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WEATHER
gets similar attention as its foreign opponents as the
Philippine Davis Cup team gears for its Asia/Oceania
Group I relegation tie next month.
As the
dry season is expected to peak, the RP Cuppers are
concentrating on a strength and conditioning regimen at
the Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Tennis Courts
in Manila, knowing the tough competition Uzbekistan will
give the home team.
“We’ve
been working on how we can be physically and mentally
fit for the tie,” said RP No. 3 netter Patrick John
Tierro.
Tierro
said Cecil Mamiit even had a brief
Manila stop. Mamiit is set to compete in
Thailand
to further acclimatize to the summer heat in Asia.
“We are
more worried about the weather. That is why the
trainings are mainly focused on physical conditioning,”
said the 21-year-old Tierro, who surprised everyone by
going the distance before losing to Japan’s Go Soeda in
a recent first-round tie.
The
Philippines will take on the Uzbeks from April 11 to 13.
The Filipinos lost to Japan, 5-0, in the first round of
the Asia/Oceania Group I tie at the Rizal Tennis Center,
while the Uzbeks lost to India, 3-2.
Uzbekistan
is reportedly training in Europe to prepare for the
Filipinos.
Tierro
said the slow PCA shell courts would still be a
challenge not only for the Uzbeks but for the Filipinos
as well.
“Our
games actually still suit shell courts. But the venue
will also be challenging even to us,” said Tierro.
Tierro,
Johnny Arcilla, Kyle Dandan and Pablo Olivarez II are
training at PCA as they prepare for the Davis Cup.
The
loser of the RP-Uzbekistan tie will meet the loser of
the Kazakhstan-Taiwan tie for the last seat in Group I.
The losing team will drop to Group II. Uzbekistan won
its lone tie against the Philippines in 1996. |
