it a hundred percent. Half the time today, you
weren’t. If you’d been totally involved, Charlie would’ve been lucky to win more than a couple of games.”
“It was hot out there,” muttered Steve.
“I know it was hot. But if you’d played hard the whole time, the match would have been over that much more quickly. Also,
we’re going to have to work on your passing shots. If they’d been sharper, Charlie wouldn’t have been able to rush the net
so often. Maybe we can get in some practice time tomorrow on that. And your topspin serve.”
“What was wrong with my topspin serve?” Steve asked. “It was working well, I thought.”
“It could be better, Champ. It should really leap off the court. Yours needs a bit more juice on it.”
“Dad?” Ginny said. “What about my match? Got any notes for me?”
Mr. Greeley looked startled. “Notes for you, honey? Hey, you won six—two, six—zero. What else is