KIDLAT Estogero is just 9-years-old yet he’s not too young to dream that someday he will represent the Philippines in international tennis competitions.
He wants to be like his tennis idols Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, both international tennis stars.
That’s why at an early age, he’s taking tennis seriously. “Parang duty ko na po ito,” Estogero replied when asked why he’s into tennis.
“Lolo ko po and uncle and si mommy, lahat po sila naglalaro ng tennis. Kaya gusto ko na din po. Someday po gusto kong maglaro for the country,” said Estogero during the launch of the 19th Head Junior Tennis at Conti’s in Makati.
He is among the hundreds of participants in the annual grassroots tournament organized by Head, the leading local brand in tennis equipment, and its Philippine distributor Dynamic Sports.
Liza Tang-Yujuico, managing director of Head Philippines, is expecting boys and girls from different age categories to sign up for the tournament which has produced Filipino tennis stars like Jason Petrombon and Francis Casey Alcantara.
“On our 19th year, our goal is to continue to discover more young talented tennis players around the country and help them achieve their dreams,” said Tang-Yujuico. “We have always been very proud to become part of tennis development in the country.”
The junior tennis satellite competition starts in Cagayan de Oro on March 20-24 and will proceed to Davao City on March 26-30 and Isulan on April 15. The Visayas leg will be held in Cebu (April 7-11), Iloilo (April 17-21) and Bacolod City (April 23-27).
The Luzon leg will take place in Naga on April 29-May 3, Vigan (May 5-9), Baguio City (May 11-15), La Union (May 17-21) and Olongapo (May 23-27).
The Manila leg will be on May 29 to June 4.
The three-month series, which will feature singles and doubles division for different age categories, is supported by Chris Sports, Toalson strings, UBE Express, PTV 4, Aksiyon Sports, Business Mirro and its subsidiaries.