Nothing. She hadn’t done anything; she went out there a total wreck and fell behind in the match. She couldn’t do that again. There was too much riding on it and their opponents were too good. If they fell behind, a comeback would be almost impossible.
“Hey,” someone said from over her shoulder, and she jumped in her seat. “Whoa, sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.” Penny stepped into view. “Dom was looking for you. He needs you down in the prep room in five.”
“Oh, okay, I’ll just… I’ll just go, then.” She stood, wiping her palms against the sides of her skirt.
“You okay?” Penny asked, tilting her head in concern.
“Hmm?” Indy stalled for a second. “Yeah, I’m fine. Amped up, you know?”
“Look, I… I’m not going to be there. I’m all over the place right now. I don’t want to bring any negative energy to your box, so I’m going to watch from here, okay?”
Indy shrugged. “Sure, whatever.”
“Okay, I’ll see you after, then?”
“Definitely, see you after.”
Indy started down the hallway that led to the locker rooms.
“Indy, hang on,” Penny called out. “I almost forgot. Ana Kapur—her serve is tougher, so that’s who you’ll be facing. She tends to start off really powerful and then back off later in the match, opting for more consistency than velocity. If you wait her out, you should be able to handle her no problem.”
“Right. Thanks.” Dom had reminded her of the same thing earlier, but she’d forgotten about it as her nerves took over.
“You’re going to do fine. Relax and let your training take over.”
Indy nodded and made her way to the locker room. Jasmine was getting her ankles wrapped for some stability on the slippery clay courts, but she looked up with a smile as soon as Indy walked in.
“This is going to be so much fun,” Jasmine said.
The last of Indy’s nerves faded. She was about to play in the French Open against two of the best players in the world. A month ago, she was just another college student wondering what the hell she was going to do with her life.There were six thousand miles separating her from that girl, but she may as well have been on Mars. Jasmine was right. The match, win or lose, would be the greatest moment of her life, and she was going to enjoy it.
“We’re ready for you,” a tournament official said from the doorway, headset in place, instructions coming from courtside.
Time was up.
They stepped out of the tunnel and onto the court. The Kapur twins were already stretching and getting warm. The stadium was at least twice the size of the OBX main court, with double the number of speakers pumping in music. There was a sizable crowd and she caught sight of Dom in the player’s box. One row back, her dad and Caroline were both dressed to the nines and sitting with the bored disinterest that people who sat in expensive seats at any sporting event always seemed to exude. Indy looked away, focusing instead on the rest of the crowd, all of whom were there to watch her play. She wasn’t going to let anything negative get in her head.
A tap against her arm drew her attention and she turned to Jasmine. “Let’s go.”
The chair umpire announced that warm-ups should begin and so they moved onto the court.
She had to keep her feet moving. That was the key. Keep her feet moving and use her serve. Get as many aces as possible so they could save all their energy for Jasmine’s and their returns. And keep her feet moving.
The chair umpire signaled the end of warm-ups.
“You ready?” Jasmine whispered as they retreated to their chairs.
“Damn right I am.”
Indy’s legs were giving out. No match she ever played had taxed her like this. The Kapur sisters were legit. It was like they could read each other’s minds. Hell, it was like they could read her and Jasmine’s minds, too.
But Indy was proud of their effort so far, even if she couldn’t feel much below her knees anymore. It was close. Very, very close, but most tennis matches were close, until they weren’t, and as they neared the end of the third set, it had begun to slip away.
“Balle de match, Kapur et Kapur,” the chair umpire called.
She and Jasmine walked toward the baseline together.
“Let’s not make this easy for them,” Indy said softly so only her partner could hear her.
