By Patricia Potestades, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer | June 23

As a tennis instructor, Trish Faulkner can stand on the other side of a court and notice when a player’s grip is off because the pointer finger isn’t positioned properly.

Her students know her for her ability to bring out the best in people both on and off the court.

BallenIsles Country Club’s Director of Tennis, Trish Faulkner, recently awarded by the United States Professional Tennis Association as USPTA Florida Professional of the Year, stands inside the BallenIsles Sports Complex on June 20, 2014. (Richard Graulich / The Palm Beach Post)

At 68 years old, Faulkner is an international tennis champ who played at Wimbeldon six times and authored The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Tennis. For the past 20 years, she has been working at BallenIsles Country Club where she is now the director of tennis.

“She always pushes you to a level you didn’t think you could go,” said Joanne Graceman, who has been Faulkner’s student for about three years.

This year, Faulkner received the United States Professional Tennis Association’s Professional of the Year Award from the Florida division, which followed her national women’s 45-and-Over Player of the Year awards in 1998 and 2001.

“Trish is just instrumental in bridging that gap between community and club,” said Brian Merbler, director of marketing for BallenIsles.

Faulkner said she felt that giving back to the community has always been one of her top responsibilities as tennis director. She has organized tournaments and teamed with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office to give inner-city kids the opportunity to get instruction and play in facilities they wouldn’t have access to otherwise.

In times of hardship, such as when Faulkner was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998, she clung to her love for the game. Even while receiving treatments for cancer, she was able to teach and compete in a national tournament.

“Tennis really helped me through,” she said.

After giving a few tennis lessons in the morning, she went for radiation in the afternoon, and come back to work after.

“It was just like lunch time,” she said.

Even with her many accomplishments, Faulkner said she considers her 2001 win in the International Tennis Federation World Championship her proudest. She earned the championship title after going through major surgery for her second bout breast cancer and her family was there to cheer her on.

Faulkner is hoping to add one more accomplishment to her list — national professional of the year. But she said that will be a huge challenge because so many are qualified.

“Sounds like Trish,” Merbler said.