Tennis Trouble

by Jake Maddox

  Erin hit another shot, and another. Each time, she pushed Alexis further and further behind the baseline.

  “You don’t have to hit it that well!” said Alexis, out of breath.

  Then Erin stepped into the ball and hit it hard. She moved her racquet quickly under the ball. The ball barely cleared the net. Finally, it landed several steps in front of Alexis.

  Alexis didn’t have a chance. She almost fell over as she tried to get to the net. The ball bounced a couple of times before it finally stopped.

  A voice came from the next court. “You need to move up on those, you know.” Alexis looked up. It was Olivia.

  “Those big shots deep in the court that drive you behind the baseline,” Olivia went on. “You need to move up on those. Don’t get so far behind the baseline. That’s the problem you’re having.

  “Yeah?” Alexis replied nervously.

  “Let me show you,” Olivia said. She ran over to Erin’s side of the net. “May I?” she asked.

  “Sure,” said Erin.

  “Go ahead,” Olivia told Alexis. “Hit me some deep shots.”

  Alexis hit a huge shot. It flew deep into Olivia’s court.

  Then Olivia stepped up. She barely waited for the ball to drop. Then she immediately smacked it back across the net and past Alexis’s racquet.

  “You can’t wait for the ball to bounce so high,” said Olivia. “You need to get the ball right after it bounces. Otherwise, your opponent will drive you too far behind the baseline.”

  “Okay,” Alexis said. “Thanks.”

  “So, you’re taking on Morgan today?” Olivia asked.

  “Yeah,” Alexis replied.

  Olivia smiled and said, “Just remember, Morgan’s going to try to intimidate you. Don’t let her.”

  “Why are you telling me this?” Alexis asked, feeling confused. “You want me to win?”

  “No,” Olivia said. “I just don’t want to see you lose to someone intimidating you. Tigers don’t lose that way.”

  “Hey, Middle School!” yelled Morgan from the next court. “Let’s play.”

  “Besides,” Olivia added, “even if you beat Morgan, you’re never going to get past me for the top spot.” She winked at Alexis.

  Alexis smiled. “Right,” she said. “Well, I have to go beat Morgan now.”

  Then Alexis jogged to the next court, where Morgan was waiting.

  CHAPTER 7

  CHALLENGING MORGAN

  After playing for nearly an hour, Alexis was ahead of Morgan five games to four. Just one more game, and she would win the set.

  Because this was a challenge match, not an actual match, Alexis only needed to win this one set to win the match. They didn’t play best two out of three sets like they did in matches with other schools. That would make it easier for her to win.

  Alexis felt very confident, mostly because it was her turn to serve. Morgan had struggled against her serve all match.

  Alexis opened with a hard serve. Morgan hit a forehand back. “Try to get that one, Middle School!” she yelled.

  Alexis hit a shot deep into Morgan’s court. Then she moved to the net.

  Morgan stepped forward. She got ready to hit the ball.

  “Here it comes,” Morgan yelled. She smacked the ball and delivered a winner into the far corner.

  The score was Love–15. Morgan had won the first point.

  Alexis tried not to get too nervous. It was only one point. Nothing to worry about. She could still win.

  Following her next serve, Alexis quickly ran to the net. She wanted to shorten the distance. Hopefully, that would help her get to Morgan’s next shot before it even had a chance to bounce. Just the way Olivia had told her.

  Morgan drilled the ball right at Alexis. The shot was easy. Alexis pounced on it and hit it for a winner. The score was tied at 15–15.

  Alexis looked around. Most of the players on the other courts had stopped playing. They were all watching her play against Morgan.

  Morgan won the next point by getting to the net really quickly and slamming a shot that went far out of Alexis’s reach. The score was 15–30.

  On the next point, Alexis didn’t waste any time. She hit a serve hard, right at Morgan’s body.

  Morgan barely got out of the way of the ball, but couldn’t manage to hit it over the net. The score was tied, 30–30.

  Two more points, thought Alexis. Just put two more good points together and the match will be over.

  Alexis lined up her serve and took a deep breath. She hit the ball high above her head. Morgan waited and sent the ball back toward Alexis.

  Alexis tried to stay calm. Hit good shots, she thought. Don’t go for too much. Take it easy.

  She hit a soft shot back to Morgan. Then she went to the net.

  Morgan tried to hit a lob over Alexis’s head, but it was not nearly high enough.

  Alexis stepped back and went into a motion that looked a lot like her serve. She reached up high with her arm and slammed the ball across the net. It hit the ground several steps away from Morgan.

  Alexis pumped her fist. “Yes!” she yelled happily.

  Alexis looked at Erin. She and the girls around her were going nuts. The score was 40–30.

  One more point, Alexis thought. Just one more point. She took a deep breath and got ready to serve.

  Alexis served. Morgan returned it with a forehand that she smashed deep into Alexis’s court.

  Alexis played it on her back foot. Morgan hit another one deep. Alexis took another step backward and punched the ball across the net. Morgan grunted and hit another huge forehand.

  Then Alexis remembered Olivia’s advice: Attack the ball. Don’t let it attack you.

  Alexis lunged forward and hit the ball. As it flew to Morgan’s side of the court, Alexis ran up toward the net.

  Morgan reached out and hit the ball back with a weak backhand.

  Alexis was waiting. She took a step forward and sent the ball away from Morgan. The match was over.

  Erin ran onto the court. Alexis smiled as her friend hugged her. “Great job!” Erin said. “That was an awesome game.”

  Morgan slammed her tennis racquet into the ground. The racquet bounced up and smacked Morgan in the elbow.

  Olivia walked onto the court and put her arm around Morgan. “Don’t worry, Mo,” she said. “You’ll get her next time.”

  Olivia walked with Morgan off the court. But as she did, she turned around and gave Alexis a tiny smile.

  CHAPTER 8

  THE BIG TIME

  Two weeks later, the Tigers’ team bus pulled into the Roosevelt High parking lot.

  “So, how many years has it been since we’ve won a match against the Mustangs?” asked Alexis.

  “Eleven,” Erin said. “In other words, practically our whole lives.”

  The bus squeaked to a stop. One by one, the girls piled off.

  Alexis looked around at the freshly mowed grass and the neatly trimmed trees. The tennis courts were surrounded by flowers. The school was really nice. Alexis let out a deep breath. This was the big time.

  “Well, if it isn’t Motormouth Morgan Grundman,” said a Mustangs player from inside the fence.

  “Good to see you, too, Huffington,” said Morgan. “Ready to lose and cry like a baby?”

  “Oh, you mean like you did last year?” the player replied. The other Mustangs around her laughed.

  Erin whispered to Alexis, “That’s Mindy Huffington. Last year Morgan had six match points against her and still lost. It was pretty bad.”

  “Prepare to look silly this year,” said Morgan. “We’re going to be on you like stink on a monkey.”

  “Poor little Morgan,” said Mindy. “She talks a good game. Too bad she can’t back it up. How many times have I beaten you? Oh yeah, that’s right, now I remember. Five.”

  Morgan laughed. “Whatever,” she said.

  “I hear there’s a middle-schooler playing against me this year,” said Mindy. “Are you really tha
t scared of me?”

  “Nah, just tired of you, that’s all,” Morgan said.

  “Nice racquet, by the way,” said Mindy. “I see you saved up for the expensive one from the drugstore.” She turned and walked away.

  Morgan stared into Alexis’s eyes and said, “Middle School, you better beat her. You hear me?”

  “I hear you,” said Alexis.

  “Good,” Morgan said. “I’ll see you after the match, when we celebrate our team win.”

  CHAPTER 9

  A TRUE TIGER

  Alexis felt great.

  Her backhand was working. Her forehand was working. She felt like she had enough energy to play ten sets.

  Alexis had beaten Mindy Huffington easily in the first set, winning six games to two. And in the second set, Alexis was on track to win the match. She was ahead five games to one. She knew she would win the last game too.

  It was Alexis’s serve. She bounced the ball, tossed it, and then sent it across the net.

  Mindy hit it back low, but Alexis was able to knock it back. She quickly moved up to the net.

  Mindy hit a weak shot, which Alexis nailed for a point. Alexis was ahead. The score was 15–Love.

  “Finish it off,” someone said.

  Alexis turned around. It was Morgan. Olivia was standing next to her.

  “How did you guys do?” asked Alexis.

  “We won,” said Morgan. “Of course.”

  “So far, all of us have won,” said Olivia. “If you beat Mindy, we’ll win all of the matches.”

  Alexis nodded. Then she turned back to face Mindy.

  Alexis served to Mindy’s forehand. Mindy fired a deep ball back. Alexis attacked it and sent a shot deep to Mindy’s backhand. Mindy hit it back.

  Alexis hit the next shot to Mindy’s forehand, forcing her to run to the opposite corner. Mindy barely got her racquet on the ball.

  Then Alexis moved forward and swung at the ball in mid-air. She hit the ball deep into the court and away from Mindy. The score was 30–Love.

  Alexis lined up her next serve. She decided to go for a big serve to Mindy’s right that would take her out of position and leave most of the court open.

  It worked. Mindy hit a weak shot back to Alexis. Alexis stepped into the shot and drilled it into the open court. The score was 40–Love. Alexis was winning.

  “Go Alexis!” Erin yelled. Alexis looked behind her. Olivia and Morgan were still watching too.

  Alexis took a deep breath. She bounced the ball three times.

  Then she went for it. Her racquet flew through the air and struck the ball. In a flash, the ball cleared the net, landed in the service box, and bounced past Mindy’s swinging racquet.

  Mindy’s racquet didn’t even touch the ball. It was another one of Alexis’s famous aces. It was also match point.

  Alexis had won!

  The players behind Alexis went nuts.

  After shaking hands with Mindy, Alexis ran off the court. All of her teammates were there, cheering for her. The players all hugged her at once.

  “Alexis,” said Olivia, “that was awesome. You’re a true Tiger.”

  Morgan stood behind the crowd. “You all done or what?” she said. The other players looked at Morgan and got quiet.

  Morgan smiled and stepped toward Alexis. She held up her hand. Alexis slapped it as hard as she could.

  Morgan nodded her head. “Not bad, Middle School,” she said. “Not bad at all.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Chris Kreie grew up playing tennis on cracked blacktop courts that had chain-link fences for nets. It wasn’t until his senior year that his high school started a tennis team. Chris joined the team and has been playing tennis ever since. Chris lives in Minnesota with his wife and two children. He works as a school librarian, and in his free time he writes books like this.

  ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

  When Tuesday Mourning was a little girl, she knew she wanted to be an artist when she grew up. Now, she is an illustrator who lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. She especially loves illustrating books for kids and teenagers. When she isn’t illustrating, Tuesday loves spending time with her husband, who is an actor, and their son, Atticus.

  GLOSSARY

  challenge (CHAL-uhnj)—to invite someone to try to beat you at something

  competition (kom-puh-TISH-uhn)—a contest

  confident (KON-fuh-duhnt)—having a strong belief in one’s own abilities

  disappointed (diss-uh-POINT-id)—let down because something hasn’t happened as planned

  expensive (ek-SPEN-siv)—costing a lot of money

  intimidate (in-TIM-uh-date)—to frighten

  opponent (uh-POH-nuhnt)—someone who is against you in a contest

  position (puh-ZISH-uhn)—the place where someone is

  rank (RANGK)—the position someone is in, in order of ability. The better your ability, the higher your rank.

  varsity (VAR-sit-ee)—the best team at a school

  TENNIS WORDS YOU SHOULD KNOW

  Tennis, like most sports, has some words with special meanings. Here are some of the words used in tennis. These words were all used in this book.

  ace (AYSS)—a point won with one hit

  backhand (BAK-hand)—a stroke that starts on the opposite side of the body from the arm that holds the racquet

  baseline (BAYSS-line)—the line at the back of the tennis court

  doubles (DUB-uhlz)—a way of playing tennis with two people on each side of the net

  forehand (FOR-hand)—a stroke that starts with the palm facing the way the stroke will move

  game (GAYM)—one part of a tennis set

  lob (LOB)—to hit a ball high into the air

  Love (LUHV)­—in tennis, a score of Love means zero points

  match (MACH)—the entire contest between two players

  match point (MACH POYNT)—the point that wins the match

  racquet (RAK-it)—the paddle used to hit balls in tennis

  return (ri-TURN)—hitting the ball back to the other player

  serve (SURV)—to send the ball to the other player to begin the set

  service box (SURV-iss BOKS)—the area of a tennis court from which a serve is played

  set (SET)—one part of a tennis match

  sideline (SIDE-line)—the line on each side of a tennis court

  volleys (VOL-eez)—an extended exchange of shots

  Scoring note: In tennis, scoring isn’t 0-1-2-3. Instead, it’s Love-15-30-40! The next point after 40 wins.

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  Why was Morgan mean to Alexis at the beginning of this book? What made her change at the end?

  Alexis didn’t want to challenge the older girls at first. Why not? What would you have done in her situation?

  Should younger kids be allowed to try out for high school sports teams? Why or why not?

  WRITING PROMPTS

  Pretend that you’re Alexis. Write a diary entry about your day at Roosevelt High, playing against Mindy Huffington.

  Sometimes it can be interesting to think about a story from another person’s point of view. Try rewriting chapter 8 from Morgan’s point of view. What does she feel like during this chapter? What does she think? What does she see and hear?

  Even though she was nervous, Alexis tried out for the varsity tennis team. Write about a time when you did something even though you were nervous.

  OTHER BOOKS BY JAKE MADDOX

  Amy hurt her knee during a race. Her knee healed, but her confidence is still broken. The biggest race of the year is coming up, and it’s on the exact same track where she was hurt before. With help from an unexpected source, will she be able to race again?

  Anna, Brittany, and Jasmine have a problem. Their school canceled the girls’ soccer team. They have to join the team at their arch rival school! The players on their new team aren’t very nice. Will the girls ever feel at home?

  INTERNET SITES

  Do you want to know more about subjects related to
this book? Or are you interested in learning about other topics? Then check out FactHound, a fun, easy way to find Internet sites.

  Our investigative staff has already sniffed out great sites for you!

  Here’s how to use FactHound:

  1. Visit www.facthound.com

  2. Select your grade level.

  3. To learn more about subjects related to this book, type in the book’s ISBN number: 9781434207814.

  4. Click the Fetch It button.

  FactHound will fetch the best Internet sites for you!

  Jake Maddox Books are published by Stone Arch Books

  1710 Roe Crest Drive

  North Mankato, Minnesota 56003

  www.capstonepub.com

  Copyright © 2009 by Stone Arch Books

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Maddox, Jake.

  Tennis Trouble / by Jake Maddox; illustrated by Tuesday Mourning.

  p. cm. — (Impact Books. A Jake Maddox Sports Story)

  ISBN 978-1-4342-0781-4 (library binding)

  ISBN 978-1-4342-0877-4 (pbk.)

  ISBN 978-1-4342-8904-9 (eBook)

  [1. Tennis—Fiction.] I. Mourning, Tuesday, ill. II. Title.

  PZ7.M25643Te 2009

  [Fic]—dc22

  2008004299

  Summary: Even though she’s only in seventh grade, Alexis made the varsity tennis team. But some other girls on the team aren’t happy she’s there.

  Art Director: Heather Kindseth