Mamiit says RP tennis on the rise

Southeast Asian (SEA) Games men’s singles champion Cecil Mamiit said the other day the outlook is bright for Philippine tennis and reiterated his commitment to lead the charge at the Asian Games in Doha late this year.

Mamiit, 30, recently sparked the country’s elevation to Group 2 in the Asia-Oceania Davis Cup after blanking Sri Lanka, Singapore, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and Iran via identical 3-0 routs. Last year, the Philippines was demoted to Group 3 after losing to Korea and Lebanon.

With Mamiit and another Fil-Am Eric Taino anchoring the team’s resurgence, the Philippines came roaring back to Group 2. P. J. Tierro, Johnny Arcilla and non-playing skipper Roland So completed the national team lineup.

Mamiit dropped only a set in sweeping his five singles and one doubles outings.

He said the renaissance started in the SEA Games here last December.

"Eric and I are committed to raise the country’s interest level in tennis," said Mamiit in an e-mail to The STAR. "I think that it’s carrying on from the first day we arrived for the SEA Games. We have sacrificed a bit to work in our schedules to fit the Davis Cup and the SEA Games. It’s a worthy sacrifice. We’ve been received with open arms. It feels refreshing. Hopefully, there will be a fresh new breed of young Filipino players. The more the players, the more the chances of success."

Mamiit said he’s not promising any medals in the coming Asian Games but waxed optimistic that the country won’t come home empty-handed.

"I believe we have a chance to win a medal in the Asian Games," said the Los Angeles-born Mamiit whose father Cesar is from Alaminos, Laguna, and mother Lisa is from Sariaya, Quezon. "With a good draw and some luck, anything can happen. Our tough opponents in singles would be Paradorn, Danai, H. T. Lee, Wang and Lu. Our edge is Eric and I have competed against or have at least seen these players. As for doubles, I think Mahesh and Leander (of India) are a tough team. But it would be nice to get back at the Thai twins. It helps to have a good partner like Eric so we have a chance in doubles, too. We’ve been playing well in doubles. My ranking has jumped to No. 106 and Eric was once No. 52 in the world. So a medal in Doha is possible."

Mamiit said spearheading the country’s drive in the Davis Cup was an "awesome feeling." He pointed to the Filipino fans as his inspiration.

"I feel the connection with the fans when I’m playing," said Mamiit whose list of victims includes Andre Agassi, Michael Chang and Mark Woodforde since turning pro in 1997.

"I can sense the urgency when they want me to win. It makes me become a great player when I’m on the court. Right now, the fan support that I received at the SEA Games has been the biggest highlight so far. My goal is to increase that so the Philippines has another sport to support. I enjoy the enthusiasm of the fans. They’re loud and really support the players. I truly take that to heart when I play. There is a passion that I bring when I know that I’m going to receive that kind of support. A passionate love of the sport and of the nation that I represent."

Mamiit said things will only get better for Philippine tennis.

"The PHILTA (Philippine Lawn Tennis Association), Eric, P. J., Johnny and I have come to an agreement to try to make Philippine tennis as successful as it possibly can through the Asian Games and Davis Cup," said Mamiit. "That is what we have control over at the moment as far as competition is concerned. So we are going to try to medal in the Asian Games.

"We’ll try to put the Philippines into Group 1 in the Davis Cup and potentially get us into the qualifying round of the World Group. With this, I hope that the interest of tennis will go to a natural high," he said.

"From an individual standpoint, I hope Eric and I will be in the top 100 in the world so that people will follow us around the circuit. We would love for Filipinos to come out and watch us play. Also, P. J. and Johnny coming up right behind us as the next tennis hopefuls. You never know there could possibly be another Filipino player working right now to be next in line to make huge strides.

"In order for there to be a bright future in Philippine tennis, there needs to be motivation and desire to make it all happen. Whether it’s from PHILTA, the players, the kids, the parents, the sponsors or the fans. Everyone needs to get together and be willing to contribute as much as they can in order to achieve success. I try to bring hope and inspiration to those who watch me play. I want to show that anyone can do it. We must work hard in a collective way and do it in a professional manner. This is a start and there are already signs that the future is bright for Philippine tennis."