Tennis coach Eddie McDonald teaches way more than just how to hit a ball properly, he instils lasting values too.
Story James Siddall
As Eddie McDonald comes walking – no, striding – across the tennis courts at the oasis that is the Kloof Country Club (KCC), it’s easy to take him for someone in his 50s, tops.
The man radiates good things – energy, health, vitality, affability.
Except as we chat in the soft afternoon sun, it becomes clear that the chronology doesn’t work. Eddie is a resident tennis coach at KCC, and has been coaching for over 40 years, including around the world. He also has kids close to my own age.
It turns out that he’s in his late 60s, which is not only quite remarkable but, as I tell him, a massive inspiration to anyone who in their 40s or 50s pretty much feels that life has slid by or is in the process of doing so.
And, as it turns out, Eddie’s years have been enviably and exceptionally full. “I grew up around tennis clubs, largely thanks to my mother,” says Durban-born Eddie, who played his first junior tournament at just eight years old.
Besides playing devastatingly competitive tennis through the course of his career, including internationally, Eddie has coached in places from Austria to Germany and Spain, as well as taken SA junior squads to the USA, Italy, France and Egypt. Eddie has also coached KZN and Durban County Squads. In fact, even during his national service, he played tennis competitively.
Having settled back down in KZN, Eddie focused purely on coaching. And as he says, having decided to go the coaching route, he had “full bookings within six weeks” – not very surprising given his track record with the game, as well as, just importantly, his engaging manner. A manner that within minutes of meeting Eddie leads you to chatting with all the conviviality of old friends.
For around two decades, Eddie coached at the Hillcrest Tennis Club, before moving to KCC – where he has now been based for well over a decade.
But as with most individuals who shine at their calling, his occupation goes way beyond the strict parameters of its textbook definition.
“I get a massive kick out of seeing a pupil go from beginner level to acquiring skills and being able to actually enjoy the game, and realise that even though they might not be Roger Federer, they’re continually improving,” says Eddie. But it goes even deeper than just teaching tennis.
With the kids that Eddie coaches, he aims to help instil lasting values. “Someone once asked if I’d like to be remembered as a tennis coach who has been around for over 40 years. And you know, I’d like to be remembered as more than just this, but rather as a teacher of tennis and life skills. That includes how to behave properly on the court, which can spill over to other areas in your life. It’s also important to be kind. Be considerate. Be nice,” says Eddie.
Passion is also vital in Eddie’s world. “I get children to believe that whatever you do, you need to do it passionately,” he says. “And in life it’s important to do something you truly want to do. Don’t go and be a lawyer or a doctor or a CA if you’re not really excited about it. Rather go and do something that’s fun for you – if you’re in the position to choose, of course.”
Words that truly reflect the old adage that if you do what you deeply love, then you’ll never work a day in your life.
As for retiring, given that the late 60s is often a time of winding down, even entropy, when many ease out of the workplace and look towards a more sedentary lifestyle, Eddie says that’s not going to happen.
“I’m never going to retire!” he laughs. Not only is that perfectly, entirely believable, but it’s no doubt good news for those who he coaches now – and for those who he is still to coach and impart his values to in the future. *
Eddie McDonald 083 312 4777 eddiemcd@live.co.za
