What would you do if you had to sit out of your sport for months to recover from surgery? You might get depressed or sulk and complain.
But if you were Virginia women's tennis player Amy O'Donnell, you would probably smile and maybe even crack a joke or two.
"She always laughs through everything," Virginia assistant coach Justin Drzal said of O'Donnell. "She has a great sense of humor and is not jaded in the least. She takes herself seriously but at the same time can make things light. She's the funniest person to be around."
When pain in her right shoulder overwhelmed her at the end of last year, O'Donnell had no choice but to undergo surgery. Rehabilitation required nearly five months, and Virginia's top player was forced to sit out the entire fall season.
But just because she wasn't playing didn't mean she couldn't be a part of the team. O'Donnell voluntarily traveled on the road with her teammates to every away contest, went to all the Cavaliers' home matches and even attended practices. As the team worked hard in practice, she worked hard through rehab and put in many extra hours in the training room. It would have been a tough situation for anyone, but O'Donnell made the most of it all.
"You have to give her a lot of credit for staying dedicated to her rehab and being with the team through it," Drzal said. "She really became a team player and also learned a lot herself. The situation was really a benefit to both her and the team."
If rehabilitation was hard enough, coming back proved to be an even greater challenge. After endless hours working out and rehabbing her shoulder, O'Donnell slowly made her way back toward playing again.
So far, her shoulder has not given her any problems since her return to the court. But she found herself thrown directly back into the No. 1 spot, and the high demand and strain of the competition put her on a big roller coaster ride.
"It's been hard coming back," O'Donnell said. "I've never taken more than a month off of tennis before. At first I just wanted to have fun playing again and work my way back in. I'm still not 100 percent, but I put pressure on myself and expect myself to be the same as I was before. That's just unrealistic."
After dropping her first two matches in competition, O'Donnell bounced back to win the next two, which included a 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 win over Pennsylvania's Sanela Kunovac, the East Region's No. 4 player at the time. She then went into a slump, however, and lost four consecutive matches. O'Donnell came back once again, winning three of the next four, but is currently riding a four-match losing streak. She has compiled a singles record of 5-11 so far this spring.
No matter what the situation is, however, you will always see O'Donnell with a smile on her face.
"It's been up and down, but I try to be upbeat and look at everything from a positive point of view," she said. "Even when I'm playing badly, I just try to always be happy."
O'Donnell's good humor not only keeps herself going, but the team as well. Her leadership and positive attitude undoubtedly will help the Cavaliers this weekend when they face Wake Forest and N.C. State in the final leg of their season.
"We're lucky and very thankful to have her on the team," Drzal said. "She plays in a tough spot at No. 1. It's the toughest task we ask anyone to do on the team, and she comes through and does a nice job. She competes to her fullest and is always upbeat and confident"
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