For Philippine soft tennis’ poster girl Noelle Conchita Zoleta-Mañalac, her little-known sport is ready for the spotlight for a long time coming.
Thrown to the back-burner by more popular sports—including its more famous cousin lawn tennis—soft tennis has been thriving in the world stage.
She herself bagged a bronze medal for the Philippines in the 15th World Soft Tennis Championship in New Delhi in 2015.
Last year, in the Asian Championships in Japan, she also took bronze in the same category. Other members also went away with bronze medals in the team events.
“Now what we are pushing is for soft tennis to get included in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games,” the 28-year-old Zoleta-Manalac told the Inquirer. “Hopefully they consider soft tennis because it’s one sports we can excel in.”