Five-year-old tennis player Celine Sison. Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News
The sky's the limit for five-year-old tennis player Celine Sison.
She dreams of becoming a Grand Slam champion and reaching the top as world number one player someday.
Celine is the daughter of tennis coach and director Lorenzo Sison, the son of tennis great Beeyong Sison.
Beeyong reached an ATP singles ranking of #332, having played in all the Grand Slams and reached the quarterfinals of the French Open doubles with Markus Gunthardt in 1981. He also played Davis Cup for the Philippines in 1983 and 1984.
As soon as Beeyong’s granddaughter was born, her dad Lorenzo exposed Celine to the world of tennis, incorporating it into her every stage of growth.
Celine already impresses with good hand-eye coordination, exceptional footwork, and lots of love for tennis.
“At one year old, we just threw the ball at her — catching and fetching,” Lorenzo shared. “And I realized she was catching every ball I was throwing at her.”
“She started playing tennis maybe at the age of 2 or 3 with the racket and ball on the ground. Then at three years old she really started hitting the ball over the net,” the proud father said.
Celine’s mom, Joelle, is not a tennis player, but she is also very dedicated to helping the big tennis dream of Celine.
“I love it because not only is it a good exercise, but also a good way for her and her dad to bond,” said Joelle. “It’s beautiful to see.”
Asked Celine if is she’s a good tennis player, she would say “I am.”
Aside from the technical skills she needs to become a world-class player, Celine has also practiced her lines for postgame interviews.
“When I play with her, we wanna have fun. We just rally a lot and when we watch tennis on TV like Coco Gauff or Carlos Alcaraz, I give her like an interview (like we’re in) the US Open,” Lorenzo said.
“When she’s that young and she likes it, it’s such an advantage,” the dad said.
Included among Celine’s favorite tennis players is Coco Gauff.
“I like Coco Gauff, (Aryna) Sabalenka, I like all the tennis players,” said Celine. “I also like Andy Murray.”
Celine's mother also told a story of how she’s met more tennis stars, like Paula Badosa and Ben Shelton, at the City Open in DC.
“She made cards for them [the players] and it was so cute,” said Joelle.
Currently, Celine can only play for the USTA 10&Under Tournaments and most players she is up against are much older.
“In the States, the only tournaments are orange ball so mga 7-10 year-old. So for 5-year olds, there’s no tournaments so she has to play in the 10 and under league,” Lorenzo explained.
Practice is now embedded in her regular routine at home in Virgina, USA, aiming one day that she would climb the top ranks.
“I like it because it’s good for you, and it’s good to exercise, and it’s fun to do,” said Celine.
When asked if she likes it when her father Lorenzo teaches her, she answered with a quick “yes.”
When she gets older and would able to travel in the US, the parents are a hundred percent ready to support her as her biggest fans.