I
PROLOGUE: THE VIEW FROM THE
COURT
have spent my entire life looking at the world through the grid of a
tennis net. To some, it’s just a game. To me, it was always a platform.
I knew from the age of seven, sitting in the back of my father’s car in
Long Beach, that I wanted to do something great with my life. Not just for
me, but for the world. This is the story of how a girl with thick glasses
and a second-hand racquet tried to change the rules of the game—and
the rules of life.
"I want to use tennis as a platform to change society. I want to make it
better for everyone, not just those who can afford a racquet."
CHAPTER 1: THE FIRE IN LONG
BEACH
My father, Bill Moffitt, was a firefighter. My mother, Betty, was a
homemaker. We lived at 3603 Orange Avenue. Money was tight, but the
values were solid: work hard, tell the truth, and always help others. I
was a multi-sport athlete, but when I stepped onto the public courts at
Houghton Park, everything clicked. I remember asking my mother,
'Where are the women?' All I saw were men in white. I decided then and
there that I would be the best in the world so that people would have to
listen to me when I talked about equality.
