Tennis star in the making

For 13-year-old tennis prodigy Matthew Castillejo Garcia, the dream of someday playing in the Grand Slams is what’s driving him to excel in the sport that he chose to focus on over swimming, football and golf.

Matthew, a Grade 8 student at Montessori Alabang, was introduced to sports as a toddler by his parents Anton and Dyan, both athletes in their own right. Anton was a varsity football player while Dyan was the national tennis champion for over 10 years with appearances in the Junior Wimbledon, Junior US Open, 12 Federation Cups, three Asian Games and six Southeast Asian Games.

“Anton and I opened his eyes to sports at an early age as a way to keep fit and to learn positive values,” said Dyan. “As a boy, he competed in swimming and football and took up golf lessons. We supported him in every way. Eventually, he chose to concentrate on tennis with no influence from us. I remember in his first tournament at the San Juanico Park in Ayala Alabang, he lost to Roland So’s daughter in the U10 class and Raymond Suarez’ son in the U12. We exposed him to short camps with Jeff Tarango in Los Angeles, Joseph Lizardo also in Los Angeles, Emilio Sanchez and Sergio Casal in Barcelona and Rafael Nadal in Manila. We brought him to a camp in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Once, at the French Open, he watched every single match for two days and at the Shanghai Open, he met Roger Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. He was a ballboy at the first IPTL here in the matches with Maria Sharapova, Andy Murray and Serena Williams.”

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This past summer, Matthew outdid himself by capturing six titles – the Palawan Pawnshop Regional U14 in Davao, the 8th Henry Lee Memorial U14 at the Manila Polo Club, the Milo Technifibre U14 at the Manila Polo Club, the 8th Alabang 1018 U16 at the Alabang Country Club, the 9th First Gen Juntaphil Metro U14 at the Alabang Country Club and the Palawan Pawnshop Group 2 National U14 at the Olivarez Complex. He was also runner-up in four tournaments.

“It was a break-out summer,” said Dyan. “I’m actually surprised how much he loves to play and compete. Matthew enjoys the power game and loves to practice his skills and challenge himself in tournaments. With the empowerment of God, he hopes to take his tennis to the highest possible level. He’s just so happy to play. Even after a loss, he’s so excited, recalling every point he made or lost. He loves to win, to play the game and to practice. As a parent, it’s like going back in time when I started playing. Anton and I don’t know how far he’ll go in tennis. Of course, we’re encouraging him, that’s our role. We don’t want to douse his passion. It takes a lot to excel in tennis and studies are the priority. We require Matthew to do well in school, of course. Matthew is now asking about playing in international tournaments for exposure so he earns points. Personally, I’m not over the top about this. I’m sober when I watch him play. There’s still so much to learn but he’s very passionate about tennis. My very first coach Vic Cribe is now guiding him.”

Matthew said he’s hooked to the sport. “I love everything about the game,” he said. “I really enjoy hitting the ball. Someday, I hope to make it to the Grand Slams. I chose to focus on tennis over football because I enjoy tennis more and it was time for me to decide which sport to pursue.”

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Sports is in Matthew’s bloodline. His grandfather Lino Castillejo, a La Salle Sports Hall of Famer, was a 100-meter specialist, national football player, race car driver and golfer. His great-grandfather Gil Fargas was the Far Eastern tennis champion. His grandmother Editha Fargas Castillejo is his No. 1 fan. “My mom cheers every single point Matthew plays, it’s unbelievable,” said Dyan. “My mom and dad are sports fanatics. Every chance my mom has to watch Matthew play, she’ll go. I know how hard it is to excel in sports. For as long as Matthew is enjoying his tennis, we’ll do our best to play our role to encourage and support him in his dream.”

Dyan described Matthew as aggressive on the court. “He loves to hit the power shots with a strong baseline game,” she said. “He’s been coming to the net more often and he’s enjoying it. He’s a big Nadal fan but he likes to fire his forehand like Djokovic. He uses a two-fisted backhand. He watches all the tennis matches on TV, follows the rankings of every player and studies videos of his favorite players.”

Dyan said she has no videos of her matches to show her son. “I had to dig up my trophies and medals to prove to Matthew that I was once a tennis champion,” she chuckled. “Maybe, in the future, we’ll take Matthew to an overseas camp where a coach could evaluate his potential and suggest a program to develop his game. Anton and I will watch over him with an overall eye but we’d like for Matthew to start a relationship with a coach who can guide his career.”