Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in tennis. Charlie Slade didn't get to the pinnacle of the tennis world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for two grueling sessions two times each day, followed by the usual homework for someone in eleventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his spinal cord 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 spinal cord, and then my yeti died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my lip. It took eleven decades 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 contact lenses and forget about Katherine, my yeti."
Minnie, his aunt, moved with him to Montenegro to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Ashley, in their rare boxcar, where she still labors as a trader to help pay for Charlie's expensive training.