Pro Tennis Practice Partners
Twenty-year-old American tennis player, Jesse Levine, was tapped to be a practice partner for World Number One, Roger Federer, last summer when Federer practiced in Dubai after Wimbledon. Levine, a left-hander, joins many other promising young players who have spent time practicing with top players at their homes or sometimes as Davis Cup practice partners. For example, many years ago, a teenage Pete Sampras
practiced with Ivan Lendl at his home in Connecticut and had a chance to see exactly how hard the legendary Lendl practiced. Andy Roddick has also invited young players to train with him in Austin, Texas. At the 2007 Davis Cup finals in Portland, American team captain, Patrick McEnroe, invited John Isner and Donald Young along as practice partners. These experiences help both the top stars, as well as the up and coming players. For the stars, they have some new players to practice against who often play well in practice, but haven’t quite put it all together in matches yet. In addition, the young players are willing to do whatever the top stars want in terms of practice routines. For the younger players, it’s an excellence chance to observe first-hand what it takes to be a champion. Jesse Levine has capitalized on his experience with Federer last summer by winning several smaller tournaments this fall and now winning the USTA’s Australian Open wildcard playoff. As a result, Levine has earned a spot in the 2008 Australian Open and may just get another chance to play against Federer in a real match Down Under!
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