Would it surprise you to hear that the Yale women's tennis team's assistant coach, who has been with the team since the beginning of last year, is a former professional tennis player? Would it surprise you to hear that she played on the tour for six years, four of them as a pro, garnering a ranking as high as 55 in the world? Would it surprise you if she played such superstars as Steffi Graf and Monica Seles, and defeated Katerina Maleeva when Maleeva was ranked in the top 10?
Well, then, would it surprise you if she was a sophomore in Stiles?
Donna Faber, ES '98, didn't prepare for her years at Yale the way most students in New Haven did. When she was 16, Faber began to tour around the world, playing in the most prestigious tennis tournaments, including Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and the Australian Open. In fact, Faber reached the round of 16 in the Australian twice, in 1989 and 1990, and at Flushing Meadows in 1989.
In the process, Faber experienced many situations first hand that other Elis can only watch on their televisions. "It was a great experience, overall. In the process of training, I learned a lot about how to teach more effectively," Faber said.
Faber is now using the experience to help coach the Bulldogs' women's team. "I was able to gain so much on-court experience, I can help them out here and there," she said.
In the long run, Faber said that she has hung up her tennis racket for good. "I'm definitely not going back to playing after graduation. I'm hoping to go to med school, so I probably won't have time to coach, either," she said. Faber, who is from Clearwater, Fla., ined that she plans to pursue a major in Spanish.
For now, however, Faber is most concerned with the Bulldog tennis squad. She said, "We're getting into the Ivy part of the season now. They're starting to really come together." Faber's experience, talent, and personality will certainly have an important hand in helping the entire team reach their potential.
Copyright 1996, The Yale Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
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