Some of you may recall Graydon Oliver from the Serena Williams benefit. I know that out of all the pros there that day it was Graydon that had impressed me the most. So much so that I wrote about it in my Serena article. It is not always the best person that becomes the best player. Some times angry mad men become contenders, just like anything in life. There are those that compose themselves with the right attitude and those that do not. Graydon Oliver is not only an excellent tennis player, just winning a major ATP tour doubles title against the #1 player in the world, but he is most importantly an excellent example of how to carry oneself as a person in life. When meeting Graydon it was obvious here was a kid that loved what he was doing, gave it 100% and had the best attitude. Just a simple example was the way he promoted his sponsors while playing at the Serena event. It showed an appreciation and awareness of the impact sponsors have and the two way responsibility that many players forget. And his intentions were genuine, you could tell. He wore his patches and explained them with heart. Heart is a good word for the player who went from college to "Just trying a couple pro events" to winning titles. In fact, in the three weeks Graydon has been inn Asia he has won two titles and one runner up. Now all he has to do is keep that focus.

Good job Oliver, and as I said in my e-mail back to him when he informed me of his win..."It is good to see someone with the right kind of attitude is winning."

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ROAD TO VICTORY