One day out of the blue, when Parris was five years old, she asked her parents for a tennis racket. Surprised at the request, her parents wondered where they could even purchase tennis equipment since they knew nothing of the sport. Not long after, the journey began, one training session after another, revealing a talent and passion for the game that triggered more hours on the court to develop her gift. 

At age eight, her father took her to the renowned Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida, where a new 

level of play was discovered that activated a desire from within to compete with the best in the world.