Tennis, anyone?

FOR THE first time as long as we can remember—and our memory serves us well despite the passing of the years—two young Filipinos figured in an All-Filipino finals in tennis and in the process guaranteed back-to-back victories in girls’ singles in ITF Junior events. Our only regret is that the sport of tennis gets nowhere near the attention it deserves by the big corporations which seem obsessed with basketball, as though this is the only game in which we can make a name for ourselves internationally.
With all due respect, this is a dream that often turns into a nightmare.
Don’t get us wrong, we love the sport and enjoy the way the game is played by Filipinos. We would devoutly wish, though, that we regain the excitement of the native brand of basketball which appears to have been overwhelmed by a far more technical game.
The scientific approach is fine but an overdose doesn’t induce the adrenalin rush associated with the brand of basketball reminiscent of “The living Legend” Robert Jaworski, the likes of Danny Florencio, Atoy Co and Philip Cesar, and the razzle-dazzle of players like Francis Arnaiz and Bernie Fabiosa which fans long for.
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The Philippines can be competitive to a point in Asia. That’s it.
While competing in the Olympics is a laudable goal, getting there is far more difficult than believing that, with one naturalized player, it can be done.
Of course, nothing is impossible, and we sincerely hope we succeed because of the unbridled passion of coach Rajko Toroman and the eminent businessman-sportsman Manny V. Pangilinan, the man behind the upsurge of interest in the national team, the collegiate leagues and the sport itself.
We wish to see reputable corporations which invest so much in basketball and, of course, boxing—when it comes to Manny Pacquiao—to consider providing a percentage of their outlays to other sports such as tennis and football, to name just two.
The best way to do that is to build renewed interest in the sport by providing regular coverage on television. It helps broaden the base of lovers of the sport and provide an impetus to the players themselves.
It also helps attract other young people to take up these sports, and expand the base of athletes in the various disciplines we can choose from for international competitions.
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There are some really talented kids playing the game, and for the first time in a long time we had a fine group of youngsters competing in Vietnam.
The result was we had an All-Filipino girls final, which meant back-to-back titles in Hong Kong and Vietnam.
Clarice Patrimonio, daughter of basketball superstar Alvin Patrimonio and wife Cindy, won the singles title in Hong Kong, and Tamitha Nguyen, daughter of Edna Olivarez Nguyen, the US NCAA champion, and her husband Tuan Nguyen emerged victorious in Vietnam.
Also competing was the very talented kid from Pampanga, Maika Tanpoco, and boys Jurence Mendoza, Jacob Lagman and Calvin Canlas. They were accompanied by two dedicated youthful coaches in Karl Santamaria and Roland Kraut.
These kids need to compete abroad to gain competitive experience and hone their skills.
Surely our young tennis players deserve some recognition and support even on a much smaller scale. Believe me, it will be an ace if we can get this done.