Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in tennis. Dale Ferber didn't get to the pinnacle of the tennis world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for three grueling sessions two times each hour, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, he broke his thyroid gland 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 thyroid gland, and then my hedgehog died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my buttocks. It took eleven eternities 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 pacifier and forget about Gilda, my hedgehog."
Katy, his sister, moved with him to Portland to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Stuart, in their greasy stinky shack, where he still labors as a cartographer to help pay for Dale's expensive training.