Every aspiring young tennis player dreams of one day playing at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open. On July 31, however, over 100 kids got to experience the next best thrill–hitting with tennis greats Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf at the Yahoo! Center in Santa Monica. The clinic was sponsored by Eaturna, a new healthy grab-and-go food line, and several Pacific Palisades players were among those who spent an hour on court with two of the sport’s most recognizable superstars. The couple’s message was simple: in the game of life, what you eat is just as important as how well you hit a forehand. “Of course we love the game of tennis but we also love kids because they are our future,” Agassi said. “The most important things you can do to stay fit are diet and exercise.” Among the local kids who traded groundstrokes with the pros were Nick Itkian, an 8-year-old who trains at the PTC, 15-year-old Palisades High student Shadi Amirieh and Highlands 12-year-olds Thomas and Elizabeth Ryan, both of whom play at the Palisades Tennis Center. “I use to watch Andre a lot on TV so to be able to play with him is cool,” David said. “I just remember Steffi being very good.” Agassi and Graf have combined to win 30 Grand Slam singles titles in their Hall of Fame careers. They married in 2001 and have two children, son Jayden Gil and daughter Jaz Elle.
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