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Forged in adversity: Haiti's teen tennis hope aims for the top

By Paul Gittings, CNN
March 10, 2011 -- Updated 1706 GMT (0106 HKT)
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Off-court battles of young tennis ace
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Haiti native Vickie Duval is tipped to reach the top in women's tennis
  • The 15-year-old is training at the famous Nick Bollettieri academy in Florida
  • Her father Jean-Maurice was seriously injured in earthquake-hit Haiti in January 2010
  • He came close to death before being rescued thanks to help from an Atlanta family

(CNN) -- Vickie Duval has been tipped to be the next Venus Williams, but tennis was the last thing on the teenager's mind when the devastating earthquake struck her native Haiti in 2010.

Duval's father, Jean-Maurice, had stayed home to run a medical practice while his daughter chased her dream of grand slam glory by living and training in the United States.

In the trail of devastation left by earthquake on January 12 last year, Jean-Maurice was trapped under the rubble of his home and business and feared that without urgent medical attention he would die.

"One morning we got a call from him and he was (trapped) under the house," his 15-year-old daughter recalled in an interview with CNN's Open Court.

"He was sort of giving us his last words and said to my mum, 'Tell the kids I love them.' Mum just collapsed on the floor, but she said, 'No, no, no, you are going to make it.' "

Within 10 years hopefully I will win a couple of grand slams -- 10 or so would be nice!
--Vickie Duval
RELATED TOPICS
  • Tennis
  • WTA Tour Inc.
  • Nick Bollettieri
  • Haiti
  • Atlanta

Duval's father managed to escape from the ruins of his property, but was left with a shattered left arm, fractured vertebrae, five broken ribs and a punctured lung.

In the post-earthquake chaos, the medical attention he needed so urgently was just not available, and he knew his chances of survival were slim.

But some Good Samaritans came to the rescue.

Vickie had moved from the famous Nick Bollettieri academy in Florida to train in Atlanta for a spell.

Practicing in Georgia's capital, she had made friends with Ashley and Natalie Kitchen, whose family rallied around to mount a miracle rescue along with the help of their Norcross tennis club's officials.

Harry Kitchen, a real estate developer, paid $18,000 to charter a private plane to fly to Haiti and bring back Jean-Maurice.

While he has made a good recovery from his horrific injuries, he will be unable to work as a doctor again.

But acknowledging the family's financial plight, friends and colleagues of tennis guru Bollettieri have stepped forward to provide the funding necessary for Vickie to continue training at his academy.

Bollettieri, who helped greats such as Andre Agassi reach the top, has every confidence Duval can fulfil her vast potential.

"It looks like she will grow to between 6ft and 6ft 1in, built the same as Venus Williams. We are teaching her the total game," he told CNN.

Duval has always been one of the leading players in her respective age groups in the United States, but recently took her first tentative steps into senior ranks.

Playing at a WTA Challenger event in Michigan, she beat former top-50 player Mashona Washington in straight sets in the first round.

It earned her a few ranking points, but Duval is aiming much bigger and higher than that.

"Nick tells me a lot that I play like Venus, but I really idolize Kim Clijsters," she said of the three-time U.S. Open champion. "Within 10 years hopefully I will win a couple of grand slams -- 10 or so would be nice!"

No player from Haiti has ever reached that level, but former men's top-20 star Ronald Agenor put the poor Caribbean country on the tennis map with his exploits until he retired from the ATP Tour in 2002.

Bollettieri believes Duval has the inner steel required to compete against the best, despite her gentle personality.

"She's unusual because she's very humble out there, but underneath she's getting meaner," he said.

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soundoff (42 Comments)
  • haitihaiti
    @iluv8t - don't be lazy, get off your butt and start cleaning all that garbage covering haitian streets. And don't try to substitute quality with quantity here, it never works.
  • jack279
    She is Haiti's hope for what? To become rich and leave Haiti and never return? I don't see many successful Haitians returning to try to make things better for their people.
  • iluv8t
    Correction Sean Penn darn keyboard
    i guess its because i am so excited for what the Foreigners have done for Haiti especially the Americans
  • iluv8t
    Thank you Miley Cyrus for what you did in Haiti
    Seran Penn has opened the Door for us
    gosh i love that man we Haitians gave him a meadal but Sean Penn needs a Statue of Himself in Haiti and if it was up to little me he would get one
  • iluv8t
    @haitihaitiyou re fighting a battle that you can t win you were hoping to stop the AID that Haiti been getting you can rant , post till you re blue in the face but nobody will listen those who are in Haiti don t get money they love being there yes there are terrible slums in Haiti but alot is paradi... more
  • iluv8t
    @haitihaiti
    we know that you re a sad loser with nothing going on in life for you so you wanna see bad for others always
  • iluv8t
    @haitihaiti
    i ll be waiting for you
    C...k Su....er
  • iluv8t
    Type your comment here.aitihaiti
    Yeah that toilet i am squating on is your mouth
    remember you told users on Cnn that you re into Sc@..... P0...n
  • iluv8t
    @haitihaitiyou re not funny instead the diarrhea is up your "s,,, i know you ll be back with more ignorant no brainer comments again during the Haitian Election and when Charlie Sheen goes to Haiti but i ll be waiting for you to also tell you who and what your mother is so i ll be waiting for fou t... more
  • iluv8t
    @haitihaitiyou re not funny instead the diarrhea is up your "s,,, i know you ll be back with more ignorant no brainer comments again during the Haitian Election and when Charlie Sheen goes to Haiti but i ll be waiting for you to also tell you who and what your mother is so i ll be waiting for fou t... more
  • haitihaiti
    @iluv8t - are you typing while sitting on your squat toilet? She'll fulfill her vast potential, unless a bout of nonstop diarrhea hits her during semifinals.
  • iluv8t
    @haitihaiti

    the reason you wanna see bad for us is either because a Haitian had beaten the $h1tout of you or a Haitian guy is WRECKING either your mot...r or your sis...r ` VEGGIE
  • iluv8t
    The reason Why there are not alot of Haitian Top players out there is because the country been suffering for so long you d have Athletes but not enough funding and Stadiums so they don t get much practice but in the late 70 s we were and had some of the best Soccer (Football Players ) in the world ... more
  • iluv8t
    Some of these @$.H...les are a bunch of C...m Lickers who want to see bad for Haiti But the fools have noticed that they cannot stop progress by posting foolish comments and who ever is in Haiti are enjoying being there they re not even getting pay they should check out you tube to see what is goin... more
  • mzdolphin
    Nice story, but at 15 Venus and Serena could compete with top players. I can't tell you how many stories I've read about the "next Venus or Serena". There are people who win the US Open Juniors title and never sniff the top 10 singles title. The real talent will come along and be the First of wh... more
  • iluv8t
    @mzdolphin
    Shut your smelly mouth
    you little nobody jealous aren t you
    You re jealous because you are nothing and nothing going on for you
    so shut it C....k S...er
  • patrice46
    before I sound ignorant let me clarify your statement not your article. lol
  • patrice46
    before I
  • patrice46
    before
  • patrice46
    Type your comment here.nd
  • patrice46
    before I
  • patrice46
    before
  • patrice46
    opps
  • patrice46
    Type your comment before I
  • patrice46
    Type your comment before