Tennis superstars ring opening bell at stock market

(L-R) Treat Huey, Sania Mirza, Carlos Moya, Daniella Hantuchova and Andy Murray ring the bell and open trading at the Philippines Stock Exchange as Jose Pardo PSE Chairman looks on. RAFFY LERMA/INQUIRER

MANILA, Philippines—The trading floor was abuzz and stockbrokers starstruck Friday morning as five international tennis superstars topbilled by the United Kingdom’s Andy Murray rang the opening bell ahead of the much-awaited International Premier Tennis League games.

Providing welcome relief to the stock market after the previous day’s selldown arising from slower-than-expected third quarter Philippine gross domestic product growth, the athletes swept many floor traders off their feet. They gave out autographed tennis balls and posed with traders for pictures after the star-studded bell-ringing ceremony.

Aside from Murray, who is a former Wimbledon and US Open champion and an Olympic gold medalist, two other team-mates from the Manila Mavericks joined the visit to the PSE: Filipino-American Treat Condrad Huey and Spain’s Carlos Moya.

Asked what it was like playing in the IPTL and for the Manila Mavericks team, the two-time grand slam champion Murray said, “It’s going to be a new experience for all of the players. It should be good fun. I am looking forward to it.”

Two female tennis pros from other teams—Singapore Slammers’ Daniela Hantuchova and Indian Aces’ Sania Mirza — also graced the bell-ringing ceremony.

“The presence of world-class international athletes in the country is reflective of the attention that we are getting as a market in general. Having them here is in step with our aspirations to become a world class exchange,” PSE president and chief executive officer Hans Sicat said.

“The IPTL event here in Manila will certainly raise the profile of the Philippines as a sporting destination. It will also be a good way to boost local sports development,” said PSE chair Jose Pardo in his welcome remarks.

Apart from raising the profile of the PSE’s savings and investment advocacy, this rare visit by international athletes is also seen in line with the PSE’s advocacy of a healthy lifestyle, Sicat said.

Asked how the PSE was able to bring these tennis icons to the trading floor, Sicat said he knew some of the team owners and IPTL organizers and thus opened discussions with them, which led to this opportunity. It was a “coincidence but we’ll take it,” he said.