Tennis gets big boost from clergy

MANILA, Philippines - Nearly 100 priests from all over the country congregated to play in a two-day national tennis tournament that ended yesterday at the Manila Polo Club on a prayerful note to promote the sport.

Former Davis Cuppers Raymond Suarez, Roland So and Felix Barrientos conspired to organize the event with national coach Chris Cuarto on healing priest Fr. Fernando Suarez’ invitation. Also lending a hand was Philippine Tennis Association vice president Ajay Pathak who is now studying to convert to Catholicism after Fr. Suarez miraculously healed his debilitating heart ailment without surgery or medication.

Priests from Palawan, Laguna, Surigao, Negros Occidental, Cavite, Cebu, Davao del Norte, Mindoro Occidental and Leyte, among others, gathered to play 75 matches in each of the two days. To accommodate the overflow, 10 to 12 courts were mobilized from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with each match a straight-to-8 doubles affair.

The Midas Hotel and the Philippine Navy quarters hosted some 90 priests who came from out of town. The Navy also provided buses to transport the players to the Manila Polo Club. Cash prizes were awarded to the winners – P40,000 for first place, P30,000 for second, P20,000 for third and P10,000 for fourth.

“It was serious competition,” said Suarez who often plays with the healing priest. “Only Fr. Suarez could’ve pulled it off with 98 priests playing in the tournament. Everyone had fun and Fr. Suarez intends to make it an annual activity.”

The priests convened at the Midas Hotel on Roxas Boulevard last Monday night for a Mass to celebrate Fr. Suarez’ 44th birthday then began playing at the Manila Polo Club the next morning. In an exhibition match, Fr. Suarez teamed with Mindoro Occidental Bishop Antonio Palang to beat Tagum Bishop Wilfredo Manlapaz and Fr. Arnel Celis, 8-3.

Bishop Manlapaz, 69, and Bishop Palang, 64, were the oldest competitors in the tournament.

“Wherever I go to celebrate a healing Mass, I try to squeeze in a game of tennis,” said Fr. Suarez. “There are beautiful courts everywhere. In Cebu, the San Carlos seminary has four courts. Tagum and Tacloban have excellent shell courts, too. I like playing on shell. I’ve played on clay, grass and a hard surface. Even when I travel to Europe, I try to get in a game. I love playing. In my own humble way, I’m trying to create more awareness for tennis and encourage more people to enjoy a healthy lifestyle.”

Fr. Suarez started playing tennis as a seminarian with the Companions of the Cross in Canada 15 years ago and has since been hooked to the sport. At a recent visit to Balibago, Pampanga, Fr. Suarez tended to about 6,000 faithful in a healing Mass in the morning, played tennis early afternoon, visited the sick in hospitals and homes late afternoon then was back on the court for an hour after dinner.

“I learned tennis in Canada where you play without pulot boys so you pick up your own balls,” said Fr. Suarez. “It took me a while to get used to pulot boys in the Philippines. At first, I found it too slow to wait for the pulot boys to retrieve the balls. But I eventually got used to it. I prefer Philippine weather to Canadian weather so I enjoy playing tennis here more than anywhere else.”

Fr. Suarez said he likes Rafael Nadal’s game and followed the matches in the recent Australian Open closely. “I like Nadal’s passion and tenacity,” he said. “I can relate with his determination to win. I like his competitive spirit. I don’t follow the ladies game too much although I admire Kim Clijsters.”

Fr. Suarez said he would’ve liked to cheer the Philippine team in its Davis Cup tie against Japan in Cebu in March. “I’ll be leaving last week of February and coming back second week of March for healing Masses abroad,” said Fr. Suarez. “I hope to see Cecil (Mamiit) and the rest before I go and give them a blessing.”

Fr. Suarez said the turnout for the national priests tournament was overwhelming. “Fr. Ted Lopez even flew in from Rome just to participate,” he said. “Fr. Jeff (Shannon) and I represented Cavite. The tournament wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Midas Hotel, the Philippine Navy, Gatorade, Technofibre, Uratex, Landmark, Atcha Grill and many, many more.”

Sportsman Jean Henri Lhuillier, the Davis Cup team’s chief sponsor, lauded Fr. Suarez for his effort to promote tennis. “We share Fr. Suarez’ love for the game,” said Lhuillier. “Imagine the development of tennis if priests promoted it all over the country. Maybe, next year, the national tournament could be ecumenical to bring in religious from other denominations.”

Fr. Suarez has shown how sports could be the unifying element to bring peace among Filipinos of different ethnic backgrounds and beliefs.

At Montemaria in Alfonso, Cavite, Fr. Suarez said the healing Masses at 10 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays bring in about 40,000 every weekend. Thousands flock daily to the holy site where the world’s largest statue of Our Lady of Montemaria, 101 meters high, will rise as a symbol of Marian devotion and a landmark for a haven of peace.