markeyesworld (from rf.com) さんが書きました:Local athlete Levine meets Roger Federer Published Sunday, August 5, 2007
By Mario Sarmento
SPORTS EDITOR
Boca Raton resident Jesse Levine recently got the call of a lifetime, when Roger Federer requested he fly to Dubai to help him with his training.
It was an offer Levine gladly accepted.
The University of Florida sophomore spent 11 days in the country, and he got to know the world’s No. 1 player quite well.
“He was the nicest guy,” Levine said. “He was so down to Earth and very classy, not what you would expect from someone like him.”
Levine, who went 21-0 as a freshman at UF last year, was brought in as Federer’s preparation for the U.S. Open, which will be played Aug. 27-Sept. 9 in New York.
“A big thing was that I’m a lefty,” Levine said. “His No. 1 nemesis is (lefthander Rafael) Nadal.”
Levine got to practice and work on different shots during his time in Dubai, and he came away from the trip with a greater understanding of what it takes to perform at Federer’s level.
“He’s just so calm at all times no matter if he has an easy ball to hit,” Levine said appreciatively. “That and how hard he works. He pushes himself so hard.”
Levine is becoming a popular figure with other professionals, as he left Wednesday to travel to Bradenton and the Bolliteri Academy to hit with two other ranked pros, Max Mirnyi and Andy Murray.
Afterwards, Levine will fly to Binghamton, NY for a Challenger Series event this weekend, then play in another tournament in the Bronx before competing in an ATP Tour event in New Haven, Conn. All told, Levine will be away from home for the next four weeks.
If Levine does well at those two tournaments, and if he can get a wild card entry into the U.S. Open, it’s possible he won’t return to Gainesville for his sophomore season.
Levine said he’ll make that decision within the next two months.
“I don’t plan on staying in college for four years,” he said.
Levine had a taste of the pro tour earlier this year when he earned a wild card entry in the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships (ITC). Levine won his first match against Kevin Kim before losing to fourth-seeded Benjamin Becker, 3-6, 3-6 in the round robin portion of the draw. Levine hopes to earn another wild card for next year’s event. His only other ATP Tour appearance ended in a 1-6, 0-6 loss to Nathan Healey in this year’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championship.
Levine currently ranks 495th on the ATP Tour.
After losing in the quarterfinals in last year’s NCAA Tournament, the 19-year-old was voted the rookie of the year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
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