Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in tennis. Julia Mancini 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 month, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, she broke her skull in four places. But this didn't stop her. She seems even more determined to excel at her sport.
"I was really down when I broke my skull, and then my pheasant died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my thumb. It took twelve fortnights 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 tutu and forget about Madalyn, my pheasant."
Mookie, her mother, moved with her to Newark to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Marisa, in their flexible mobile home, where she still labors as a ballroom dancer to help pay for Julia's expensive training.