Suella Steel first learned how to play tennis at age 33, which was nearly 35 years ago. Today the La Jolla resident is ranked No. 1 in the United States in both singles and doubles for the Women’s 65 and over age group. Her world ranking for singles in the same age group is No. 2. Those rankings (in the USA) have afforded Steel the opportunity to represent the United States at the 29th International Tennis Federation (ITF) Super-Seniors World Team Championships in Perth, Australia, to be held Nov. 2 through 7, for the Kittee Godfree Cup. The following week will be for the individual titles. “These competitions are why I still love to play tennis,” Steel exclaimed. “It is a privilege to represent the United States of America in an international event. We wear the same USA warm-ups they do for the Davis and Fed Cup competitions.” The aforementioned Davis Cup (men) and Fed Cup (women) are for the players on the professional tour. However, every age group classification in tennis has its own “cup” event. This year marks Steel’s 20th cup team competition and her fourth Kittee Godfree Cup. This year’s event presents an extra challenge, as it will be held on both grass and artificial grass courts. The format is two singles matches and one doubles match per round. “We have usually defeated Australia in previous competitions, but with the event being on grass and they are the host country, it is going to be very tough to win,” Steel noted. “Plus it is such a long trip to get there.” Many countries will have teams for both men and women. In addition to Steel, the other women on the 65 and over team who will be playing are captain Donna Fales (Coral Gables, Fla.), Lee Delfausse (Waitsfield, Vt.), and another local, Cathie Anderson from Del Mar. Team members are selected by their national rankings. In Steel’s previous Kittee Godfree Cup experiences, her team won the event twice, once in New Zealand and the other in Turkey. Last year they finished second to Germany, with the competition again held in Turkey. Many players from other countries have competed previously on the professional tour and at the Grand Slam events. About every five or six years, the competition is held in the United States, with the last venue being in Philadelphia. “Every year we get older and it becomes more difficult to win it,” Steel said. “I will have my hands full playing No. 1 with so many great players. There is a lot of pressure on you when you represent your country.” Fortunately, Steel has a wealth of tennis experience in these situations to give the team a good chance at winning. She has won 75 national championships, including two gold slams in doubles and six ITF world doubles championships. Steel is familiar to many in the San Diego area tennis community, not just for her competitive achievements but also for giving back to the game. She served on USTA National committees for 15 years, is a 14-year member of the San Diego District Tennis Association board of directors and is a long-time member of the Unites States Professional Teachers Association (USPTA). As a teaching professional she coached nine USTA League teams to the Nationals. In 2007 she was inducted into the San Diego Tennis Hall of Fame. Steel plays regularly at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club and still does some teaching at La Jolla Alta. Previously, for more than 15 years she was a teaching professional at Loma Santa Fe Country Club. “One of the great things about these international cup competitions is you see so many of the same people year after year, and thus we all become good friends,” Steel said. “Yet honestly, I love to teach more than play.” Quite an inspirational journey for a woman who stepped into a sport at a relatively late age compared to many “international competitors,” yet has risen to be one of the elite players in the world. For more information visit www.usta.com, go to “Leagues and Tournaments” and then “Adult / Senior Tournaments.”