On and off the court, Lyons keeps coming back for more

Wendy Lyons has always had a knack for making major comebacks.

At times, the senior women's tennis player has found herself down and out--both on and off the court. But without fail, she has always managed to fight through the tough times and come back better than before.

Never was this more apparent than during last Sunday's Atlantic Coast Conference tournament final.

In her singles match, Lyons trailed 5-2 in the third set against Wake Forest's Dana Evans. At 5-3, Evans had three match points on her powerful serve.

Serious problem, right? Not for Lyons.

Backed into a deep, deep corner, she simply stepped up and won the match in a third-set tiebreaker. The nice, relaxing three-hour marathon gave Duke what seemed like a commanding 4-2 lead after the singles.

Not so fast. In the doubles, Wake quickly evened the match at 4-4. Then at No. 1 doubles, Lyons and teammate Monica Mraz won the first set, but lost the second in a tiebreaker. One set would decide the championship.

And Wake could taste it. Evans and partner Maggie Harris caught fire and opened up a 5-1 lead in the final set--they were completely dominating the match.

"It was incredible," Lyons said. "That match meant everything to me. [Monica and I] have played so many years together, we've lived together and been great friends. But that match was something that neither of us will ever forget. I think both of us are still in shock."

"That's just an amazing story," said former Duke head coach Geoff Macdonald, who left for Vanderbilt last summer after three years as Lyons' head coach. "But you know what? It doesn't surprise me. That's how much you have to respect Wendy as a competitor. She's just a really tough, gritty kid."

While at Duke, Macdonald played a major role in Lyons' biggest triumph of her career--one that didn't come within the white lines.

She played well and won plenty of matches low in the lineup during her first two years of school--but something was not quite right. Then, early in her sophomore year, Lyons was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, the eating disorder that strikes many collegiate athletes--especially women.

"She kept losing weight, and we knew that something was going on," Lyons' father, Orville, said Tuesday from the family's home in Westerville, Ohio.

According to MacDdonald, anorexia affects women on college campuses all over--including many at Duke. The disease literally causes those affected to starve themselves, and in its worst form, it can be fatal.

"So many girls think they're overweight," Macdonald said. "They can be in phenomenal condition, and they all think they're overweight."

Lyons had to sit out the 1992 fall season as her weight dropped drastically, and her future on the tennis courts was thrown into doubt. She went to see physicians and psychologists, but for a while, there was little success.

"It could have been easy for me to quit and never play again," Lyons said. "If I didn't love the sport so much, I probably would have quit. But I never like to quit in anything."

Lyons began to realize how important tennis was to her. And she also learned how to think more rationally about eating--for example, she realized that you can't gain 10 pounds in one night from eating a regular meal. With her team, parents, coach and friends supporting her, Lyons began to make a comeback.

By the spring of her sophomore year, she was back where she wanted to be--on the court. That was a relief to everyone involved, including her old roommate, Mraz.

"She could tell you what a nightmare I was to live with," Lyons said. "I was just so moody."

Today, Lyons does not shy away from discussing her problem. She has done plenty of television and newspaper interviews addressing the issue, and she is not ashamed of what she went through--and continues to fight against.

"It's been her cross to bear and will continue to be so," Macdonald said.

"She still doesn't eat like a lot of people eat," Orville Lyons said. "But she's overcome the biggest part of the problem, and she's aware that it can always come back on you. I think that's the key."

Instead of being beaten down by the disease, Lyons recovered and came back with a renewed enthusiasm for tennis. Her opponents had to pay the price.

"I learned how much I loved the sport and how much I didn't want to give it up," Lyons said. "It went up and down, and I still drop [weight] every summer. But when I'm [at Duke], there's that threat of not playing and letting everybody else down. That kind of keeps me going."

She seriously got going during her junior year. Lyons had the eating disorder under control, and now it was her chance to shine at the top of the lineup. She played No. 1 singles for much of the year--winning 10 of 12 matches at the top spot--and was named an All-American after the season.

"She went from being No. 6 and being sick to No. 1 and an All-American," Macdonald said. "And I hope she makes All-American again. She's a very special player and person."

Lyons was determined to get back onto the court. And that same determination shows itself in the way she plays. She doesn't have an overpowering game. She uses an unusual slice forehand to frustrate her opponents, while she wins most of her points with a powerful backhand.

But none of the physical weapons can compare with her intangibles--something that was never more evident than in Sunday's match.

"You know how they sometimes say a golfer has an extra club in the bag?" Duke assistant coach Jamie Ashworth said. "Well with Wendy, it's like she has an extra racket or extra person on the court to support her. There's the Wendy hitting the ball and the Wendy saying, `I'm not going to lose."'

This year, Lyons injured her shoulder early in the season. She was forced to miss three matches, and the team struggled mightily.

But--surprise, surprise--she battled back, went 19-4 at the No. 2 spot and, along with Mraz, is in position to become a two-time All-American.

"It was a great turnaround," Orville Lyons said of his daughter's time at Duke. "We had heard that once an athlete has this [eating disorder] happen, a lot of them never again play at the same level. Obviously, she has."

Other players may be more flashy and may hit the ball harder. But for some reason, Wendy Lyons is so often the one smiling after the match.

"I hate to lose more than anything in the world," Lyons said. "I'm very lucky in that way--I can be playing terribly and I can be getting killed, and something in my head clicks. I never think I'm going to lose."

Off the court, she studies hard and likes to be regular student. But because of her not-so-regular abilities inside the lines, she's considering giving the professional tour a try this summer.

Regardless of what she does, the rest of life shouldn't be a big problem for Lyons. She's already dealt with plenty of bleak situations--and come out on top.

"I just see her kind of going on and doing whatever she decides to try," Macdonald said. "I think the qualities that enable you to win a match like [Wake Forest] just don't go away."