Carrie Soto Is Back

Five years later, Carrie begins training again, wanting to defeat Nicki. She and Javier start by getting a sense of her serve, her footwork, and her endurance. They also decide to work on her stamina, since she is older than many other players. She runs, swims, and hits every day. After seven days, Javier admits that she is not where she needs to be to win a title. However, he believes that she can do it.

Carrie goes to see her agent, a Black woman named Gwen Davis. Gwen tells her that her sponsorships, based on Carrie’s legendary status, are doing well. Gwen warns that she could likely make more money commentating or as an official than as a player. Carrie tells her that returning to playing is “the only move. [She] cannot conceive of any other future” (87). Gwen says that she is on board. They discuss logistics, and Carrie imagines being back on the court, thinking, “It has been so long since I have felt the perfect ache of climbing” (89).

The next pages feature a press release from Carrie’s agent, a news article quoting Nicki, and a transcript of a sports talk show, each discussing Carrie’s return to professional tennis.