We may have just found a future US Open competitor.
Joaquin Blanco, 4, can barely see over the net and he is already serving like a pro. The charasmatic little boy darts about the court as his parents, Melissa and Ignacio, give subtle hints as to how to hold his racket in a swing.
"I never wanted to push him," Joaquin's mother says to me as she tries to coax him off the court to take a break.
She wouldn't have to, though, as Joaquin will wake himself up at 6 a.m. to play tennis before school with his grandmother, a professional tennis player with plenty of advice for the budding star.
"We were actually a little embarrassed," laughs Melissa of sharing her family's story. It was her mother, Brenda Mertz, member of the U.S. Professional Tennis Association, who decided to introduce us to the Blanco's.
"She's really good," says Joaquin of his grandmother and teacher. When Mertz isn't passing on her skills onto her grandson, she's a People to People Ambassador to Australia and a breast cancer survivor. Her daughter tells us she also underwent heart surgery recently and completed a 60-mile, three-day cancer walk.
Ignacio, originally from Argentina, coaches Joaquin in Spanish from over the net with wife Melissa, who he met in Spain. The two moved to New Canaan from Miami with daughter Martina, 2, and Joaquin a year ago. If you have children in , you may have already met the Blanco's!
With the promise of iced cream lingering in his mind, patient little Joaquin sat down to chat with New Canaan Patch for a bit after a game with Mom and Dad. Watch the video to see Joaquin on the court and hear what he has to say about one of his favorite games.
