Radnor's Grimaldi hasn't missed a beat

Not too long ago, Cristina Grimaldi was out of the tennis game.

Sidelined for eight months with a stress fracture of a vertebra in her lower back, Grimaldi missed most of Radnor's season a year ago.

"For me, it was just about staying positive," Grimaldi said. "Everyone had been doing better during my injury, so I felt behind."

The Red Raiders' No. 1 player came back for team postseason tournaments in 2009, and helped Radnor reach the state semifinals without so much as losing a match. Did she say "behind?"

Now a senior and fully recovered, Grimaldi is having a nearly flawless year. She has yet to drop a match, has won the Central League singles tournament, will play in the District 1 final Tuesday, and has qualified for the state singles tournament.

"I was really nervous about starting to play matches again because I didn't know how my mind would react, how my body would react," Grimaldi said. "Once I started getting a couple matches under my belt, I wanted to play a match almost every day, because I missed the feeling of being able to compete."

Grimaldi said she fully recovered her confidence in winning the Central League event in early October.

"During the season, I had OK matches," she said, a sense of relief in her voice, "but during Central League was the first time I was challenged a little, and my back held up fine."

Behind Grimaldi on Radnor is No. 2 Jasmine Merali, and they provide a formidable one-two punch for the Red Raiders, who also have qualified for the team state tournament.

Said Radnor coach Fiona Norton: "I don't think there's anybody that can beat them [Grimaldi and Merali] until the state level, if that."