What I learned from the books and magazines was. I Needed To Practice! And for good reason because: The 'good' kids my age had already been playing tennis for 10 years! I had no coach. I had one crappy tennis racket and some worn out sneakers. I didn't even really know how to play the game! So, I beat tennis balls against a brick wall at Garfield Elementary school every night after I got off work from Burger King on the corner of Madison Avenue and West 117th Street at 10:00pm till about 1:00 am. Then up at 5:00 am to do it again until 7:00 am, then off to school, nap in study hall, and repeat the cycle, all through the dead of winter, bringing a snow shovel with me to shovel away the snow in the parking lot of the school so the ball could bounce on the asphalt. Then, after quickly looking up the rules of tennis. I Entered My First Junior Tennis Tournament. and I got crushed, 6-0, 6-0! It all happened so fast that I didn't even have a chance to get nervous ab...