"While my game gets better and better, things at school
get worse and worse.
I'm so busy with tennis that I don't have time for anything
else. No playdates. No birthday parties. No sleepovers.
When I have to leave school early for practice or a
tournament, I try to sneak out of the classroom. But
someone always notices my giant tennis bag."
In a book written from her heart, tennis star Bianca Andreescu recounts the energy and tenacity she brought to every minute of her days as a young girl. Always in a hurry, and focused on world records and multiple challenges, she can't find a sport that feels right for her. While watching a tennis match on television one day, her father suggests trying tennis. Bibi agrees to try it.
It's perfect for her. Coco, her beloved puppy, loves it, too. The days are filled with practice; Bibi has all the skills to be a champion player. Tennis makes her happy, while her school life suffers. She has no time for socializing with her classmates. The only part of school she likes is recess ... until the day she falls and hurts her ankle. Her fixation on the accident and the resulting injury leads her to consider quitting.
Her mother offers a suggestion. She tells Bibi that meditation might help, as it helps her. Bibi is not convinced; her mother (and Coco) persists in encouraging her. Things do improve.
"From that day on, every morning when I
wake up and every single night before I go
to sleep, I take three slow, deep breaths
and think of all the things I am grateful for."
That meditation continues to make a difference in life and for her tennis successes, even today. Photos, an author's note, and a description of Bianca's meditation routine are included in back matter.
Dream on, young readers!
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