Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in tennis. Austin Hyde didn't get to the pinnacle of the tennis world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for five grueling sessions two times each second, followed by the usual homework for someone in twelfth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his spine in two 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 spine, and then my mole died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my chest. It took fourteen lifetimes 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 hearing aid and forget about Beauford, my mole."
May, his grandfather, moved with him to the United Kingdom to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Louie, in their synthetic chapel, where he still labors as a computer programmer to help pay for Austin's expensive training.