Bobby Blair
November 10, 2019
November 10, 2019 “I grew up in Orlando, Florida on a dirt road in a two bedroom home. My brother and I shared a bedroom that was filled with dreams of a better life one day. My mother was an incredible athlete. One of the sports she played quite well was tennis. At age 10 she made it clear to me that tennis was my pathway to a happy and rewarding life. 8 years later she sat in Louisville, Kentucky with only a few weeks to live fighting cancer, as I fought incredibly hard in the finals to win the USTA National Boys 18 & Under Clay Court Championships and the #1 National tennis ranking in the United States. My opponent was one of the best junior players of all time, Aaron Krickstein. I lost a marathon 3 set battle. In that match I knew I had a secret. I knew every sacrifice my mom had made was at risk if my secret was known. If my secret was known I could lose my scholarship to college, even though I was the #1 NCAA recruit in the class of ’83. The USTA would have likely not supported me or had
November 10, 2019 “I grew up in Orlando, Florida on a dirt road in a two bedroom home. My brother and I shared a bedroom that was filled with dreams of a better life one day. My mother was an incredible athlete. One of the sports she played quite well was tennis. At age 10 she made it clear to me that tennis was my pathway to a happy and rewarding life. 8 years later she sat in Louisville, Kentucky with only a few weeks to live fighting cancer, as I fought incredibly hard in the finals to win the USTA National Boys 18 & Under Clay Court Championships and the #1 National tennis ranking in the United States. My opponent was one of the best junior players of all time, Aaron Krickstein. I lost a marathon 3 set battle. In that match I knew I had a secret. I knew every sacrifice my mom had made was at risk if my secret was known. If my secret was known I could lose my scholarship to college, even though I was the #1 NCAA recruit in the class of ’83. The USTA would have likely not supported me or had