One to watch! Thanks for this account, Joe. I took up tennis late in life and started out with a 2HFH, to prevent injury. But I wonder if it doesn't give younger players a nice mix of power and control. She may grow restless with it and find it restrictive (already releasing on the follow through) as I did, or she may become the next Monica Seles. Hopefully she will find the financial support she needs to continue.

I'm probably being stupid, but what does that first line about Tilden have to do with the rest of the article? Good piece though.

Wait, who is Sam?

Thank you for this wonderful story, James. Even if Anna doesn't add too many more inches or pounds to her frame, I hope that she'll be able to do very well and prove that size does not mean everything. Time for a few more Amanda Coetzer's to come on to the scene. :) As someone who lived in the Philadelphia area for 40 years, your piece resonated with me in many ways, epecially your mention of Anna's winning the ITF grasscourt event in Philadelphia.

Many years ago, when I used to jog on the track of the Chestnut Hill Academy across Willow Grove Avenue from the Philadelphia Cricket Club where those ITF events were held (and probably still are), I would stop to watch, through the open fences, the youngsters playing their competitive matches on those beautiful grass courts; and I'd wonder how many of them would be able to achieve their tennis dreams.

I wish Anna all the best, and I hope that she continues to find good people like you to help her work to achieve her personal tennis goals.

Oops, I meant to type "Joe," of course, not "James." Sorry.

Ruth, thanks for sharing your memories and for the reference to Amanda Coetzer. I'd never heard of her, so did a quick google search -- very impressive! Learn something new at TW every day. :) btw, this talk of aspiring juniors nicely complements Steve's fictional piece over on CE. It is a good reminder of how much else these kids have going on in their lives as they try to make their way in competitive tennis. Good luck to Anna!

One only has to look at Melanie Oudin to realize that size matters. I remember once seeing a very talented Russian girl on tour( can't think of her name)who was 5'2 and she just sinmply got blasted off the court by the bigger women.It's a shame but that's reality!

Great story, Joe! Any chance you were a bit intimidated? Or did this girl really really beat you? Whatever, I'm impressed with you both.

Great story! 2 & 4 is nothing to be embarrassed about. I remember seeing this young girl in Philly holding her own with 5.0 guys from the baseline (perhaps it was Anna...does she ever play at the Penn courts?). In practise sets, where both players were allowed only one serve, she would win about 50% of the time. I would've been happy to lose 2 & 2.

Very fun read Joe! I'll remember Ana's name, see if she 'makes' it up in the rankings a bit.

Thanks for helping us get through the 'no tennis zone'....

:)

Mr. Starnes - this is just a flat out wonderful story. Told with perfect touch and tone. Many thanks - and thanks to Pete for making it, and you, available to us here at TW.

Like everyone else I think it's a great story. So often the kids from migrant families have the drive and work ethic to make it to the top, and I hope Anna does.

I also hope she grows some more just to make it a bit easier. Amanda Coetzer was probably the most successful ultra small player ever. It was amazing to see her beat Steffi Graf. But it's got harder to do it these days.

Joe

Thank you for this great tennis story.

As a mom who traveled all over Georgia with both my kids, I know what the junior circuit is like.

And as an older player I know what it feels like to be outclassed on a court by a youngster; both my kids did that and complained that they would need someone else to warm them up for thier matches.

If one takes doubles play into account, 5'2" HOF member Rosie Casals, who reached a no. 3 rank in singles, was probably at least as successful as Coetzer.

Don't know if Casals was as successful as Coetzer at taking out no. 1 ranked players, one of Coetzer's specialties.

Queeny, would agree that size does matter. Of course we can all name a few scattered players here and there who have been short and made it, but this is clearly not the norm and reflect that the power game is what dominate in tennis. Yes, size does matter, not all the time, but it's no accident that players that players with tremendous power have been very successful i the WTA. In regards to your comments about Oudin, size is only one of the factor why she hadn't done well(In 2010, she was out of about 90% of her tournaments by the first to second round.) Other factors beside height include a lack of serve, no consistent weapon, prone to errors on both wings and a lack of power. On the update, I noticed that Anna's WTA ranking remained the same, but good luck to her. For every Coetzer and Justine, you have tens of power players. Sure it sounds great to say, size doesn't matter, it is very politically correct, and it sounds great, but is it reality when you look at the height of the average WTA player? Kom sa, Caro, Kom igen, Robin!!!

In regards to American tennis, I don't think the future looks very bright. I don't see any future prospect which even remotely look like they can replace Venus or Serena when they retire. I was a little surprise when I watch Coco at the Fed cup. Prior to this match, I had never seen her play, but had heard so much from American commentators that she played liked Davenport, had a big serve , powerful ground strokes and great potential. What I actually saw was a player with an average serve which her opponents had no problems breaking many times, poor footwork and a power level that didn't bother her opponent. P-mac has been telling us for years that Isner and Quarrey are top ten players and yet their results and rankings don't support this. Yes, American commentators have free reign to hype a player, tell us how great they're, but what good does that do, if a player fails to live up to this?? Fed cup captain told us that Oudin was "top ten potential" after she beat Frannie who committed 35 UFE. By the next week, she was going out to a player ranked 74. America is a great tennis nation, but hype isn't what makes a player great because eventually people catch on to that nonsense and may call you on it. Kom sa, Caro. Kom igen, Robin.

ROFL. Has this been posted before? So apropos for the Fedal wars around here and the tics of both players are spot on. Too funny. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrQwsxarrig

" Sure it sounds great to say, size doesn't matter, it is very politically correct, and it sounds great..."

SamE: Nobody -- at least nobody commenting on this thread -- has said that size does not matter. That would be silly in light of today's game.

H2L: I posted a comment yesterday saying how, like you, I immediately thought of Steve's current post on CE as I was reading Joe's piece. Wonder if I put my comment on the wrong thread or if it's just one of those Typepad disappearing acts? :)

Hi everybody

LOL jackson, funny vid and nice story Joe!

This piece reminds me of when I played a middle-aged player in a practice set on a couple of public courts, me being 18 at the time. We were both 4.5 players but it was like we learned tennis on two different planets. He had continental grips, played the angles, liked to come to net. I had the extreme grips with the elaborate swings. The only similarity between us were onehanded backhands. The guy showed me experience matters, and when I threw everything and the kitchen sink at him he trounced me 6-2. Watch out for those older guys was the lesson of the day.

I've had similar experiences, Joe, playing young up-and-coming boys in the 14-to-17 age range, and know precisely how you felt. Despite the inevitable loss (I mean, these kids train four hours a day, seven days a week), I felt a sense of accomplishment for hanging in there and making all of them play with a modicum of intensity to beat me. Then again, maybe "intensw" is the simply the best word to describe these hungry young guns.

Joe,

I enjoyed the piece! GOod luck to this young lady, maybe she is one to watch.

@Joe,

Any way we could see a copy or at least a preview of this novel "red Clay"? It sounds very interesting.

Thanks everyone for the questions and kind comments on my article. Much appreciated. To answer a few questions posed:

--Joe and Sam here are one and the same -- my full, legal name is Joe Samuel Starnes, not a pen name I made up -- although I've always gone by Sam. I'll gladly answer to Joe as well.

--Pete's reference to Tilden is about an article I wrote that ran in the August 2008 issue of the magazine. I went in search and found Tilden's nondescript grave in Philadelphia. I blogged about it some at www.topspinblog.com, and got a wide range of comments, pro and con. http://www.topspinblog.com/2009/09/1068/

--My novel RED DIRT is not ready for preview yet -- still in the manuscript stage. FALL LINE will be out next year in Octobmer. You can find my 2005 novel, CALLING, in Amazon and other places on line. My author web site is www.joesamuelstarnes.com.

Joe Samuel Starnes

Annie, I was intimidated, worried that I would not win a game at all, especially since a number of my buddies were watching and one joked that I shouldn't lose to a "little girl." Later in the year Anna played a match against our club champion and beat him too, although he played her closer than I did (5 & 3, I think it was). Later in the spring, a friend who is a 5.0 player and I beat Anna and doubles partner Robin Anderson, a New Jersey junior who did well at the U.S. Open juniors. Our old man doubles savvy negated their youth and power. (Pete blogged about Robin after she beat Laura Robson. http://tennisworld.typepad.com/tennisworld/2010/09/rockin-robin.html)

One more update: Anna got a wild card into the Orange Bowl 18s, and won her first round, but then lost in second round to No. 8 seed Lauren Davis. Davis went all the way to win the tournament.
See draw at http://tinyurl.com/28ksvp9

oy boring. Dec 21, c'mon already. Okay, poking the dead GOAT debate once again.

1. Fed (16 slams+zillion consecutive SF+5 YEC)
2. Laver (2 calender slams)
3. Sampras (14 slams+6 consecutive year-end 1.+5 YEC)
4. Borg (5 WImby+6 French+done at 25)
5. Emerson (13 slam+16 DB slam)
6. Tilden/Rafa (one or 2 more slam win(s) -> Rafa will be sole 6)

Those of you brave souls, bring it!

Old Man Fed

You must really be bored to bring up those stats and you know what kind of reaction you will get!!!!

Must admit that it's so cold here in Atlanta that instead of finishing my Christmas shopping. I'm watching endless repeats on TC and also some of my saved Fed matches. Guess I will never delete that French Open win.

I don't care about those stats, just I know that RAFA is the best and the HEAT too
Vamos Rafa and Wade!!!!!!!!

Very instructive and interesting story...Thanks Sam and Peter...good luck Anna!!!
I agree,RAFA is the Best!