The Never-Ending pursuit of improving by Lizl Kotz

Donna Fales U.S. Intercollegiate Singles Champion 1959. Pictured at the NSWTA Tournament Daniel Island

I sat down with Donna Fales to look over some of the action pictures I took of her. I noticed that she looked through the still pictures with little interest, yet intently studied the slow-motion video of her serve. “I’ve been working on something with my serve. Clearly, I still have some work to do” she said with little emotion. I already knew that Donna was quite an accomplished player but that statement right there showed me why.

Donna played college tennis for William and Mary. At seventy-nine years of age she still loves to compete, although the way she trains and recovers now is very different compared to when she was in her teens and twenties. “I used to train and compete without incorporating fitness into my routine, nobody did. Now I do pilates every day and do maintenance exercises for my back and shoulder. I also take a week off after playing in a tournament.”

I love that Donna is still intentional about her practice. She lives and trains in Miami and finds that practicing with men is the most effective way for her to keep improving. “I find that practicing patterns while drilling is very important for my game. In life as in tennis, practicing patterns and anticipating patterns can be the difference between winning and losing. When I play a match, I study my opponent’s patterns. In life, I feel that staying one step ahead and anticipating events has helped me tremendously.”

Donna owns a beautiful, decisive serve. She holds on to the traditional skill of tossing with two balls in her hand. This alone instantly earns my admiration. As a player myself, I strive to achieve an accurate toss with merely one ball in my hand. Considering Donna Fales is still working on her service technique, I know that she is not afraid of change. Holding on to that which works, while being open to change, seems like a winning combination to me.

“Participating in sports has taught me so much about life. The way you compete best when you focus on one point at a time, not looking back and not too far ahead has helped me on the court as well as in my battle against cancer. You just can’t afford to get too far ahead of yourself. Patience and perseverance is another big one. Never think you can’t come back from a big situation. It’s amazing what can happen when you keep on trying. “