POINT WHERE I DON’T THINK I CAN’T. WELL, IT’S ALWAYS AN HONOR TO REPRESENT TEAM USA IN ANY SPORTING EVENT, BUT HOW ABOUT DOING IT AT THE AGE OF 86? YIANNI KOURAKIS HAS A STORY OF A PALM BEACH GARDENS WOMAN WHO IS SHOWING NO SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN ON THE TENNIS COURT. THEY SAY AGE IS JUST A NUMBER, AND AT 86 YEARS YOUNG, DOROTHY WASSER OF PALM BEACH GARDENS FEELS GREAT ON THE COURT. MOST PEOPLE THINK I’M AMAZING, BUT THERE ARE SO MANY OF US THAT ARE THAT ARE STILL DOING IT ONLY BECAUSE WE’VE DONE IT SO LONG, SO WE’RE JUST STAYING IN SHAPE. WAS IT A 85? THE NEW 75? BUT THOSE PLAYERS ARE A MUCH STRONGER THAN AT THAT AGE THAN WE EVER WERE. NOT ONLY IS DOROTHY IN SHAPE, BUT SHE ROUTINELY PLAYS GOLF AND PICKLEBALL AND RECENTLY CAME HOME FROM TURKEY WITH YET ANOTHER GOLD MEDAL IN TENNIS AS CAPTAIN OF TEAM USA IN THE 85 AND OVER WORLD TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP. AND WE KNOW WE WANT TO BRING BACK THE GOLD AND WE ALL CONSIDER IT AN HONOR. REALLY, THAT THE USTA SENDS US THERE. DOROTHY HAS LOST TRACK OF THE NUMBER OF MEDALS SHE’S WON. SHE THINKS MORE THAN A DOZEN GOLDS. THE GRANDMOTHER OF SEVEN AND NOW GREAT GRANDMOTHER BEGAN PLAYING PADDLE TENNIS IN THE 1960S IN BROOKLYN. SOON TENNIS TOURNAMENTS FOLLOWED, LIVING ON LONG ISLAND. AND AT 86 YEARS OLD, DOROTHY HAS BEEN ABLE TO AVOID ANY MAJOR INJURIES THAT WOULD DERAIL HER TENNIS CAREER. SHE SAID SHE HAS REALLY GOOD GENES AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, HAS CREATED A LITTLE BIT OF FAME HERE AT BALLENISLES COUNTRY CLUB. AS SOON AS THEY SEE ME, THEY KNOW THE RESULTS OF THIS TURKEY TOURNAMENT. THEY’RE ALL CONGRATULATE ME. THEY’RE JUST THE NICEST GROUP OF PEOPLE. HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP DOING THIS? OH, AS LONG AS WE CAN. WE ALL SAY THE SAME THING. WE’RE DOING THIS BECAUSE WE CAN IN PALM BEACH GARDEN
86-year-old Florida woman brings home gold medal in tennis
They say age is just a number, and at 86 years old, Dorothy Wasser, of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, feels great playing on the tennis court.”Most people think I’m amazing. But there are so many of us that are still doing it. We’ve done it so long to stay in shape,” Wasser said.Not only is Wasser in shape, but she routinely plays golf and pickleball and recently came home from Turkey with yet another gold medal in tennis, as captain of Team USA in the 85-and-over World Team Championships.”We know we want to bring back the gold and we consider it an honor that the USTA sends us there,” Wasser said.Wasser has lost track of the number of medals she’s won over the years. She thinks it’s more than a dozen golds in international events. The grandmother of seven — and now great-grandmother — began playing paddle tennis in the 1960s in Brooklyn, and tennis tournaments soon followed while living on Long Island.At 86, Wasser has been able to avoid any major injuries that would derail her tennis career. She comes from a family of athletes with good genes, and as you can imagine, she has created a little bit of fame for herself at BallenIsles Country Club.”As soon as they see me, they know the results of the Turkey tournament. They all congratulate me. They are just the nicest group of people,” Wasser said. As for how long she plans to keep playing competitive tennis?”As long we can,” she said. “We all say the same thing — we are doing this because we can.”
They say age is just a number, and at 86 years old, Dorothy Wasser, of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, feels great playing on the tennis court.
“Most people think I’m amazing. But there are so many of us that are still doing it. We’ve done it so long to stay in shape,” Wasser said.
Not only is Wasser in shape, but she routinely plays golf and pickleball and recently came home from Turkey with yet another gold medal in tennis, as captain of Team USA in the 85-and-over World Team Championships.
“We know we want to bring back the gold and we consider it an honor that the USTA sends us there,” Wasser said.
Wasser has lost track of the number of medals she’s won over the years. She thinks it’s more than a dozen golds in international events. The grandmother of seven — and now great-grandmother — began playing paddle tennis in the 1960s in Brooklyn, and tennis tournaments soon followed while living on Long Island.
At 86, Wasser has been able to avoid any major injuries that would derail her tennis career. She comes from a family of athletes with good genes, and as you can imagine, she has created a little bit of fame for herself at BallenIsles Country Club.
“As soon as they see me, they know the results of the Turkey tournament. They all congratulate me. They are just the nicest group of people,” Wasser said.
As for how long she plans to keep playing competitive tennis?
“As long we can,” she said. “We all say the same thing — we are doing this because we can.”
