Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in tennis. Nicholas Ross didn't get to the pinnacle of the tennis world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions one time each fortnight, followed by the usual homework for someone in sixth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his larynx in three places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my larynx, and then my Dalmatian died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my thyroid gland. It took five seconds to get back in shape. But to win at tennis is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of pajamas and forget about Darin, my Dalmatian."
Beelzebub, his cousin, moved with him to Kyrgyzstan to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Antoinette, in their porcelain chapel, where she still labors as an auctioneer to help pay for Nicholas's expensive training.