Friday, January 05, 2007 Tabotabo to train in Spain By Marian C. Baring Sun.Star Correspondent
WINNING in 2006’s final competition has opened many doors for up and coming tennis star Vince Mark Tabotabo, who hails from the town of Tuburan.
Apart from getting an endorsement deal with Dunlop, while on training at the Manila Polo Club, the nine-year-old netter was offered an all-expense paid scholarship to train in one of Spain’s top tennis clubs.
A Spaniard, Richard Awad, saw Tabotabo, while he was training at the Club, after the Cebuano was invited along with Japanese netters, following his successful stint in the Milo Junior Tennis Cup last December.
“Nakurat ko pag-una nga gi-offeran siya. Nibalibad ko pag una pero sayang man ang opportunity (I was surprised when he made me the offer. I declined at first, but I didn’t want the opportunity to go to waste),” said Tabotabo’s father Titus, who could not afford to leave his youngest son on his own.
Titus said Awad had offered to shoulder Vince Mark’s expenses for the duration of the training.
The program will entail a child to train for seven years before they could go pro.
Break
The Tabotabos decided that breaks like this do not come often and that they have to compromise for Vince Mark’s improvement.
“I will be going with him there. After a few months, ako napud misis mukuyog niya. We can’t afford it (training in Spain) if kami lang,” Titus said.
The said tennis group is the same one that basketball cage star Alvin Patrimonio’s daughter, Christine, also a former age grouper, goes to.
Tabotabo had topped the Milo tiff, where he came out the champion of the 10 and under division after trouncing the top player of the tournament. He is training under former Davis Cup players Romy Chan, Raymund Suarez and Raul Guerrero.
Tournament
Tabotabo has not gone home since his December stint to prepare for tomorrow’s 18th Andrada Cup, a tournament rated Group 2 by the Philippine Tennis Association.
Also competing in the tournament is Jacob Lagman and John Francis Largo, who is back in action after missing out tournaments in the last quarter of 2006. Largo will now be playing in the Boys 18 division, while Lagman will compete in the Boys 12.
