She's back ~ L. Hamilton

7. | The Start

1999 - 2002

I started training with Darren immediately. We trained harder than ever before and within months, I'd lost three pounds of fat and gained a pound of muscle, almost entirely in my arms and shoulders.

My serve got bigger. I could run half a second faster. My ground strokes got harder.

But it was my jump that improved the most. Darren had me jumping higher, so I could take balls out of the air faster and returning shots that were so fast that the other player struggled to get the power to hit it back properly.

By September I'd beaten Shay Holmes in the Italian and French Opens and advanced further than her at Wimbledon.

The morning of the first round of the US open, I went into the locker room. I knew that if I played Holmes, it would not be until the final. They'd set it up like that because our rivalry was the only thing from female sports currently making it to main stream sports media.

In the locker room, players were spotted around the lockers, all talking among each other.

Isabella Roberts, a young girl new to the tour came up to me "I hope you win" she said "everyone's saying that if you take the trophy there's no way Holmes can hold onto that number one spot"

"Don't waste your breath" A girl called from behind Isabella, I couldn't remember her name, mainly because she'd never made it far enough to be a worthy opponent "The Destroyer doesn't talk to us" she said "we are beneath her"

I looked at Isabella "thank you Isabella, I hope you do well too"

I then looked at the other girl "well I am ranked second. And you are ranked - what? Maybe thirty, forty? I can't even remember your name. So in this case, yes. You are beneath me"

Holmes and I of course met in the final.

It was an intense match that lasted two hours, but by the end, I took the championship.

The crowd was the biggest crowd I've ever seen at a female tennis game, nearly the entire stadium was full.

Both me and Holmes knew the stakes of this game. Although it wasn't official, if I bet her today, I would be the best in the world.

The match was a gruelling two hour game, but by the end I took the match, and the championship.

The crowd cheered louder than I've ever heard before. After the award ceremony I walked down the back halls, where Darren was waiting

"Bravo Delaney!" He cheered, crushing me in a hug when he saw me "just like I taught you, absolute perfection. And now you are the greatest in the world" he smacked my shoulder, someone called him and then he was gone to talk to them.

I went into the locker room, but once the door closed behind me, I didn't move. I didn't make a move towards the lockers or the showers. I stood there.

I was waiting for the feeling. The feeling I'd been imagining ever since I knew what tennis was. The feeling of being the greatest in the world, to feel like I'd always imagined it would. For someone to hug me and tell me I'd beaten them, like the Greeks against Troy.

But it never came.

I finally made to grab my phone. But I quickly realised I couldn't even call anyone.