Welcome to the Jungle

Casey was smiling. The crowd was still clapping while she gathered her towels and water bottles and stuffed them into her bag. Her opponent, a young Armenian girl, had already left Louis Armstrong stadium.

The girl was only sixteen and her nerves had gotten to her. Casey only had to get the ball back over the net because the young Armenian beat herself.

Tossing her tennis bag over her shoulder she headed toward the kids that were reaching over the railing with huge tennis balls. Some were littered with signatures and as she took hold of a sharpie her own stained it too.

Casey happily signed and took pictures with fans before heading into the shade of the locker rooms.

"Your brother was in here," Serena Williams told her. She was fixing her makeup in the mirror for a post-match interview. Casey's interview would be after hers but she wasn't much for fussing about her looks after a match.

Casey laughed. "He's not allowed in here. This is the girl's lockers room."

Serena rolled her eyes. "Every girl in here and I told him that. Some of them screamed actually."

Casey laughed harder as she dropped her bag beside her locker. She didn't even want to know why her brother had snuck into the women's locker room. "I'm assuming you won."

"Of course, honey. And you too?"

Casey only nodded before ripping off her dress and grabbing the fresh tournament towel that was left for her in her locker. "Didn't even have to lift a finger," she said as she walked into the shower.
___

"Excited to be back?" one reporter asked as soon as Casey sat behind the interview table with several microphones pointing at her mouth.

Casey nodded, folding her arms and resting them on the table. "It's always exciting to be back. It's my home tournament. The fans are always so enthusiastic."

The next question: "How did you feel today? Nervous or relaxed?"

"There's always a few jitters the first time out on the courts but once I started hitting the ball clean it was all cruise control from there."

"You think that Seda Adruni has a bright future?"

"Definitely. Her forehand is pretty strong."

"But you can't deny that you won the match based solely on her mistakes?"

"Well, I mean, everyone starts from the bottom. Being a rookie in an arena that big would give anyone anxiety. It's something a lot of players have to get over; I've had to do it a few times throughout my career."

"Do you think your brother and you have a chance to win the mixed doubles?"

Casey shrugged. "We're just doing for a bit of stress relief. Although Carter has been adding to my stress more than usual these days."

The interviewers questions lulled and a security guard ushered her off the small stage. Her interview was over and it was time for the next winner.

Casey hadn't even stepped off the last step when she heard the room start shouting "Novak!" Quickly, she turned her head to look.

Novak was smiling at the crowd and waving, his forehead still glistening with sweat. Casey hesitated for a moment at the door that lead back to the locker room to sneak one last look.

Who knew when she would see him again? Everyone was always so scattered in the first week of a grand slam.

Casey nearly walked into Carter when she left the interview room. "Oh my God!" she shouted. "Why are you stalking me?"

"I'm not?" Carter said, confused.

"Serena told me you were in the women's locker room. Why?"

"Well..." Carter held out his index finger. "One: I wanted to congratulate you on your win; and two--" He stuck out another finger. "You have practice tomorrow morning the same time as Novak."

"So?" Casey said as she shouldered passed Carter. She needed to head back to the locker room to grab her things.

"Coincidently, you'll be practicing right beside each other." Carter had jogged to be right beside her. He nudged her side. "You're getting pretty lucky with all these run-ins, huh? The tennis gods must be with you this week."

Casey stopped in front of the locker room door. "There are no tennis gods watching over me because, one: I split my coffee on him, and two: he has a girlfriend."

Carter shrugged, a blasé look on his face. "You know what I always say...boyfriends--or in your case, girlfriends--are only speed bumps."

Casey laughed sardonically. "There is no possible way that we are related."