Carrie Soto Is Back

In the locker room, Carrie thanks Nicki for calling after Javier passed away. As they talk, Nicki claims that Carrie doesn’t understand everything that Nicki can accomplish, whereas Nicki respects what Carrie has done for tennis. Nicki points out that she is the first Asian woman to win Wimbledon and that she’s experienced a lot of racism because she isn’t white. Carrie knows this. Nicki continues to list her accomplishments, many of which aren’t shared by Carrie. She says that she is “the best player women’s tennis has seen” and she wants Carrie to recognize that (332). Carrie tries to explain that she does see it, and that it’s the reason she returned as a player. They shake hands.

The crowd does not stop cheering when Carrie enters the court: for Javier, too, not just for Carrie. She beats Dvořáková soundly.

A transcript from SportsRadio reveals that Bowe makes it to the quarterfinals. The Mark Hadley Show transcript discusses both Bowe and Carrie; the commentators wonder if the two are dating. They also note that Carrie and Bowe are testaments to Javier’s work as they both embody “[t]he beautiful fundamentals” (339).