'It was good nervousness' - Hitting partner on rallies with Serena Williams
In an interview to BBC, Serena Williams's hitting partner Jarmere Jenkins commented on his co-operation with the 23-time Grand Slam winner.
Remembering his first hit with Serena, Jenkins said: "This was someone who I had grown up watching my whole life. Coming from where I'm from, there are not many African Americans that play tennis, let alone make finals at Wimbledon or any other Grand Slam. I was exceptionally nervous. But it was a good nervous. It was the first time she had hit a tennis ball in nine months and she wasn't missing a ball. In fact, I missed more balls than her. And I had been training and getting ready for her."
People often discuss if Serena would be able to compete against men. Jenkins admitted that he needs to make a lot of effort hitting with Williams: "The best way I can explain it is that I've been working with Serena for one year and two months, and not one time I've been on the tennis court with her have I felt comfortable. It is how she hits, how she moves. I have never felt I could have a lazy practice with her. If I feel that way I can only imagine how the girls who play against her feel. I feel honoured to be able to work with one of the greatest athletes of all time, not just one of the greatest tennis players of all time. To see that fire she has in her eyes when she's playing in the Grand Slam finals - the same fire she has in her eyes when we are practising - is amazing."
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from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2VOoyOB
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