Many runners cite the lack of hand-eye coordination as one of the reasons they get into running. That certainly does not describe Danielle Lao, a professional tennis player, Hoka ambassador, and author of The Invaluable Experience, a book about her student athlete journey.
Lao, 32, has had an illustrious tennis career so far: two-time U.S. Open main draw qualifier, team captain of University of Southern California’s women’s tennis team, and two-time NCAA All-American. But perhaps most impressive of all, Lao played in the Wimbledon main draw during the pandemic, in 2021.
“I have never felt such pure joy on the tennis court,” says Lao about playing Wimbledon. “It was most definitely worth the wait and still worth talking about over a year later.”
During her rise to tennis stardom, Lao also discovered running. In 2015, Lao’s boyfriend Nam was training for his first Ironman race. He had been running with Dog Haus Running Club, a weekly social run club in Pasadena, California, and had invited Lao to join…
