Arcilla: Let tennis resume with singles matches, marked balls

Nine-time PCA Open champion Johnny Arcilla wants tennis to resume—with certain guidelines imposed—in the midst of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The 40-year-old Arcilla and fellow coach Ronard Joven have been in Lucena City for two months after they were caught by the lockdown deadline last March 15.

They are there teaching three age-groupers, including 14-year-old hotshot Angeline Alcala. Alcala’s family allowed them to stay and continue training the kids.

“I think we’re still better off, because we still have pay,” Arcilla told the Inquirer. But unlike Arcilla, who is single, Joven has a young family waiting for him in Pangasinan.

“I think they should allow at least singles matches in tennis to be played already,” Arcilla said. “They should bring their own balls and mark them.”

The International Tennis Federation has come up with suggestions for the “new normal,” which are already being followed in several countries, including England and France.

Among them is to prohibit chatting before, during and after matches; picking up only your own set of balls; and staying at least two meters apart using opposite ends of the net in changeovers.