Athlete of the Week: Ben Rothschild

Ben Rothschild has only been playing tennis for a little more than a year, but he is already a big fan of the sport. Ben, from Washington, D.C., visits his grandparents, Steve and Marilyn Rothschild, on Longboat Key two to three times a year. When he visits, he takes lessons from Dave Sparks at the Longboat Key Public Tennis Center and also hits the ball around with his grandfather.

Ben, 6 3/4, says that his sister was a big influence on his decision to start playing so young, because his sister plays for her high school varsity tennis team. She told him the earlier he started, the better he would be when he was older.

“I can hit the tennis ball pretty well,” says Ben.

***WATCH VIDEO BELOW***

What is the hardest part about playing tennis?
The hardest part about tennis is that you can only put your right hand on the bottom (of the racket).

What is the best part about playing tennis?
The best part about playing tennis is that you have to be moving around and hitting the tennis ball.

How often do you play?
It’s not really a choice because I live in Washington … when I come here I am like, “OK, I need to play tennis.”

What would you like to improve?
I’d like to improve on being the best tennis player in the whole world.

What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?
The best advice I got from my grandpa was to keep my eye on the ball.

Contact Rachel S. O’Hara at [email protected]