UP-and-coming tennis player Christian Didier Chin hopes to unleash his “secret weapon” when he competes in the Philippines Sea Games later this month.
Christian will compete in the men’s singles and mixed doubles (with S. Theviya) at the biennial Games in Manila.
And, according to him, his best chance is in mixed doubles.
Why, you ask?
“Because every girl I play against (in mixed doubles) will just be looking at me,” said a cheeky Christian, whose boyish charms have made him a popular figure on the tennis circuit.
“I will just move a lot on the court and try to distract the other girl a bit.
“I wouldn’t say I’m popular with the girls, but I like to play mixed doubles as it motivates me to play better tennis.
“In singles, I will likely be among the top six seeds and I stand a good chance of reaching the quarter-finals.
“If I can cause an upset in the quarters, I may have a chance to win a medal, which will be very important for Malaysian tennis.”
Christian raised eyebrows when he became just the second Malaysian to reach the second round of the Australian Open juniors last year.
The first to do so was Suresh Menon in 1979. Suresh is now Malaysia’s head coach.