On The Court

I've been training since an hour or so and it's my turn to see the agents. I sit beside the man and he starts.

"So. Clara. Is that it?" he asks.

"Yes." I answer.

"Can we go inside to measure you?" he asks pointing a graduated line on the wall.

"Of course, no problem." I say before going in.

I take my shoes off and put my back against the wall. I stand still until he's finished.

"Okay. I can understand the strength of your serve." he says looking at me in the eyes.

"How much?" I simply ask.

"Six foot and two inches." he answers.

I've always been taller than other kids at school, but I never realised I was that tall. I put my shoes back as many people with cameras and microphones come in.

"Who are these people?" I ask.

"I don't know. Ask Paul. For now let's sit down. You're going to give me more information about yourself. First question, how old are you?" he asks.

"I'm sixteen." I answer.

"Are you sure? You don't play like a sixteen years old. You easily beat Maggie and she's 23." he says.

"Are you serious? She's 23? She looks seventeen!" I say.

"That's why I'm asking. But you don't look old." he says.

I see more people with cameras coming in and I don't get it.

"Right now, you could be in the WTA. Women's Tennis Association, I bet you know that. You have the age to be in. But your backhand needs a lot of improvement, so I talked with Paul and..." he's interrupted by Paul, coming out in short breath.

"What is it?" the agent asks.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Paul makes me a sign, I figured out meant they'll be back in a minute.

Two or three minutes later, the agent comes back to me.

"What happened?" I ask him.

"The club and Tennis Channel made an agreement. They will turn us into a reality show. People who sign a contract will have to live here for three months and every accepted concurrent will be paid 10,000 dollars cash for their participation." he announces.

"What? Are you serious?" I say.

He makes 'yes' with his head. I need to get in.

"How do we get in?" I ask.

"Come." he stands up and I follow him in the court's corridor.

I see Maggie getting demolished by no one else than Serena Williams.

"Is this the real one, or are there reproductions of Serena?" I ask.

"Your not dreaming. To get in, you have to win two games in each set, in a two out of three sets match." he answers.

"Maggie's out." I say looking at the board the contractors count the score on. 6-0. No need for a second set.

"She has no mercy." he says.

Serena turns around and asks who's turn it is.

"I want to play!" I scream for her to hear me.

Serena doesn't look tired at all. If Maggie is an easy pin for me, I can't imagine for her.

"Hi! Oh, you don't look old!" Serena greets me.

"I'm sixteen years old. My name is Clara Thompson." I laugh.

"Okay, then. Let's get you warmed up." she says.

We back up on the base line and exchange. Her rhythm is faster than what I'm used to, but I think I can adapt. What is more dangerous, is her shot variety. She'll probably target my backhand a lot. The score people, I don't know exactly how they're called, say it's time to play. I get to serve first. The first game looks a lot like against Maggie. Three aces and a forehand winner. 1-0 for me. Even if I just need four games to get in, I want to win. I am going to win. On her serve, I can't score more than a point, on a double fault she does. Until 3-3, the games look a lot alike. I get a hard service game at 3-3, but I'm able to keep my serve after five minutes of playing. Serena gets a hard game on her service too. I get a break point at 30-40, but I can't win it. After two or three deuces, I get the advantage. When she misses her first serve, I get advanced in the court. She hits the second right on my backhand, and by hitting the ball very soon, I win the point with a return winner on the backhand down the line. Serena turns to the contractors, which don't have a jaw anymore.

"Why do I keep on forgetting she's lefty?" she says, angrily.

At 5-3 for me, I have the serve for the set. I pitch the ball for my serve and hit an ace on the first point. The second point is a lot harder, but on an error, I get the point. I hit another ace on the third point. 40-0. I have three set points. Against Serena Williams. I try not to think about it and concentrate on serving wide on advantage court.