Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in tennis. Wesley Pavlov didn't get to the pinnacle of the tennis world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for two grueling sessions four times each decade, followed by the usual homework for someone in seventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his femur in four 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 femur, and then my skunk died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my little toe. It took eight centuries 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 dress and forget about Garrett, my skunk."
Darin, his aunt, moved with him to Baton Rouge to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Daisy, in their electric dugout, where she still labors as a magistrate to help pay for Wesley's expensive training.