The week before making his U.S. Open debut, Brian Vahaly's workday began at 8 a.m. in Boca Raton, Fla.
Vahaly was on Andy Roddick's turf -- his backyard tennis court. Roddick's coach had invited Vahaly to practice with the current No. 9-ranked player in the world before tennis's biggest tournament.
The pair bashed tennis balls at each other for three straight hours. They took an hour lunch break. Then, it was back on the steaming court for another two-and-a-half hours of grueling points and suicide drills during the hottest part of the day.
A short reprieve, followed by running, biking, crunching and lifting.
The day ended at 6:30 p.m. And then it started all over again the very next morning.
Such is the life of a professional tennis player.
"It is a lot of hard work and it is a job like everything else," said 2001 Commerce School graduate Brian Vahaly, on the phone the week after the U.S. Open. "But it is not as glamorous as it seems."
It's a job all right -- one that Vahaly never saw coming his way.
"I started playing tennis when I was 2 or 3 when my parents put a racket in my hand," Vahaly said. "It got to a point when I was 16 that I really got burnt out and I decided I wanted to quit. But I decided I wanted to go to a great college, and I needed to get a tennis scholarship, so I made a push in my game so that I could pick where I could go."
He did so -- and he chose Charlottesville.
But it wasn't until his second year at the University, when Vahaly, currently the No. 106-ranked player in the world, started to think he could make it.
"When I reached No. 2 in the nation in my second year, people started asking me when I was going to turn pro
I didn't think I could make it," he said. "Growing up watching Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Michael Chang and the end of John McEnore and Jimmy Conners, I enjoyed watching them more than I wanted to be out there with them."
Or so he thought.
Since graduating from the Commerce School with a double concentration in finance and marketing, Vahaly, the all-time leader in career victories at U.Va., turned pro and has moved consistently up the rankings -- an effort topped off by a wildcard berth in this year's U.S. Open.
And although Vahaly lost to fellow American James Blake in four sets, from the strides he has made this summer, he knows he's on his way to reaching the top of his game.
"Today was disappointing," Vahaly said in his post-match press conference following his loss to Blake in New York. "It's hard. I've worked so hard this year to be at this event and trained for many weeks to be here. I know there's a lot of things I need to work on. It's an experience I'm glad I had."
Despite his loss, others in the tennis world are noticing him.
"He seems to be a real solid base liner," said Tony Lance, assistant editor to Tennis Magazine.
"He doesn't have that much size, but he looks like he has the game to make some trouble for some time -- good wheels, steady and smart."
For Vahaly, experience is what he needs, and it's exactly what he's just starting to taste.
Earlier in the spring, Vahaly defeated one of the men he looked up to as a kid, American Michael Chang.
"That was a big start to my career," Vahaly said with a sigh of acknowledgement. "He was kind of my role model growing up."
After the victory over Chang, Vahaly kept the momentum going with three tournament victories on the satellite circuit, a level below the main pro tour. He won a round in Newport, and had close matches with Roddick and Andre Agassi.
During his match against Agassi in Washington, D.C., Vahaly was overwhelmed by the support he received from friends, especially University alumni.
"It was a bit crazy," Vahaly said appreciatively. "So many friends came out to see my play and over 100 U.Va. alumni came too."
But the support didn't end there. Vahaly, a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity, said his fellow fraternity members skipped class to watch his U.S. Open match live on USA network, as did his sister and friends back home in Atlanta.
"Let's be honest, I'm not on TV every day," Vahaly said smiling. "You've got to take advantage. Everybody is having parties. They don't care if it's the middle of the day. I had friends skipping work."
Vahaly's friends, however, weren't the only ones enjoying the moment.
"I probably had thousands of people watching me on TV today," the All-American tennis player said. "It was exciting. It was nerve-wracking. It was interesting to just walk around the court and think how many players have been out there, to feel like I can be a part of it. For the rest of my life, no one can really take that away."
Even so, Vahaly is finding the inside of the tour a little different than he expected. As one of only three male players in the top 400 with a college degree, Vahaly admits that there are times when he doesn't have much in common with the solely-tennis type.
"It's hard because it's such a contrast to what I'm used to," Vahaly said. "I still stay in touch with 20 to 25 kids from U.Va. I'm adjusting to the sport a bit. It's not a very intellectual atmosphere."
Simply mention the University, however, and Vahaly speaks with pride and utter nostalgia. In fact, he even found time in his busy training schedule to go watch the football team's disappointing season opening loss to Colorado State at a bar in New York City with hundreds of University alums.
"I miss the people more than anything," Vahaly recalled. "They were the type of people I wanted to be when I grew up -- intelligent, well-rounded, a better person. I was impressed by
the Lawn, the architecture. As soon as I walked on Grounds, I knew that's where I wanted to go."
His memories of the University still shine in his mind as he drives toward the top echelon of his sport. He immediately takes any chance he gets to visit his alma mater.
"Whether it's going by Rugby Road, or Comm School, or the Corner, or dorms, it was such a great time in my life," Vahaly said. "So many incredible people and incredible friends so different and eager to learn."
At least for now, Vahaly has settled into the grind of the tour and relishes every moment he spends at his job. It all has brought a new perspective to the paycheck Vahaly once thought he would receive as a Comm School graduate. He made $10,000 for losing in the first round of the U.S. Open.
"It's odd when you are used to playing a game for fun, and it's all about the experience and now it is about making a living," Vahaly said. "It increases the stakes, playing a match for $6,000. It's intense and I love it."
Even with the added notoriety and fast-growing income, Vahaly's parents see no real change in their son.
"To me the biggest difference is he has more time to develop his game," Vahaly's father Barry said. "At Virginia, he had academics, a social life, tennis and religious work."
Today, Vahaly left his hometown of Atlanta for Hong Kong, the first stop in a six-tournament trip around the globe. And no matter how high he climbs in the rankings, he knows he's already made it.
"I hope he plays as well as he wants to play and that he fulfills his goals," Barry said. "He has already surpassed many that I may have had for him"
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