Auguste Comte, the founding father of sociology, is given credit for famously saying, “Know yourself, to improve yourself.” In 2015, Irina Falconi used that strategy to take her game and rankings to an all time high. A year that saw her reach #64 in September and finish the season at 70 in the world. By knowing her game and improving on the solid foundation instilled in her at a young age, Falconi was able to succeed in 2015 and prepare herself for even more success in 2016.
Irina Falconi: Knowing Thyself To Victory
2015 saw Irina Falconi break into the top 100 and finish the season (as mentioned before) at #70. During the season she gained direct entry into all 4 majors, reached the 3rd round at Roland Garros, the quarterfinals of Bogota, and had a US Open where her match against Venus Williams was one of the best matches of the Slam season, garnering her interviews and features with Tennis Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and the New York Times. Beyond the numbers and attention, Falconi also realized dreams of both her own and her family’s. Falconi grew up in Manhattan and learned to play tennis from her father, who would take her to Inwood Park every afternoon. Her father, a former professional soccer player from Ecuador, instilled a drive in his daughter from a young age. Like many tennis parents, her dad wanted much for his daughter, but the absence of her father’s drive and “nagging” was one of the factors that solidified Falconi’s love for the game. “…when I was 14, my dad had to go to Florida to look for a house since we were going to move. And for three months, I didn’t have anyone pushing me. No one telling me I had to play. And in those three months I realized that I really loved the game, and wanted to play, no matter if my dad was there or not.” Falconi and her father daydreamed of Falconi’s future success as she worked her way through juniors and set the base foundation for her pro game. Falconi remembers training at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and dreaming one day of playing in prime time at the US Open. Her father too was able to realize a dream of his at the US Open, “To this day he still says that his dream was for me to become a pro tennis player, so I guessed I made it happen for him. He watched me play at US Open this year which was a thrill.”
When asked about why she thought she had such a successful 2015 and reached so many professional and personal goals, Falconi was quick to look inward to explain. “One of the reasons why my 2015 was so strong was because I became extremely secure with my tennis game.” Falconi explained further noting that she really “started believing in the strategies and analyzing and nit picking my game as to what needed to improve.” Falconi also credited having a great team around her that was supportive and encouraging, but “had the confidence” to critique her game honestly when something needed to be focused on and improved.
Falconi’s game is one of craft, touch, and a keen ability to work the ball around the court in ways that frustrate her opponents, who are often taller and bigger strikers of the ball. 2015 was a year in which her belief in her game allowed her to have an almost zen approach to competition. “I worked really hard in just playing the ball, and not the opponent, because at the end of the day, the ball is the same. It doesn’t matter who you play, it’s how you play the ball that’s coming to you. There are going to be times where the ball comes faster, or comes over the net more times than others, but that’s what makes players great—the ability to adapt.”
This security in herself and her game has allowed Falconi to make her speed and touch into important weapons. This ability to construct a intricate point has been a skill that Falconi has been gifted with for a long time. Bryan Shelton, Falconi’s former collegiate tennis coach at Georgia Tech, where she was a two-time all-American, notes that Falconi “was one of a kind” from a coaching stand point and was quick to compliment both her game and her attitude. “Irina has always had a keen sense of anticipation that puts her ahead. She is almost always going to be the shortest one on the court but she will never go unnoticed because of her shot making ability and fun personality.” Shelton also noted Falconi’s ability to play the ball and not her opponent. While at Georgia Tech, Shelton noticed that Falconi had the ability to step outside the point to appreciate both her situation and opponent. “I see most players start to feel small when their opponent plays well or makes great plays against them, but Irina has the ability to see the court and action as if she is a spectator and appreciate the plays.” He went on to say that his helped her “eliminate pressure” off herself allowing her to play freely.
This ability to adapt and focus on the ball instead of the name across the net from her was a contributing factor to her ability to play such an amazing match against one of tennis’s all time greats in Venus Williams at the US Open. Throughout the match, Falconi continually worked short angles, drop shots, and made Williams play many “extra” balls by making incredible stabs and gets from deep in the court. This tenacity on the court turned the match around and won Falconi the second set before falling in a tight 3rd. Falconi reminisced about watching the replay of the match, “I remember the commentators just talking about who Venus was going to play in the following rounds and in the later rounds. And then all of a sudden I won the second set. I think that’s what motivating me even more.” After the US Open, Falconi received much press and praise from both the avid and casual tennis fan alike. The attention was sudden, but appreciated by the affable young American. “There’s a song that comes to my head after that match by Twista, called “Overnight Celebrity”. For a brief moment, I was getting calls, texts, and everything under the sun to let me know how great of a match it was, and how awesome it was to watch me on tv. People that didn’t even know tennis were pumped watching the match, so in regards to that, it was seriously awesome.”
The US Open match against Williams was a textbook case of what a crafty tennis player is in the tennis world. Although hard striking baseliners are often the tennis players that capture the attention of the typical ESPN tennis fan, Falconi, and others like her, prove that there is room for success in the game for women who play differently than the power games of the Sharapovas and Williams. When asked if she ever feels slighted because she is placed into that category “crafty” or “all court” player, Falconi was straightforward and confident saying, “As for ‘all court’ and ‘crafty’, I think that I absolutely love that about my game. How else can I describe my game? I am quick, I can volley, I don’t have a 130 mph serve so I have to be fast—I think that crafty is a wonderful way to describe my game.”
Falconi’s freedom and confidence have her looking forward to a successful 2016. Falconi’s “most important” goal for herself in 2016 is “to stay healthy.” Falconi has also set a goal of finishing the year in the Top 50, which, with the help from her support team during the off-season, seems very reachable. “My team at the USTA and I worked on a lot of things during off season, especially strength and footwork. My trainer Satoshi Ochi was super pumped with the progress that we made during the off season, so now it’s a matter of keeping a really good base, and go from there,” Falconi added. As Falconi starts the season in Brisbane (where she upset #9 seeded CoCo Vandaweigh on Monday) she will continue to look both forward and in herself for the motivation to improve and make 2016 and even more successful year.
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