Missed opportunities

The Russian Tennis Federation overpowered Croatia to win the 2021 Davis Cup. With Russia now an international sports pariah as a consequence of its invasion of Ukraine, a blend of traditional powers and rising nations are stamping their class on the rest of the field. The first week of March signaled a massive wave of playoffs and first-round matches.

In the World Group I first-round playoffs, most home teams escaped unscathed. Ukraine, Chile, India, Portugal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru and Switzerland moved on with relative ease, while Uzbekistan lost to Turkey, and Tunisia was taken out by Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the first round of the World Group II qualifiers, the US, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Sweden, Argentina and South Korea all won at home. But Finland, Brazil, Slovakia and Norway were all beaten by their visitors.

In the early 1990’s, the Philippines reached the height of a strong build-up led by Felix Barrientos, and made the 1991 World Group playoffs. Barrientos won three gold medals and a silver in the Manila Southeast Asian Games that same year. Since then, the country has never really reached those heights again. After those glory days, travel, monetary concerns and politics all plagued the Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA). The country is bracketed in the Asia/Oceania Zone in Group II, but cannot compete.

On Nov. 25, 2020, the International Tennis Federation suspended PHILTA after the world body did not recognize the national sports association’s elections in 2017, which were allegedly carried out without following proper procedure under the Philippine Olympic Committee. ITF began the proceedings with written notices to PHILTA and the POC long before, and said that PHILTA repeatedly did not comply with deadlines to submit standard reportorial requirements, including plans for amending the constitution to increase membership.

“By virtue of its suspension from ITF membership, PHILTA is currently ineligible to;

• Attend any General Meeting of the ITF

• Apply for any form of ITF funding or grant programs

• Apply for any ITF Development technical support or ITF Development programs

• Apply for any national tournament to form part of the ITF Circuits including the ITF World Tennis Tour (men’s, women’s and juniors), ITF Wheelchair World Tour, ITF Beach Tennis Circuit and ITF Seniors Circuit

• Participate in all ITF Official Team Competitions,” ITF president David Haggerty said then.

On March 17, the POC suspended PHILTA (and the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association) for 90 days. The Southeast Asian Games is set in Hanoi, Vietnam in May. Without POC recognition of their mother association, national tennis players cannot represent the country in any international amateur competitions. They are, technically, at a dead-end. Tennis as a sport has grown dramatically around the world, only slowed down partly by the pandemic. With our athletes unable to join tournaments, their skills will atrophy as they can no longer compete against the best at every level, except those competing professionally or funding their own travel and training.

Given the painfully short careers of athletes, these lost opportunities can never be regained, and this generation will have to start all over again, if they even get a chance to. Something has to give.