Another French Open tournament just ended. Since lawn tennis is my favorite sport – although I belong to the SWAT team (Samahan ng Walang Asenso sa Tennis) – I had been watching the games on TV, especially the final round.

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There’s no need for me to rehash the results of the just-concluded tournament; that’s been splashed in the sports pages. The particular question I pose is: Why don’t we Filipinos excel in this prestigious game?

There are, of course, as many opinions as there are heads.

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Some say there’s a height advantage of Western players. But that’s not true because there are diminutive players who excelled and even became champions. Ai Sugiyama of Japan, ranked #31, and Thailander Paradorm have shone in world tournaments; then there’s the rising 16-year-old Portuguese Michel Larcher de Brito, who’s only 5-foot-5 and made controversy by her record high-pitched “grunts” which reportedly even disturbed the dogs around Paris in the recent French Open, and, of course, Justine Henin, who at 5-foot-5, was long-time world #1 until she retired.

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So height limitation is not an obstacle. What’s also needed, aside from talent, is professional training. It’s well known that many of the tennis champions, especially the women, train at Nick Bollettieri Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

The best proof on the importance of training is our boxing champion Manny Pacquiao. He would not be where he is now if not for a good mentor/trainer in Freddie Roach.

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The ultimate factor in any sports is motivation, the will to excel. To illustrate: When Ana Ivanovic was a budding tennis star, she practiced everyday in her place in Serbia. In the early 1990s the war against Bosnia threatened to interrupt her training and bombs rained down. But that didn’t deter Ana. She and trainer continued to practice. How, where? In a large-size, waterless swimming pool! That’s never-say-die motivation.

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Why I love the Philippines. A Christian evangelist friend of mine through Internet, Geoff Hinds, writes: “I have found reason to love the people of a country I have visited three times – and hope to continue to visit – the Philippines.

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“Here in Australia we now have over 120,000 Filipinos and I saw a statement the other day that no group of migrants had contributed so well as these people from a country whose history has many heartaches.”

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“Each time I have come in contact with the Filipino people, I enjoy their wonderful hospitality and fun of being with them.”

“I have lobbied our politicians from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd down about the Philippines,” Geoff adds, “reminding them that they are the best of migrants here in Aussie land – good workers, carers, and mixing with Australians better than most.”

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Mr. Hinds’ affirming and reminding us of our positive traits should inspire us to maintain our good side, possibly to improve. But let’s get rid of our negative acts, like stealing from foreign visitors, taxi drivers ripping them off, hookers and mendicants preying on them.

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ST. JUDE NOVENA. Tomorrow is Thursday. Join our novena to St. Jude, Saint of the Impossible, at the Divine Word Shrine, Christ the King Seminary Compound on E. Rodriguez Boulevard, Quezon City at 6:30 p.m.