Chapter 7
After his first match of the US Open, Dimi received a text from Ambassador Sergei Ostropov: Congratulations. Here’s wishing you good luck in all your endeavors.
Dimi knew what endeavors he was talking about. It was hard enough that he was trying to win his first Slam—a Herculean task given the caliber of the four men ranked ahead of him and the realization that anyone could knock out anyone in a Slam. But when he was also contending with his “other job,” it was nigh impossible.
In many ways, Dimi thought, the US Open was the most challenging of the four Slams, more so than the Australian Open, the French Open, and Wimbledon. It was the last Slam of the season, it came at the end of summer’s blaze, and it was contested in New York. You not only had to battle your opponent. You
