Young Tennis Players Face

YOUNG TENNIS PLAYERS FACE tremendous pressure in championship matches. But in the 2001 Tennis Masters Cup, Lleyton Hewitt rose to the world’s top ranking.

In the invitational round-robin affair, players draw outstanding opponents in each match. The fast-paced contests over a relatively short period of time appeal to fans who want to watch competition between international tennis superstars.

Hewitt defeated Sebastien Grosjean in his opener and marched through matches with Andre Agassi, Pat Rafter, and Juan Carlos Ferrero before surprisingly meeting Grosjean again in the finals.

Battling a groin injury, the 20-year-old Australian pummeled the Frenchman’s backhand. Hewitt, the 2001 United States Open champion, bolted to a 4–1 lead in set one with two service breaks. But Grosjean rallied with a break of his own and narrowed the score to 4–3. However, Hewitt, playing in front of 10,000 countrymen at Sydney’s SuperDome, held on to take the set 6–3.

In set two, the Adelaide, Australia, native broke Grosjean’s service and claimed another 6–3 victory. He repeated with a service break in the final set and took the match in three straight sets with a 6–4 win. Although his opponent clouted 21 winners compared to only 12 for Hewitt, the Frenchman committed 47 unforced errors, while Hewitt limited his mistakes to just 19.

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POINT For his efforts, Lleyton Hewitt claimed a purse worth $$15 million and gained 150 points in the world rankings to vault over Brazil’s Gustavo Kuerten to the No. 1 spot. The strong young athlete battled through world-class players to the top of the invitational field.

In the Bible, God exalted a strong young man to the top. He anointed David to wear the crown. The shepherd-turned-warrior loved God and served him with all his heart and strength.

God may not expect us to be great warriors. He may not exalt us to an earthly throne or anoint us with royal oil. But he does ask us to love and serve him with all our heart and strength.

GOAL! Have you given God your heart and strength? If not, ask the Lord to use you as he did David.