Hungary, Steve Krulevitz of Israel, Edgar Schurmann and Guenthardt of Switzerland, Alvin Gardiner of Australia, Walter Redondo of RP/US and Mexican Davis Cupper, Marcelo Lara.

PANFILO DOMINGO & THE PNB

In 1981, when Mr. Panfilo Domingo, then President of the Philippine National Bank (PNB) became Project Director of Tennis Development in the country, he was able to revive the nation back into Davis Cup existence. With his no nonsense leadership qualities, Domingo was quick to identify and implement important events such as the 1981 ATP Grand Prix Tournament won by Ramesh Krishnan of India. The formation of the Davis Cup Team which was founded on the talents of Geeyong Sison and Walter Redondo, a former U.S. National Junior Champion and a Bicolano, born and raised in America. Walter’s sister Marita, was ranked in the world’s top 10 in the 1970’s. Both Bicolanos, Sison and Redondo were ranked among the world’s top 200 players by the ATP. Domingo also threw his support for the WHAT junior training program. In 1983, the PNB organized the nationwide tennis tour that reached over ten provinces for the promotion of grassroots headed by the WHAT’s touring coach Australian Alvin Gardiner.

Domingo formulated a five-year plan to mobilize the country’s top 4 players for a year-round international competition along with a group of junior players. However, political and economic chaos suddenly gripped the country upon the assasination of Ninoy Aquino during Ferdinand Marcos’ administration which basically forced the retirement of Domingo and the withdrawal of PNB’s support for tennis. The political and economic instability ensued until the ouster of Marcos by Cory Aquino and the People’s Power Revolution in 1986. It was a distraction of severe magnitude not only for the country’s development of tennis, but also for most of the country’s projects.

The POC’s Keon was unable to continue his highly successful projects and both Redondo and Sison eventually retired from international competition in 1984. Sison took up residency as the Head Coach of the Basel Lawn Tennis Club in Switzerland. Tennis experts conclude that it was the right people with a clear vision, carrying the right mission at an inopportune time. The support given to sports and tennis programs eversince have been short-lived and sporadic usually by enthusiastic individuals. Proper funding remained purely private, mostly by the youth’s parents and friends.

Not all were lost, however, because the initial structure and support given by Domingo to the WHAT junior training program at MPC later produced outstanding juniors that would reap international honors for the country. They would also proved durable later on in their careers in the Men’s Division. They were Manuel Tolentino, who was ranked as the world’s no. 1 junior player in 1985 by the International Tennis Federation (ITF); Felix Barrientos, the Junior Wimbledon Singles Semi-Finalist who would finish the year in the world’s top 10 junior rankings; Roland So who would later become a Davis Cup hero; Raymund Suarez whose heroic effort in Davis Cup play defeated the might of Japan in 1987. Antonio del Rosario who together with Barrientos reached the Junior Wimbledon Doubles Semi-Finals; and Joseph Lizardo also a Davis Cup standout.