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CEBU, Philippines — John Lloyd, not the actor, but the husband of former world tennis number one Chris Evert. See, that’s how Filipinos mimic foreign names, not knowing one of them is already the surname. But that is not the point. Lloyd, the surname, thinks tennis now needs more players like Andre Agassi, that’s his full name. But there must be a Filipino kid out there by that full name as his two first names. Still, that is not the point.

Why John, the first name, misses the sympathetic Andre, the first name, is understandable. Agassi, the surname, made tennis exciting, on and off court. He was the best returner of the game who neutralized the game of best server Pete, the first name.

But Agassi was more famous for his off-court liaisons with female celebrities. He dated the Barbra Streisand, married and divorced the Brooke Shields and finally settled with the Steffi Graf. People who didn’t exactly like tennis watched it because of Agassi and his dating history. He was the superstar who crossed over from sports to entertainment.

Something that can’t be said of Carlos Alcaraz despite his phenomenal rise to the top of world ranking, and his recent drubbing of Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon. Of course there’s nothing wrong with the new toast of men’s tennis. He may play better than Agassi, but he definitely lacks the drawing power.

There is nothing wrong with Alcaraz. He is even humbler and more discreet with his personal life. That could be the problem, it makes him less interesting. But then again, no one will ever know who people like and why. Virtually nothing fully explains liking. It’s the personal choice of the liker. Just as nothing fully explains faith. It is the personal choice of the believer. It is a matter of acceptance.

Exactly why no one should argue about religion. It starts a debate where no one wins. And despite how people argue for or against a candidate, the electors are always free to choose, even if their basis is ridiculous. It all boils down to choice. Even if the choice does not make sense at all.

For, there are those who look awesome but never get some, while there are those who look awful but get their basket full. No need to name names, neither the first name nor the surname, they are in the form of political, religious and cult leaders, celebrities and recently, media influencers. Why people like them even if they look hideous, or believe in them even if they are dubious, is because of charisma. It’s a gift that is not subject to theft. Don’t even dare mimic, for some reason people don’t like clones. But for the wrong reasons they believe in clowns.