My name is Bryan Berry. Two weeks ago I was an unknown tennis player, but suddenly I've become a contender at the most famous junior tournament in the United States. Like many kids, I dream about playing a sport professionally and competing against the greatest players in the world. This book is about chasing that dream. It's about hard work, the pain of crushing defeats, and the joy of success. It's about tennis. It's about my life and how a small-town kid with a big-time dream fights his way to the top.

Sitting here at Stowe Stadium, waiting for my match in the Super National Championships to begin, I can finally sit back and reflect on the unpredictable chain of events that brought me here. I guess the story starts on the day that I suffered a devastating loss to that no-good, cheating Ted Grover. That's when an old, retired tennis coach named Henry Johnson spoke to me for the first time. And after that talk, I would never be the same…