Stefan loved tennis. He knew everything about it. Each afternoon he practised his shots. He hit a tennis ball against the back wall of his house.

Thoomp! Whoomp! Boomp! Stefan liked the sounds it made. It was almost like a drumbeat.

Thoomp went the ball as it made contact with the racquet. Whoomp went the ball when it hit the wall. Boomp went the ball when it bounced off the pavement.

Stefan played every day after school.

When the sun was setting, the shadow of the big tree in the backyard flickered across the wall.

It looked as if Stefan was playing against someone – but not just another tennis player. The shadow looked like a monster with a tennis racquet!

It was a different monster every time.

Stefan called them the Grand Slam Beasts. Today he was playing against the Smashing Demon.

‘So it’s the Australian Open Final,’ Stefan said, tapping the ball up and down on his racquet. ‘And you think you can crush me? Really? Well then, bring it on, beast!’