SOLVED. Children's book about a girl who teaches herself to play tennis, goes to tournament even though she can't afford it. [s]

[Allison]

I read this in the mid 80s, and I'd guess it was probably from the 70s? A girl - maybe 10-11 or so? - is from a family that has very little money, but teaches herself to play tennis with discarded/old equipment. Weird details stick with me, like how she ended up developing this amazing power game because the racquet/balls were so old and dead, and everything skimmed just over the net because she practiced on a concrete wall with a window above and she had to hit it right in the narrow line underneath...

Anyway, she ends up saving her money to go to a tournament in a nearby town. Has to get in the night before, cause of the early start time, but has no money for a hotel so sleeps on the ground at the tennis club. She is losing her first match badly and can't understand why, until she realises she hasn't eaten in forever. She takes what little money she has left for her bus ticket home and buys a candy bar, and comes back to win. Then has problems against the next person because they use spin, which of course her wall didn't do.

Lots of these sorts of details are still in my brain, but nothing about the title, character names, author, cover, anything. Searches have found nothing so far, including looking through lists of children's tennis books. :-(

[Rainbowheart]

First Serve?

Champions Don't Cry?

Don't let the cover on the second one fool you. The main character is 13.

[Allison]

Ah ha! Champions Don't Cry is indeed it.

Thank you!!

[Rainbowheart]

Awesome, glad to help out!

[Allison]

Amusingly, it got into my head this afternoon when playing tennis and hitting a bunch of balls into the net...then I realised I was incredibly hungry. :-D