Family work ethic tied up in tennis (AP via KCTV5)

KCTV5 - Family work ethic tied up in tennis

I met Leo Rosenberg at the Eddie Herr last year, and was amazed by his family saga. You do not find too many world-class juniors in Manhattan, Kansas, so I asked him who he practiced with, and he revealed a version of this remarkable story. Leo's family was not with him at the Eddie Herr, and he was waiting around for Kellen Damico to lose (he never did) so he could catch a ride to the Winter Internationals and Orange Bowl in Miami with Damico and his coach, John Roddick. Obviously Leo is quite self-sufficient and mature for a 15-year-old and, amazingly, this is not all that unusual in junior tennis circles. Perhaps it isn't possible to accept the responsibility and discipline that tennis talent requires without growing up fast. There are exceptions, of course, but self-control=excellence is the theory I'm trying out now.