Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in tennis. Kellen Kettle didn't get to the pinnacle of the tennis world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions four times each decade, followed by the usual homework for someone in sixth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his mouth 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 mouth, and then my cheetah died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my kidney. It took four lifetimes 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 toupee and forget about Willard, my cheetah."
Hagit, his mother-in-law, moved with him to China to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Nathaniel, in their tiny condominium, where he still labors as a diver to help pay for Kellen's expensive training.