Match point

Dianne Arnie P. Nicolas hits a few balls with a world class tennis player.

“It’s just fun hitting the ball,” enthuses Lilian Sanchez Osterloh, a 29-year old tennis pro who presently ranks 94th in the world.

It may just be fun, so she says, but hers is an example of fun that brought her to all countries in Europe, major countries in Asia and all over America on a tour while trying to keep her record of ranking within the world’s top 100 tennis professionals.

Quitting Economics in Stanford University for tennis, this half-Filipina tennis pro ranked 41st in the world last 2001 and is now working to hit the top 20 spot.

For Lily, victory is no surprise. It is the by-product of years of focus, practice, sacrifice and a lot of hard work.

“I just love tennis. That’s my passion,” and this love she recounts as having started when she was six, when she saw Martina Navratilova playing in Wimbledon. Lily then started hitting the balls against a wall and up to now still hits the ball anywhere “because it’s fun.”

She was only a student when she landed among the world’s top 200 players, won her first amateur competition at 14 or 15 and went professional at 18. To date, Lily has been on tour for eleven years.

“I’m never really satisfied. I’m always working, always doing something for my tennis. It’s a process and it takes dedication. It’s not easy but I enjoy the challenge.”

This hardworking nature of hers she attributes to her being Filipina. Her mom, a Cebuana who came back for a vacation in Cebu with her two daughters after almost two decades of living in the US, has set an example for Lily on “what it means to achieve dreams.”

And this Cebuana side of her she delightfully discovered on her first visit to Cebu.

“Wherever I go, I always see a smiling face,” says Lily in between watching out for flying mosquitoes on the poolside patio. “And the food is great,” Lily remembers home-made pancit, halo-halo and bochi with a smile.

Apart from that, Lily’s high regard for family is so distinctly Filipino. She credits family life and relationships as her tennis “backbone,” saying that tennis is not just about “mastering the basics” and loving the game. “When under pressure, you need a solid foundation. You can’t be shaky.” And this is just among the many reasons that keeping and being with family are very important to her.

Firmly toned and tanned in an almost mean way, with a physical frame that’s tall and seemingly rigid, it comes as a surprise, like a powerful serve on a quiet start of a tennis match, how charmingly gentle Lily looks when she breaks into a smile and speaks softly, as an ate would to a child.

She played against Maria Sharapova in England, and she especially enjoyed playing against Nadia Patrova. “They make decisions when playing. They never let a window of opportunity pass by. If you don’t take a chance, you may lose.”

This competitive side of the game drives Lily, saying she loves tennis for “the strategy of the game—finding your opponent’s weakness and using that to build to your strength.”

“It’s a very physical game, and it challenges you mentally and physically.”

To keep up with the rigorous demands of each game, Lily spends a total of four to five hours a day doing cardio, stretches, weights, Pilates, swimming and tennis matches to keep her in top form. She eats a lot of fish and rice, keeps herself hydrated and doesn’t eat processed meat.

She is continuously on tour for Sony Ericsson WTA and wants to play against Justine Henin from Belgium, currently the world’s number one tennis player in the her category. She wants to compete with all the top players of the sport, with no fear but excitement as she explains that, “The more I play against them, the more I improve my game.”

And this optimistic and familiar cheerful-against-all-odds attitude she strongly bears with her like a signature forehand strike. She remains hopeful and filled with plans, including graduating from Stanford University, teaching tennis and giving back, coming back to Cebu and teaching kids and having a family of her own, eventually.

Lily’s advice to striving tennis athletes? “It’s still a game. Enjoy the competition and work hard. If you have the goal, don’t lose the dream.”

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