Te apetece un partido de tenis?

Roughly translated it says, "How about a game of tennis?"

If Adam Lane wants to play a game of tennis these days, he will find the aforementioned question necessary in both English and Spanish since he is the director of tennis at a hotel in Puerto Rico.

Lane is currently working with Peter Burwash International (PBI), a

tennis management company that supplies tennis pros upscale resorts and clubs around the world.

Considered a department head at his current hotel, Lane is responsible for things such as tennis programs, camps and clinics. He orders equipment, teaches lesson and attends managers' meetings.

"Our company has taught over 3 million students. We have resorts in all corners of the world. I see exotic places and get paid to live there," Lane said.

Growing up in Ironton, Lane didn't have to worry much about speaking anything but English, unless it was in one of his high school foreign language classes.

A stellar tennis player for the Ironton Fighting Tigers, Lane attend Belmont University in Nashville where he majored in criminal justice and history.

Following college, Lane co-owned his own valet company in the southeast. But Lane didn't like the business world and began looking for something else in a field he loved: tennis.

"I was sick of the cutthroat business world, plus I depended on 18- to 22-year-old kids driving $90,000 cars for my living. Talk about stress," Lane said.

"I was looking to travel some, and someone mentioned to me Peter Burwash International. After some research, I decided that it was a great company with a long history. This is the 30th anniversary of our company. It is the only one that has been in existence this long."

Lane sold the valet company and became assistant tennis coach at Samford University and taught tennis at Lakeshore Foundation in Birmingham, Ala., a top junior tennis academy as well as a training center for Olympic wheelchair-bound athletes.

When Lane began looking for another job he found PBI and became one of 5,000 applicants. The company only accepts less than 10 per year, but Lane was one of the chosen few and was given his first assignment in Seoul, South Korea.

"I worked at the most exclusive expat club in the country," Lane said. "I've taught people from over 50 countries and eight ambassadors from places such as the United States, Turkey, Mexico, Poland, Belgium, Morocco, New Zealand and Germany."

After proving his talent and skills, Lane was given the job of Director of Tennis for Hyatt Dorado Beach in Puerto Rico.

Besides teaching ambassadors, Lane has worked with several celebrities such as Kristina Brandi, Puerto Rico's top-ranked woman on tour. Lane will be her hitting partner at the U.S. Open in New York.

The job in Puerto Rico has enabled Lane to meet the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, singer Wayne Newton and U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney. He also taught lessons to Sen. Edward Kennedy's daughter.

Living in Puerto Rico has meant some adjustments for Lane, but not as difficult as Korea where only 10 percent of the people speak English.

"The biggest difference is the language," Lane said. "While most people speak English, Spanish is the dominant language Most people are bilingual here, but the occasional no-speaking English person is sort of a trying conversation.

"In Korea, it's a male-dominated society that the female is not respected for their views. They have incredible work ethic. Just this year they start phasing out six-day work weeks."

However, Lane said it hasn't been that difficult living in Puerto Rico.

"Puerto Rico is the same due to the fact it is a U.S. territory. They use all the U.S. measurements, the dollar, and we even have a Wal-Mart."

Although Lane has enjoyed his stint in Puerto Rico, he would like to move farther east to Europe for his next assignment.

"My sister lived in the Middle East and said is beautiful there. I want to go to Dubai and work," Lane said. "We have several hotels there.

"One of my main goals is to go to Costa Rica. We just signed the Four Seasons Resort there. I am trying to talk them into letting me go there for a while and fill-in when the pro wants

to go on vacation."

Lane said PBI has a web site that offers information to interested people. The site is www.pbitennis.com