The BYU tennis team opened their season over the weekend with the BYU Invitational. BYU’s Lisa Waldron finished second in the consolation bracket. This is impressive, as she’s just returning after leg injuries.
Since she could remember, Lisa Waldron’s dream was to play tennis. She never expected to injure both her legs while playing, but that didn’t stop her from finishing her season. Stress fractures in both legs almost left Waldron without a freshmen season. What’s worse is that the injuries came because of repetitive impact, something you can’t avoid on the tennis court. She ignored the pain in her legs to pick up a racket to serve.
“It was my freshman year and I just felt…this dedication to the team. This is what I want to do forever and…I wasn’t going to really let that stop me,” said Waldron. During Waldron’s recovery she was in and out of medical boots for six weeks. She occasionally removed the boots to play matches and without the injury healed, she played through much pain.
Now Waldron’s boots are in the past and she is 100 percent healthy. “She played for us through her injury which was huge. She sacrificed a lot and she was awesome last year for us,” said coach Lauren Jones-Spencer. Waldron’s says she is excited to be on the court and free from injury this year. “It feels good to be able to put everything out and to play and be able to just be doing something physical. It’s just good to be back on the court,” said Waldron.
Trainers will work on her legs before and after practice and matches to keep her healthy. With no more stress fractures, Waldron says she’s ready to get back in the swing of things and continue her dream of playing tennis.
