At age 12, I was a regionally ranked junior. I still haven't recovered. My expectations are high, but that's true of just about everyone who journeys to Bollettieri's world-beating academy. Most people sign up, says Brooks, so they can get good enough to beat somebody back home. In my case, that somebody is my older brother Tom.
Good competitors make mistakes.
Bad competitors repeat them. Gadgetry and high science abound. The hardware dazzles, but it's the aura of Nick Bollettieri that draws the world's top professionals and, in increasing numbers, weekend warriors like me. The list starts with Andre Agassi and runs to Monica Seles. And it grows annually.