Playing tennis is one of my favorite pastimes. I played all four years at my High school in Cairo, GA. Tennis is a wonderful sport because it's easy to learn and just about anyone can play. Also, it is a sport that you can play for the rest of your life. Over the years I have played both singles and doubles but I have come to accept that doubles is just more fun! Having a teammate is always much more enjoyable. Recently, I have become more interested in professional tennis. I watched matches in television and even got the opportunity to attend the Bausch and Laumb Championships in Amelia Island a few weeks ago. While I was there, I got to see some of the top players compete, such as Serena Williams and Justine Henin-Hardenne. The championships were a very neat experience and I hope to get the opportunity to so professional players compete again some day. In the mean time I would like to share my favorite professional players and a little about them.

    Serena Williams is my favorite player on the court. She plays the game with such enthusiasm and heart. For her age, she has a pretty impressive record. She was named no. 1 in the WTA July 30, 2002 playing singles. Her 186 match winning streak was the best winning streak that includes a player's title since Steffi Graf's 23 streak in 1986. In 1999 she won the Open doubles title with sister Venus, becoming the fifth woman in the Open Era to win both singles and doubles in the same year.

Justine Henin-Hardenne is 21 years old and is from Marloie, Belgium. She has been pro since January1, 1999. She has won 4 WTA tour singles titles. Her career high in singles was No. 1 on October 20, 2003. She has been added to my list of favorites after seeing her play at the Bausch and Laumb Championships.

Andy Roddick is my favorite male player today. Winning thirteen singles titles and 2 doubles titles. In 2003 he became the youngest American and second to finish no. 1 in history of ATP Rankings. Andy has done some pretty impressive things in his few years on the court but he could get beat in every match that he competes in and he would still be my favorite. He really takes my breath away!