She is 71, she is real and she is fabulous. If you have any doubt that tennis is a lifelong sport, meet our charismatic CT OPEN cover girl and BABOLAT outfit winner, Hedy Weissman. An avid tennis player since her 30s, Hedy works hard at keeping her youthful, active lifestyle. We were lucky enough to interview Hedy, who shared nuggets of wisdom and advice about acceptance, change and playing on…
About Hedy…
Age: 71; began playing tennis in her 30s
Profession: 3D Artist and teacher; now retired but still creates pieces for friends
Play Status: Doubles 4.0, part of three groups—indoor NY/NJ, outdoor CT and FL
Regimen…
According to Hedy, the key to looking and feeling good is simple, “Stay active and get out there. Just go and do, do, do! Make yourself walk as much as possible, park farther way, use the stairs. MOVE. I don’t diet, but I am a big vegetable and salad eater and watch the carbs. Then there’s genetics.”
Acceptance…
“As you age, it’s OK to have acceptance and peace with what you can accomplish but don’t become a couch potato…instead fight it all the way! Go for 100% of what you can accomplish.”
Sharing…
“One of the things I learned in life is to share. Women share. Sharing gives us strength to accept what happens in our lives and gives us affirmation that we are not alone.”
Tennis lessons…
“Tennis is a reflection of who I am. I am consistent, supportive, give it my all… and I like to have fun. I learned that with tennis players, it’s easy to figure out who they are in life after seeing them on the court.”
Why do you play?
“What I love most about tennis are the people. We have such a great time together. We are supportive of each other. When someone isn’t playing as usual and seems down, you follow-up with them after the match and there’s caring and friendship. We have been playing together for over 20 years. We have seen our children grow, death, sickness…this is my tennis family. The most wonderful part of being a tennis player is being with these people on and off the court.”
Inspiration…
“What inspires me about tennis is that at a certain age, you can wake-up achy and tight — then you get on the court, warm-up and all that dissipates 10 minutes after you start playing. And even after I get off the court, I keep moving. My body, brain…all feel good — it’s a high.”
Looking put-together on the court, is it important?
“Yes, yes, yes. It’s who I am. I always make an effort to look good on and off court. The two most important things about the outfit are that it looks great and is comfortable.
“If I had to design my ideal tennis outfit… It would be colorful and have shorts underneath that I could attach a pant-leg to. I often wear my tennis outfit off the court and need a quick fix if it’s chilly out.”
Pet peeve…
“People who are late to the match.”
Who would be your ideal tennis partner?
“Chrissie Evert. I think we would be compatible with similar qualities… consistent, supportive and give 100%.”
Who would you not like to play with?
“Someone who doesn’t realize that it is just a game and a time to have fun.”
Are you a ball or a racquet?
“I am definitely a ball. I am always bouncing around the court and all over town.”
Describe yourself on the court in one word:
“Bunny-rabbit”
Thank you so much, Hedy. We have much to learn about life, ourselves and tennis… at any age.
XO,
